Το πείσμα της αδερφής μου μερικές φορές βοηθάει, αλλά άλλες φορές κάνει τη συζήτηση δύσκολη.

In Greek, the definite article is used more often than in English, even with abstract nouns.

So το πείσμα literally means the stubbornness, but in natural English we might simply say stubbornness or my sister’s stubbornness.

Here, το πείσμα της αδερφής μου means my sister’s stubbornness. The article is completely normal in Greek.

Πείσμα means stubbornness, obstinacy, or a stubborn streak.

Depending on context, it can be:

• negative: refusing to give in
• positive: determination and persistence

In this sentence, it has a mixed sense:

• sometimes it helps
• sometimes it makes the discussion difficult

So it is not purely bad or purely good here.

Της αδερφής μου is in the genitive, which is often used to show possession.

So:

• η αδερφή = the sister
• της αδερφής = of the sister
• μου = my

Together, της αδερφής μου means of my sister, which English usually expresses as my sister’s.

So:

• το πείσμα της αδερφής μου = my sister’s stubbornness

It may look that way to an English speaker, but they do different jobs.

• της here is not the pronoun her
• it is the genitive feminine singular article, matching αδερφής
• μου is the possessive pronoun meaning my

So the structure is:

• της αδερφής = of the sister
• μου = my

Greek commonly says the sister of mine, where English says my sister.

Yes, αδερφή is correct.

Both forms exist:

• αδερφή = very common in everyday Modern Greek
• αδελφή = more formal or traditional spelling/form

They mean the same thing: sister.

So της αδερφής μου is a perfectly natural everyday phrase.

Literally:

• μερικές φορές = some times
• άλλες φορές = other times

In natural English, this becomes:

• sometimes
• other times

These are very common Greek expressions.

Also notice:

• φορές means times/occasions
• μερικές and άλλες are feminine plural because they agree with φορές, which is feminine plural

Yes. Both βοηθάει and βοηθά are used in Modern Greek.

They both mean:

• he/she/it helps

So in this sentence:

• βοηθάει = helps

The subject is το πείσμα, which is grammatically singular, so the verb is third person singular.

You may hear:

• βοηθάει
• βοηθά

Both are natural. Βοηθάει is just the fuller form.

Here it means makes.

Although κάνω often means do, it can also mean make, especially in patterns like:

• κάνω κάτι εύκολο = make something easy
• κάνω κάτι δύσκολο = make something difficult

So:

• κάνει τη συζήτηση δύσκολη = it makes the discussion difficult

That is a very common Greek structure.

Because δύσκολη is an adjective, not an adverb.

It describes συζήτηση:

• η συζήτηση = the discussion
• δύσκολη = difficult

In this structure, Greek uses:

• κάνει + object + adjective

So:

• κάνει τη συζήτηση δύσκολη = makes the discussion difficult

The adjective must agree with συζήτηση, which is:

• feminine
• singular
• accusative

That is why it is δύσκολη.

If you said δύσκολα, that would be an adverb, meaning something like with difficulty, which is not what this sentence wants.

In Modern Greek, the final -ν of την is often dropped before certain consonants.

Since συζήτηση begins with σ, it is very normal to say:

• τη συζήτηση

You may also see την συζήτηση, especially in careful or more formal writing, but τη συζήτηση is very common and natural.

So both can appear, but here τη συζήτηση is exactly what many native speakers would say.

No, Greek word order is more flexible than English word order.

This sentence could be rearranged in different ways without changing the basic meaning, for example:

• Μερικές φορές το πείσμα της αδερφής μου βοηθάει...
• Το πείσμα της αδερφής μου βοηθάει μερικές φορές...

The original order is natural and clear. It introduces the subject first:

• Το πείσμα της αδερφής μου

Then it contrasts:

• μερικές φορές
• άλλες φορές

So the structure helps create the idea:

• sometimes this is helpful, but other times it causes problems