get your greek on!

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GET YOUR GREEK ON! Basic Greek in Two Weeks

Peter Schultz

Για τους Έλληνες γονείς μου, την Όλγα και τον Ευγένιο; και για τον πρώτο ποιητή της Θήρας, James Tiernan O'Rourke.

Get Your Greek On! 6

Introduction This book is designed to introduce you to some of the basic principles of modern Greek. Specifically, it’s intended to get you talking with your new Greek colleagues, neighbors, and friends as quickly as possible. This book is also meant to be fun. We all learned our first language when we were kids. That’s a fact worth keeping in mind. In one sense, learning another language asks that you become a little kid again and that you do things little kids do all the time: that you enjoy yourself without fear, that you make mistakes without worry, and that you play. If you can do that, if you play with the material that I’ve put together for you in this little book, then you’ll learn some basic Greek, and you’ll have fun doing it. I initially wrote this book for my students at Concordia College. The idea was to provide them with a fast introduction to Greek that would allow them to get around, to meet people, and to more fully enjoy themselves during their time in Greece. Further inspiration was provided by students participating in the Greek Foreign Study Program offered by the Department of Classics at Dartmouth College, by students in the Program in Greece offered by the Department of Classical Studies at Lake Forest College, and by students living and studying at Arcadia University’s Center for Balkan and Mediterranean Studies in Athens. My time at the American School of Classical Studies and the University of Athens also played a role in figuring out which approaches to basic Greek seemed to work, and which didn’t. Perhaps most importantly, two years of private lessons with a very elegant ninety-year-old Greek teacher, Madame Kaiti Zikou, taught me how much could be done with the basic elements of Greek. The point of all this is that you’re in good hands. The ideas and exercises in this book have been tested on hundreds of willing guinea pigs over the past fifteen years. If you put that together with the tricks I picked up from Madame Zikou, then you’ve got almost a century of Greek goodness at your fingertips. Producing a book – even a tiny one like this – is always a team effort. In that spirit, it’s a pleasure to offer thanks to Paul Christesen, Darcie DeBoer, Richard Fischer, Zach Forstrom, Heather Waddell Gruber, Clayton Lehmann, Tom Mayer, Jenifer Neils, Spencer Pope, Molly Richardson, Jerry Rutter, Jan Sanders, Anna Schultz, Elizabeth Schultz-Nuytten, Roger Schultz, Andrew Stewart, Bronwen Wickkiser, and Timothy Winters for their comments and criticism. Catherine Darragh, Aurora McClain, and Ruth Schultz provided much needed editorial assistance. Kristin Langerud generated this book’s production values and design. Special thanks are also due to my Greek friends who reviewed this book in both early and late stages, Paulina Bithara, Valia Kapetanaki-Kearney, Marios Mastakas, and Ourania Sinopoulou.


How to Use This Book The most important thing that you can do when beginning to learn another language is to play with it. That’s what matters. Right now, it doesn’t matter if you sound like a gibbering lunatic when you speak Greek. It doesn’t matter if you can’t spell a word when you write Greek. It doesn’t matter if you don’t understand the grammar when you read Greek. Right now, what matters is that you try to speak, that you try to write, and that you try to read. At these early stages, when you’re just putting your toe in the water, the most important thing you can do is to play with the words, the phrases, and the grammar that you’re trying to learn. Right now, having fun – playing with your Greek – is what counts. This book is divided into three parts. Part One provides fourteen lessons. Each of these lessons includes an introduction to some basic parts of modern Greek grammar, a set of essential words, phrases, and conversational patterns, and a quiz outline that you can use to assess your progress. Part Two consists of a Greek-English and English-Greek glossary. Part Three provides a fast guide to writing Greek letters. It’s important to keep in mind that this book is not a comprehensive Greek language course nor is it a “Greek phrase book.” Rather, it’s intended to be a very quick, very basic introduction to some of the most basic principles of modern Greek for the student, traveler, or explorer. Moreover, while this book will be of use for those who want to learn Greek on their own, it will be far more effective when integrated into an active, playful, classroom environment. In language instruction, there is no substitute for a great teacher, and having just one other playmate can make your experience more meaningful and much more fun. If you really want to get your Greek on, there’s no better way than with an enthusiastic instructor and crew of fun friends. If you want to move beyond this book’s rather basic functions – to increase your grammatical skills, to refine your vocabulary, and to enhance your expressive range – then you’ll need to swim into deeper seas. Fortunately, many excellent guides exist that can help speed you on your way. For these, take a look at the Bibliography and Further Reading section at the very end of this book. Now, stop reading this English! Go get your Greek on!

