Όσο μεγαλώνω, τόσο καταλαβαίνω καλύτερα τη μαμά μου.

This is a very common Greek pattern that means the more ..., the more ....

So:

• Όσο μεγαλώνω = the more I grow / as I get older
• τόσο καταλαβαίνω καλύτερα τη μαμά μου = the more/better I understand my mom

Together, the whole sentence means something like:

• The older I get, the better I understand my mom.

Greek often uses Όσο ... τόσο ... where English uses the more ... the more ... or the older ... the better ....

Μεγαλώνω literally means I grow, I get bigger, or I get older. In this sentence, it means I get older.

So Όσο μεγαλώνω is not really about physical growth here. It is more about age and maturity:

• As I get older
• The older I get

Greek often uses μεγαλώνω in this broader sense.

Greek uses the present tense here because it describes a general, ongoing relationship between two things.

The sentence is not about one single moment. It means:

• as time passes,
• as I continue getting older,
• I continue understanding my mom better.

So the present tense works very naturally, just as English can say:

• The older I get, the better I understand my mom.

This is a general truth or ongoing process, not a completed event.

Greek usually does not need subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows the subject.

For example:

• μεγαλώνω = I grow / I get older
• καταλαβαίνω = I understand

The -ω ending tells you the subject is I.

You can add εγώ if you want emphasis or contrast, but normally it is omitted:

• Όσο μεγαλώνω, τόσο καταλαβαίνω καλύτερα τη μαμά μου. = perfectly natural
• Όσο εγώ μεγαλώνω... = possible, but usually unnecessary unless you want emphasis

Because καλύτερα is an adverb here, not an adjective.

In this sentence, καλύτερα describes how I understand:

• καταλαβαίνω καλύτερα = I understand better

Compare:

• καλύτερος / καλύτερη / καλύτερο = better as an adjective, describing a noun
• καλύτερα = better as an adverb, describing a verb

Examples:

• Είναι καλύτερη μητέρα. = She is a better mother.
• Τη γνωρίζω καλύτερα. = I know her better.

Greek very often uses the definite article with family members and possessive phrases.

So:

• η μαμά μου = my mom
• τη μαμά μου = my mom in the accusative, because it is the object of the verb

This is extremely normal in Greek. English usually says just my mom, but Greek often says the equivalent of the my mom, though you should not translate it that way literally.

Examples:

• Αγαπάω τη μητέρα μου. = I love my mother.
• Πήρα τηλέφωνο τον αδερφό μου. = I called my brother.

Because μαμά μου is the direct object of καταλαβαίνω.

The verb καταλαβαίνω means I understand, and the person understood is the object:

• I understand my mom

In Greek, the direct object takes the accusative case. So:

• nominative: η μαμά μου = my mom as the subject
• accusative: τη μαμά μου = my mom as the object

That is why the article changes from η to τη.

Yes, καταλαβαίνω means I understand, but in a sentence like this it can also suggest:

• I understand her better emotionally
• I relate to her more
• I see why she thinks or acts the way she does

So it is not only intellectual understanding. It often includes personal or emotional understanding too.

Yes, the comma is natural and expected here because Όσο μεγαλώνω is an introductory clause, and then τόσο καταλαβαίνω καλύτερα τη μαμά μου is the main clause that completes the comparison.

So the punctuation helps separate the two linked parts:

• Όσο μεγαλώνω, τόσο καταλαβαίνω καλύτερα τη μαμά μου.

It is similar to English:

• The older I get, the better I understand my mom.

Yes, Greek word order is fairly flexible, though some versions sound more natural than others.

The original sentence is very natural:

• Όσο μεγαλώνω, τόσο καταλαβαίνω καλύτερα τη μαμά μου.

You might also hear slight variations such as:

• Όσο μεγαλώνω, καταλαβαίνω τόσο καλύτερα τη μαμά μου.

But the original version is clearer and more standard for learners.

Greek often moves words around for emphasis, rhythm, or style, but the Όσο ... τόσο ... pairing is best kept easy to recognize.

Sometimes in informal Greek, speakers may omit τόσο, especially in speech, if the meaning is already clear. But with this structure, keeping τόσο is the clearest and most standard choice.

So for learners, it is best to use:

• Όσο ..., τόσο ...

This makes the correlative pattern obvious and correct.

Μαμά is the everyday, familiar word for mom.
Μητέρα is more formal and corresponds more closely to mother.

So:

• τη μαμά μου = my mom
• τη μητέρα μου = my mother

In this sentence, μαμά sounds warm and natural.

You would say:

• Όσο μεγαλώνω, τόσο καταλαβαίνω καλύτερα τη μητέρα μου.

This means:

• The older I get, the better I understand my mother.

It is grammatically the same. The only difference is tone:

• μαμά = more personal, everyday
• μητέρα = more formal, neutral, or literary

They are quite different.

• Όταν means when
• Όσο here means the more / as

So:

• Όταν μεγαλώνω... would not work well here
• Όσο μεγαλώνω... correctly expresses gradual change over time

The sentence is not saying when I get older as a single event. It is saying as I get older / the older I get, which is exactly why Όσο is used.

That is close as a word-for-word guide, but it is not natural English.

A rough literal breakdown is:

• Όσο = as much as / the more
• μεγαλώνω = I grow / I get older
• τόσο = so much / that much / the more
• καταλαβαίνω καλύτερα = I understand better
• τη μαμά μου = my mom

But the best natural translation is:

• The older I get, the better I understand my mom.

That captures the real meaning and style.