Χτες ανεβήκαμε σε έναν μικρό λόφο· φοβόμασταν μην αρχίσει να βρέχει στην ανηφόρα, αλλά στην κατηφόρα είχε μόνο λίγο αεράκι.

Yes. Χτες and χθες both mean yesterday.

A learner should know this difference:

• χθες is the more traditional spelling
• χτες is a very common modern spelling in everyday use
• They are pronounced the same: xtes

So in this sentence, Χτες is completely normal and natural.

Ανεβήκαμε is the 1st person plural aorist of ανεβαίνω.

It means:

• we went up
• we climbed up

Why the aorist? Because the sentence presents this as a completed event in the past: they went up the hill.

Compare:

• ανεβήκαμε = we went up / climbed up
• ανεβαίναμε = we were going up / we used to go up

So ανεβήκαμε is the right choice for a single completed action.

Because σε normally takes the accusative case in Modern Greek.

Here is the breakdown:

• σε = to / onto / on
• έναν = masculine accusative singular of ένας
• μικρό = adjective agreeing with λόφο
• λόφο = accusative singular of λόφος

So:

• σε έναν μικρό λόφο = onto a small hill

This is a very common pattern:

• σε έναν δρόμο
• σε ένα σπίτι
• σε μια πόλη

That mark is the Greek ano teleia.

In this sentence, it works roughly like an English:

• semicolon
• or sometimes a strong comma / colon-like pause

So:

• Χτες ανεβήκαμε σε έναν μικρό λόφο· φοβόμασταν...

means there is a clear break between the two parts of the sentence.

Important for learners: the Greek question mark is ;, not ?. So · is not a question mark.

Because φοβόμασταν is the imperfect, and it describes an ongoing state in the past:

• φοβόμασταν = we were afraid / we were worrying

That fits the context well: while going through that situation, they were afraid it might rain.

Compare:

• φοβόμασταν = ongoing fear, background feeling
• φοβηθήκαμε = we got scared / we became frightened

So φοβόμασταν sounds more like a continuing concern, not one sudden moment of fear.

After verbs of fear, Greek often uses μη(ν) + subjunctive.

So:

• φοβόμασταν μην αρχίσει να βρέχει

means:

• we were afraid it might start raining
• more literally, something like we were afraid lest it start raining

Here, μην does not simply mean ordinary English not. It is part of a standard Greek pattern after expressions of fear.

This is very common:

• Φοβάμαι μην αργήσει. = I’m afraid he may be late.
• Φοβόταν μην πέσει. = He was afraid he might fall.

Because this is not a normal past indicative form. It is a subjunctive form after μην.

In Modern Greek, the subjunctive is usually shown by words like:

• να
• μη / μην

So:

• μην αρχίσει = that it might start

Here:

• άρχισε = it started
• αρχίσει = it may start / might start in this structure

Also, the aorist aspect fits well because the focus is on the single moment of starting.

Because after αρχίζω (to start / begin), Greek normally uses the imperfective form for the action that begins.

So:

• αρχίζει να βρέχει
• αρχίσει να βρέχει

mean:

• it starts / may start raining

Why imperfective here?

• βρέχει presents rain as an ongoing process
• after start, Greek usually wants the activity as something that continues

This is the same pattern as:

• άρχισα να διαβάζω = I started reading
• άρχισαν να τρέχουν = they started running

So να βρέχει is the natural choice.

Literally, yes, ανηφόρα is uphill / ascent / uphill slope.

But in context, στην ανηφόρα often means more naturally:

• on the way up
• during the climb
• while going uphill

Also notice:

• στην = σε + την

So:

• στην ανηφόρα = on the uphill / during the ascent

Greek often uses a noun like this where English might prefer an adverb or a phrase such as while going up.

It is the opposite of στην ανηφόρα.

• κατηφόρα = downhill / descent / downhill slope
• στην κατηφόρα = on the way down / during the descent / downhill

So the sentence creates a nice contrast:

• στην ανηφόρα = while going up
• στην κατηφόρα = while going down

This is a very natural Greek pair:

• ανηφόρα / κατηφόρα

Yes. Although έχω usually means to have, Greek very often uses είχε / έχει in expressions about conditions, weather, or what was present.

So here:

• είχε μόνο λίγο αεράκι

means naturally:

• there was only a little breeze
• it was only a little breezy

It does not mean someone possessed the breeze.

Other Greek options are possible, but they sound a bit different:

• φυσούσε λίγο = it was blowing a little
• υπήρχε λίγο αεράκι = there was a little breeze
  
  • grammatically fine, but less natural in everyday speech here

So είχε λίγο αεράκι is very idiomatic.

Αεράκι is a diminutive form of αέρας.

So:

• αέρας = wind / air
• αεράκι = little wind, which in English is usually breeze

The diminutive gives the sentence a softer nuance:

• light
• mild
• not serious
• maybe even pleasant

So λίγο αεράκι suggests that the weather was not bad at all—just a small breeze.

Because μόνο is limiting what follows.

• είχε μόνο λίγο αεράκι = there was only a little breeze

The idea is:

• not rain
• not a storm
• not strong wind
• just a little breeze

Greek word order is fairly flexible, but this placement is very natural because μόνο directly highlights the smallness of what there was.

Yes, and it is a very useful one for learners.

The sentence mixes:

• aorist for the main completed action
• imperfect for background states or conditions

Here is the pattern:

• ανεβήκαμε = a completed event: we went up
• φοβόμασταν = background feeling: we were afraid
• είχε = background condition: there was

This is very typical Greek storytelling:

• aorist moves the action forward
• imperfect describes what was going on, what people felt, or what conditions were like

So the sentence is a good example of how Greek uses aspect to structure a narrative.