Part One. The Lessons


Lesson 1 Essential Grammar 1.1 The Alphabet Α α άλφα a, as in all Β β βήτα v, as in vase Γ γ γάμα unique sound between a soft g and a y when before ι or ε: y, as in yes Δ δ δέλτα th, as in then Ε ε έψιλον e, as in bet Ζ ζ ζήτα z, as in zoo Η η ήτα e, as in email Θ θ θήτα th, as in theatre Ι ι γιώτα e, as in email Κ κ κάπα k, as in kitchen Λ λ λάμδα l, as in lust Μ μ μι m, as in move Ν ν νι n, as in never Ξ ξ ξι ks, as in kicks Ο ο όμικρον o, as in pore Π π πι p, as in present Ρ ρ ρο r, as in rope (often rolled) Σ σ (ς) σίγμα s, as in sound Τ τ ταυ t, as in tank Υ υ ύψιλον i, as in lid Φ φ φι f, as in fish Χ χ χι ch, as in Bach Ψ ψ ψι ps, as in laps Ω ω ωμέγα o, as in oak 1.2 Some Essential Sounds Comprised of Two Letters αι a, as in air ει ee, as in screech οι ee, as in screech ου oo, as in hoot αυ av, as in avenger but, when in front of letters θ, κ, ξ, π, σ, τ, φ, χ, ψ : af, as in often


ευ ev, as in everyone but, when in front of letters θ, κ, ξ, π, σ, τ, φ, χ, ψ : ef, as in effort

γγ ng, as in angle γκ when at the beginning of a word: g, as in girl when in the middle of a word: nk, as in ankle μπ when at the beginning of a word: b, as in boy when in the middle of a word: mb, as in bumble ντ when at the beginning of a word: d, as in dog when in the middle of a word: nd, as in end τς when at the beginning of a word: ts, as in tsar when in the middle of a word: ts, as in stats 1.3 Accents In Greek, you will often see an accent mark like this ( ’ ) over vowels in words with more than one syllable. This mark denotes the vowel that you will stress when you speak. Thus, Παρακαλώ has its final syllable emphasized. In some texts, especially those written before 1981, you will see other accent marks, a grave ( ̀ ) or a circumflex ( ̀̃ ); these marks also denote a word’s stressed syllable. 1.4 Letter Sounds and Syllables When speaking, you will almost always pronounce all the letters in a Greek word, other than the exceptions noted above. There are almost no “silent letters” in Greek. When you see a letter, you will almost always say it. Also, almost all Greek letters will keep a consistent sound when you speak, other than the exceptions noted above. The phonetic values of letters in the Greek alphabet do not often change. When you see a vowel or a consonant, you will almost always say it the same way. Essential Phrases and Vocabulary Γεια σου! or Γεια! “Hello!” / “Goodbye!” Παρακαλώ!/ Ευχαριστώ! “Please!” / “Thank you!” Ναι! / Όχι! “Yes!” / “No!” Βοήθεια! Πού είναι η τουαλέτα; “HELP! Where is the toilet?” For Quiz 1: – You will know all the letters of the Greek alphabet and you will be able to pronounce them correctly. Play with the letters! You can do it! – MOST IMPORTANT! You will be able to understand and pronounce all essential phrases and vocabulary from Lesson 1.


Lesson 2 Essential Grammar 2.1 Nouns and Gender Greek nouns differ from English nouns in that they have specific genders. Greek nouns can be masculine, feminine, or neuter. The gender of a noun is arbitrary. There are two ways to discern the gender of a noun when you see one. First, the gender of the article that proceeds the noun (see below, 2.2); and, second, the letters of the noun’s final syllable. If a noun ends in –ς it will usually be masculine. If a noun ends in –α or –η, it will usually be feminine. If a noun ends in –ι, –o, or –μα, it will usually be neuter. So: ο άνδρας “the man” (masculine) ο τοίχος “the wall” ο δρόμος “the road” η γυναίκα “the woman” (feminine) η πόρτα “the door” η πόλη “the city” το σπίτι “the house” (neuter) το δωμάτιο “the room“ το πράγμα “the thing” 2.2 articles and gender Greek articles (definite article, “the”; and indefinite article, “a” or “an”) differ from English articles in that they always have a specific gender. Greek articles can be masculine, feminine, or neuter. So: ο “the” ο άνδρας “the man” (masculine) ένας “a” or “an” ένας άνδρας “a man” η “the” η γυναίκα “the woman” (feminine) μια “a” or “an” μια γυναίκα “a woman” το “the” το σπίτι “the house” (neuter) ένα “a” or “an” ένα σπίτι “a house” NOTE! The gender of a noun and the gender of its article must always match.


2.3 Definite Articles, Subjects and Proper Nouns In Greek, you can use the definite article with the nominative subject of a sentence. You will also use the definite article with the names of specific people or places (“proper nouns”; see below, 2.4). This might seem strange. In English, we would never say “the Marios has a child” or “the Angela drives the car.” But in Greek, we often use the definite article with a proper noun. So: ο Μάριος “Marios” (masculine) η Σοφία “Sophia” (feminine) η Ελλάδα “Greece” (feminine) το Λονδίνο “London” (neuter) The definite article is never used in direct address (vocative case): Μάριε! ‘Eλα στην παραλία! “Marios! Come to the beach!” Σοφία! Έλα στο σπίτι! “Sophia! Come to the house!” 2.4 Indefinite Articles and Nouns You can usually omit the indefinite article (ένας, μια, ένα) in Greek where “a” or “an” would be necessary in English. So: Ο Μάριος είναι άνδρας. “Marios is a man.” Η Σοφία είναι γυναίκα. “Sophie is a woman.” Η Ελλάδα είναι έθνος. “Greece is a nation.” Το Λονδίνο είναι πόλη. “London is a city.” Essential Phrases and Vocabulary Μιλάς Αγγλικά; “Do you speak English?” Μιλάω Αγγλικά! “I speak English!” Δε μιλάω Αγγλικά “I don’t speak English.” Μιλάς Ελληνικά; “Do you speak Greek?” Μιλάω Ελληνικά! “I speak Greek!” Δε μιλάω Ελληνικά. “I don’t speak Greek.” For Quiz 2: – You will know the meaning, the proper pronunciation, and the gender of all nouns and articles from Lesson 2. – MOST IMPORTANT! You will know and be able to pronounce all essential phrases and vocabulary from Lessons 1-2.


Lesson 3 Essential Grammar 3.1 Adjectives and Gender Greek adjectives differ from English adjectives in that they have specific genders. Greek adjectives can be masculine, feminine, or neuter. There are two ways to discern the gender of a Greek adjective: 1) the gender of the article and the noun to which the adjective applies (and with which the adjective must always match; see above, 2.1-2.2); and 2) the letters of the adjective’s final syllable. If an adjective ends in –ς it will usually be masculine. If an adjective ends in in –α or –η, it will usually be feminine. If an adjective ends in –o it will usually be neuter. So: ο καλός άνδρας “the good man” (masculine) ο μεγάλος δρόμος “the big street” ο μικρός χάρτης “the small map” η καλή γυναίκα “the good woman" (feminine) η παλιά πόρτα “the old door” η μικρή πόλη “the small city” το μεγάλο σπίτι “the big house" (neuter) το μεγάλο δωμάτιο “the big room“ το μικρό πράγμα “the small thing” NOTE! The gender of a noun, the gender of its article, and the gender of its adjective must always match. 3.2 Basic Verb Construction (Present) “to be” In Greek, verbs hold the nominative (“subject”) personal pronoun “within” the verb form. You can therefore determine who is acting by looking at the end of the verb. So: είμαι “I am” είσαι “you are” είναι “he/she/it is” είμαστε “we are” είσαστε (or είστε) “you [all] are” (polite) είναι “they are”


3.3 “this” and “that” You will find the words “this” and “that” quite useful – especially when pointing (e.g. Θέλω αυτό! “I want this one!”; or, Θέλω εκείνο! “I want that one!”; see below, 9.2.) The Greek words for “this” (αυτός/-ή/-ό) and “that” (εκείνος/-η/-ο) are different from their equivalents in English in that they have a specific gender; in Greek “this” and “that” can be masculine, feminine, or neuter. The words “this” or “that” are also usually used in conjunction with, and in front of, a definite article. So: αυτός/εκείνος ο καλός άνδρας “this/that good man” (masculine) αυτός/εκείνος ο ψηλός τοίχος “this/that high wall” αυτός/εκείνος ο μικρός χάρτης “this/that small map” αυτή/εκείνη η καλή γυναίκα “this/that good woman” (feminine) αυτή/εκείνη η μεγάλη πόρτα “this/that big door” αυτή/εκείνη η μικρὴ πόλη “this/that small city” αυτό/εκείνο το καλό σπίτι “this/that good house” (neuter) αυτό/εκείνο το μεγάλο δωμάτιο “this/that big room“ αυτό/εκείνο το μικρό πράγμα “this/that small thing” NOTE! The gender of “this/that,” and related articles, nouns, etc. must always match. NOTE! αυτός/-ή/-ό and εκείνος/-η/-ο can also sometimes mean “he/him,” “she/her,” and “it.” Θέλω εκείνο! “I want him, that one!” Essential Phrases and Vocabulary Συγνώμη! “Sorry!” or “Pardon!” or “Excuse me!” Τι σημαίνει [άνδρας]; “What does άνδρας mean?” Καταλαβαίνεις; “Do you understand?” Ναι, καταλαβαίνω. “Yes, I understand.” ’Οχι, δεν καταλαβαίνω. “No, I don’t understand.” For Quiz 3: – You will know the meaning, the proper pronunciation, and the gender of all nouns, articles, and adjectives from Lessons 2-3. – You will be able to conjugate “to be.” – You will be able to give all nominative forms of “this” and “that.” – MOST IMPORTANT! You will know and be able to pronounce all essential phrases and vocabulary from Lessons 1-3.


Lesson 4 Essential Grammar 4.1 Possessive Pronouns in the Genitive Case In English, “s” is often added to the end of a noun to form the possessive (e.g. “the girl” “the girl’s dog”). In English, we also use the words “my” or “of mine” to denote possession. In Greek, we use a specific set of personal pronouns in the genitive case to show ownership. a) In Greek, to show possession, the following pronouns are used: μου, σου, του, της, μας, σας, and τους. (Lit. “the house of mine, yours, etc.”) το σπίτι μου “my house” το σπίτι σου “your house” το σπίτι του/της/του “his/her/its house” το σπίτι μας “our house” το σπίτι σας “your house” (polite) το σπίτι τους “their house” b) In Greek, we use articles, such as “this” and “that” (see above, 3.3), along with possessive pronouns to add clarity and specificity: το σπίτι μου my house/the house of mine αυτό το σπίτι μου this house of mine εκείνο το σπίτι μου that house of mine c) When an adjective comes before a noun, the possessive pronoun is usually located between the adjective and the noun. The adjective can also follow the noun (see below, 6.2) with no change in meaning: Ο μικρός μου αδελφός. My little brother. Ο μικρός αδελφός μου. My little brother. Το καινούριο σπίτι της. Her new house. Το καινούριο της σπίτι. Her new house. Οι καλοί μας φίλοι. Our good friends. Οι καλοί φίλοι μας. Our good friends.


4.2 Basic Verb Construction (Future) “will be” In Greek, you will write or say the word θα before the verb to create the future tense. There are two types of future tense. Here, you will learn only the future continuous, a tense that shows that the future action will take place constantly for some time, perhaps repeatedly, or indefinitely. The future continuous tense is created by placing θα before the present tense form of the verb. So: θα είμαι “I will be” θα είσαι “you will be” θα είναι “he/she/it will be” θα είμαστε “we will be” θα είσαστε (or θα είστε) “you [all] will be” (polite) θα είναι “they will be” Essential Phrases and Vocabulary Τι κάνεις; / Τι κάνετε; “How are you?” / “How are you all?” (polite) ένα, δύο, τρία, τέσσερα, πέντε, έξι, επτά, οκτώ, εννέα, δέκα 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 έντεκα, δώδεκα, δεκατρία, δεκατέσσερα, δεκαπέντε, δεκαέξι, δεκαεπτά, δεκαοκτώ, δεκαεννέα, είκοσι, είκοσι ένα, είκοσι δύο ... 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 … τριάντα, σαράντα, πενήντα, εξήντα, εβδομήντα, ογδόντα, ενενήντα, εκατόν, εκατόν δέκα, εκατόν έντεκα, εκτατόν δώδεκα ... 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 110, 111, 112 ... For Quiz 4: – You will know the meaning, the proper pronunciation, the gender, and the cases of all nouns, articles, and adjectives from Lessons 2-4. – You will be able to conjugate “to be.” – You will be able to give all nominative forms of “this" and “that.” – You will be able to give all forms of the possessive pronouns. – MOST IMPORTANT! You will know and be able to pronounce all essential phrases and vocabulary from Lessons 1-4.


Lesson 5 Essential Grammar 5.1 An Important Preposition One useful preposition in Greek is σε, which can mean “on,” “at,” “in,” “to,” and “into.” Often, this word appears as a prefix to a definite article (“the”) in the accusative case (τον, την, το; see below, 10.1). In these instances, the -ε in σε is omitted. So: στον on/at/in/to/into the (masculine) στην on/at/in/to/into the (feminine) στο on/at/in/to/into the (neuter) The same construction is used with the indefinite article (“a”). So: σ’ ένα on/at/in/to/into a (masculine) σε μια on/at/in/to/into a (feminine) σ’ ένα on/at/in/to/into a (neuter) You can use σε in conjunction with the articles, nouns, adjectives, and single verb forms that you have learned to generate hundreds of basic, useful sentences. Sentences of this type provide ideal exercises for learning definite and indefinite articles, the rules for gender, and the rules for nominative and accusative cases (see below, 10.1). So: Ο ψηλός άνδρας είναι στο μικρό δρόμο. The tall man is on the small road. Ένας ψηλός άνδρας είναι σ’ ένα μικρὸ δρόμο. “Α tall man is on a small road.” Η καλὴ γυναίκα είναι στη(ν) μεγάλη πόλη. “The good woman is in the big city.” Μια καλή γυναίκα είναι σε μια μεγάλη πόλη. “Α good woman is in a big city.” Το μικρό δωμάτιο είναι στο μεγάλο σπίτι. “The small room is in the big house.”


Ένα μικρὸ δωμάτιο είναι σ’ ένα μεγάλο σπίτι. “A small room is in a big house.” Ο νέος άνδρας πηγαίνει στο Λονδίνο. “The young man goes to London.” Η νεαρή γυναίκα τηγαίνει στην Αθήνα. “The young woman goes to Athens.” Η κοντή γυναίκα πηγαίνει στο μικρὸ σπίτι. “The short woman goes into the small house.” Μια κοντή γυναίκα πηγαίνει σ’ ένα μικρὸ σπίτι. “A short woman goes into a small house.” 5.2 Basic Verb Construction (Present) “to have” έχω “I have” έχεις “you have” έχει “he/she/it has” έχουμε “we have” έχετε “you (all) have” (polite) έχουν(ε) “they have” Essential Phrases and Vocabulary Χαίρετε! “Greetings!” Καλημέρα! / Καλησπέρα! “Good morning!” / “Good evening!” Καλήνύχτα! “Good night!” For Quiz 5: – You will know the meaning, the proper pronunciation, the gender, and the cases of all nouns, articles, adjectives, and prepositions from Lessons 2-5. – You will be able to conjugate “to be” and “to have.” – You will be able to give all nominative forms of “this” and “that.” – You will be able to give all forms of the possessive pronouns. – MOST IMPORTANT! You will know and be able to pronounce all essential phrases and vocabulary from Lessons 1-5.


Lesson 6 Essential Grammar 6.1 Questions You will find questions extremely useful for getting around, buying groceries, finding places to have fun, starting conversations, ad making friends. In Greek, “;” is the symbol that you will use to indicate that a sentence is a question. So: Τι; “What?” Ποιος; “Who?” or “Which?” (masculine) Ποια; “Who?” or “Which?” (feminine) Ποιο; “Which?” (neuter) Πώς; “How?” Πού; “Where?” Γιατί; ”Why?” Πόσο; “How much?” Πότε; “When?” Here are some common questions for you to practice: Τι είναι αυτό; “What is this?” Ποιος είναι αυτός ο άνδρας; “Who is this man?” Ποια είναι αυτή η γυναίκα; “Who is this woman?” Ποιος είναι εκείνος ο άνδρας; “Who is that man?” Ποια είναι εκείνη η γυναίκα; “Who is that woman?” Πώς σε λένε; “How do they call you?” Πού πάμε; “Where are we going?” Γιατί το κάνεις αυτό; ”Why are you doing this?” Πόσο κάνει το ψωμί; “How much is the bread?” Πότε έχει γενέθλια ο Κώστας; “When does Kostas have his

birthday?” 6.2 Questions and Word Order The order of words in a Greek sentence can vary. These variation carry different emphases but little change in meaning. The reason for this is that the difference between the cases of words (such as the nominative and accusative; see below, 10.1) and the difference between nouns and verbs are easy to distinguish. The position of words can thus be shifted with little


significant difference in sense. Word order can also change when you are asking a question. Sentences in which word order changes provide ideal exercises for playing with simple sentences and questions (see above, 4.1c). So: Ο Μάριος είναι καλό παιδί. “Marios is a good child.” Είναι καλό παιδί ο Μάριος. “Marios is a good child.” Καλό παιδί είναι ο Μάριος. “Marios is a good child.” Είναι ο Μάριος καλό παιδί; “Is Marios a good child?” Ο Μάριος είναι καλό παιδί; “Is Marios a good child?” Είναι καλό παιδί ο Μάριος; “Is Marios a good child?” You can also use the construction above with your pals. παιδί can also be used as slang for “kid” or “guy.” So: Ο Πέτρος είναι καλό παιδί. “Peter is a good guy.” Essential Phrases and Vocabulary Πώς σε λένε; “What’s your name?” (Lit. “How do they call you?”)

Με λένε Μάριο. “My name is Marios.” (Lit. “They call me Marios.”) Απο πού είσαι; “Where are you from?” Είμαι απο την Αμερική! “I’m from America!” Τι όμορφη μέρα! “What a gorgeous day!” Ναι, είναι! “Yes, it is!” Πόσων χρονών είσαι; “How old are you?” Είμαι δεκαεννέα χρονών. “I am nineteen years old.” For Quiz 6: – You will know the meaning, the proper pronunciation, the gender, and the cases of all nouns, articles, adjectives, and prepositions from Lessons 2-5. – You will be able to conjugate “to be” and “to have.” – You will be able to give all nominative forms of “this and “that.” – You will be able to give all forms of the possessive pronouns. – You will be able to form questions using Τι; Ποιος; Ποια; Ποιο; Πώς; and Πού; Γιατί; Πόσο; and Πότε; – MOST IMPORTANT! You will know and be able to pronounce all essential phrases and vocabulary from Lessons 1-6.


Lesson 7 Essential Grammar 7.1 Greek Adjectives Functioning as Nouns Another difference between English adjectives and Greek adjectives is that a Greek adjective can sometimes take the place of a noun. This happens when a nominative article and adjective are together understood to imply the presence of a noun. So: Αυτός ο ψηλός είναι γιατρός. “This tall [man] is a doctor.” Εκείνος ο ψηλός είναι γιατρός. “That tall [man] is a doctor.” Αυτή η ψηλή είναι γιατρός. “This tall [woman] is a doctor.” Εκείνη η ψηλή είναι γιατρός. “That tall [woman] is a doctor.” Ο Μάριος έχει ένα μεγάλο σπίτι και ο Πέτρος έχει ένα μικρό. “Marios has a big house and Peter has a small [house].” Η Άντζελα ζει σε μια μεγάλη πόλη και ο Πέτρος ζει σε μια μικρή. “Angela lives in a big city and Peter lives in a small [city].” NOTE! Remember, you can usually omit the indefinite article (ένας, μια, ένα) in Greek where in English “a” or “an” would be necessary; see 2.4.

7.2 Four Useful Little Words και “and” αλλά “but” ή “or” (NOTE! Careful not to confuse with η, the feminine form of “the.”) ακόμα “still,” or “yet” or “more”


7.3 Basic Verb Construction (Present) “to do” κάνω ”I do” κάνεις “you do” κάνει “he/she/it does” κάνουμε “we do” κάνετε “you [all] do” (polite) κάνουν “they do” NOTE! κάνω can also mean “I make.”

Essential Phrases and Vocabulary Θέλω αυτό! “I want this one!” Θέλω εκείνο! “I want that one!” Πόσο κάνει; “How much does it cost?” Κάνει [δέκα] ευρώ. “It costs [ten] euro.” Είναι δωρεάν, φίλε μου! “It’s a gift, buddy!” Μπορείς να μου γράψεις την τιμή, σε παρακαλώ; “Could you please write down the price for me?” Δεν έχω τοσὰ πολλὰ χρήματα! “I don’t have that much money!” Έχετε κάτι πιο φτηνό; “Do you have something cheaper?” For Quiz 7: – You will know the meaning, the proper pronunciation, the gender, and the cases of all nouns, articles, adjectives, and prepositions from Lessons 2-5. – You will be able to conjugate “to be,” “to have,” and “to do.” – You will be able to give all forms of “this” and “that.” – You will be able to give all forms of the possessive pronouns. – You will be able to form questions using Τι; Ποιος; Ποια; Ποιο; Πώς; and Πού; Γιατί; Πόσο; and Πότε; – You will know the meaning and the proper pronunciation of και, αλλά, ή, and ακόμα. – MOST IMPORTANT! You will know and be able to pronounce all essential phrases and vocabulary from Lessons 1-7.

You are halfway there! Keep up the good work!


Lesson 8 Essential Grammar 8.1 Plural Nominative Neuter Articles, Nouns, and Adjectives In English, “s” is often added to the end of a noun to form the plural (e.g. “car” “cars”). In Greek, articles, and the endings of nominative neuter nouns and adjectives change in other ways: a) Articles. For the nominative neuter article and nominative neuter nouns and adjectives ending in –ο , you will change the final –ο into –α when you form the plural. So: singular plural το μήλο τα μήλα το τρένο τα τρένα το γλυκό μήλο τα γλυκά μήλα το γρήγορο τρένο τα γρήγορα τρένα b) Nouns ending in –ι. For nominative neuter nouns ending in –ι , you will add –α when you form the plural. So: singular plural το παιδί τα παιδιά το κορίτσι τα κορίτσια το καλό παιδί τα καλά παιδιά το καλό κορίτσι τα καλά κορίτσια c) Nouns ending in –μα . For nominative neuter nouns ending in –μα , you will add –τα when you form the plural. So: singular plural το όνομα τα ονόματα το πράγμα τα πράγματα το καλό πράγμα τα καλά πράγματα


8.2 Basic Verb Construction (Present) “to go” πάω ”I go” πας “you go” πάει “he/she/it goes” πάμε “we go” πάτε “you [all] go” (polite) πάνε “they go” Essential Phrases and Vocabulary Πού πάμε; “Where are we going?” Ας πάμε! “Let’s go!” Πού είναι το λιμάνι; “Where is the port?” Πού είναι το αυτοκίνητο; “Where is the car?” Πού είναι Studios Marios; “Where is Studios Marios?” Πού είναι ο δρόμοος για το Καμάρι; “Where is the road to Kamari?“ Εκεί! “There!” Δεν είναι μακριά. “It is not far.” δεξιά “right” αριστερά “left” Τι ώρα να φύγουμε; “What time should we leave?” Τι ώρα φεύγουμε; “When do we leave?” τώρα “now” σήμερα “today” χθές “yesterday” αποψέ “this evening/tonight” αυτή την εβδομάδα “this week” σήμερα το πρωί “this morning” αυτό το απόγευμα “this afternoon.” For Quiz 8: – You will be able to give the plural forms of το μήλο, το τρένο, το παιδί, το κορίτσι, το όνομα, and το πράγμα. – You will be able to conjugate “to be,” “to have,” “to do,” and “to go.” – MOST IMPORTANT! You will know and be able to pronounce all essential phrases and vocabulary from Lessons 1-8.


Lesson 9 Essential Grammar 9.1 Plural Forms of Nominative Masculine and Feminine Articles, Nouns, and Adjectives In English, “s” is often added to the end of a noun to form the plural (e.g. “boy” “boys”). In Greek, articles and the endings of nominative mascualine and feminine nouns and adjectives change in other specific ways: a) Plural articles. You will change the nominative masculine definite article (ο) and the nominative feminine definite article (η) to οι when you form the plural. So: nominative singular nominative plural ο άνδρας οι άνδρες η γυναίκα οι γυναίκες b) Plural nouns and adjectives ending in –ος . In the case of nominative nouns and adjectives ending in –ος , you will change –ος to –οι when you form the plural. So: nominative singular nominative plural ο δρόμος οι δρόμοι ο μεγάλος δρόμος οι μεγάλοι δρόμοι ο κήπος οι κήποι ο ωραίος κήπος οι ωραίοι κήποι c) Other plural nouns. For nominative nouns and adjectives with most other endings, you will change the ending to –ες when you form the plural. So: nominative singular nominative plural ο άνδρας οι άνδρες ο καλός άνδρας οι καλοί άνδρες η μέρα οι μέρες η όμορφη μέρα οι όμορφες μέρες η αδελφή οι αδελφές η καλή αδελφή οι καλές αδελφές


9.2 Basic Verb Construction (Present) “to want” θέλω ”I want” θέλεις “you want” θέλει “he/she/it wants” θέλουμε “we want” θέλετε “you [all] want” (polite) θέλουν (ε) “they want” You can also create a polite phrase by adding θα to the imperfect past tense of θέλω. So: θα ήθελα “I would like” θα ήθελες “you would like” θα ήθελε “he/she/it would like” θα θέλαμε “we would like” θα θέλατε “you [all] would like” (polite) θα ήθελαν “they would like” Essential Phrases and Vocabulary Θέλω ένα καφέ, παρακαλώ. “I want a coffee, please.” Θα ήθελα ένα καφέ, παρακαλώ. “I would like a coffee, please.” Θέλουμε δύο καφέδες, παρακαλώ. “We want two coffees, please.” Θα θέλαμε δύο καφέδες, παρακαλώ. “We would like two coffees, please.” For Quiz 9: – You will be able to give the plural forms of ο δρόμος, ο άνδρας, η γυναίκα, η αδελφή, ο κήπος, ο άνδρας, η μέρα, η αδελφή, το μήλο, το τρένο, το παιδί, το κορίτσι, το όνομα, and το πράγμα. – You will be able to conjugate “to be,” “to have,” “to do,” “to go,” and “to want.” – MOST IMPORTANT! You will know and be able to pronounce all essential phrases and vocabulary from Lessons 1-9.


Lesson 10 Essential Grammar 10.1 The Nominative Case and the Accusative Case In addition to having different genders, Greek articles, nouns, and adjectives also have different cases. The case of a Greek article, noun, or adjective is determined by the role or function that the article, noun, or adjective takes in a sentence. Most of the articles, nouns, and adjectives that you have learned so far have been in the nominative case. An article and noun (with any associated adjectives) in the nominative case will usually be the subject of a sentence: the noun/case “that is doing something.” The accusative case is the second most important case in Greek. Usually, an article and noun (with any associated adjectives) in the accusative case will be the object of a sentence: the noun/case “to which something is done.” When moving from the nominative case into the accusative case, articles, nouns and/or adjectives will often (but not always) change to reflect their new case. The three most important rules for these changes are as follows: a) Definite and Indefinite Articles. nominative ο becomes accusative το(ν) (masculine) nominative η becomes accusative τη(ν) (feminine) nominative ένας becomes accusative ένα(ν) (masculine)

All other articles (i.e., the definite article, το, and the indefinite articles, μια, and ένα) do not change when moving into the accusative case.

το, τη, and ένα keep the final “ν” (e.g. τον, την and έναν) when the word following them begins with a vowel or letters κ-, π-, τ-, ξ-, ψ-, τσ- or μπ-.

b) Nouns. Nouns ending in -ος, -ης, and -ας, drop the -ς. All other nouns do not change when moving into the accusative case. c) Adjectives.

Masculine adjectives always drop their final -ς. All other adejctives do not change when moving into the accusative case.


You should pay attention to those articles, nouns, and adjectives that do change and to those that do not change when moving into the accusative case. Examples of all these changes are shown in the chart below: Nominative Case (subject) Accusative Case (object) ο ψηλός τοίχος “the high wall” τον ψηλό τοίχο ο καλός άνδρας “the good man” τον καλό άνδρα ένας μικρός δρόμος “a small road” ένα μικρό δρόμο η μικρή πόλη ”the small city” τη μικρή πόλη η καλή γυναίκα “the good woman” την καλὴ γυναίκα μια μεγάλη πόρτα “a big door” μια μεγάλη πόρτα το όμορφο σπίτι “the beautiful house” το όμορφο σπίτι το μεγάλο δωμάτιο “the big room“ το μεγάλο δωμάτιo ένα μικρό πράγμα “a small thing” ένα μικρό πράγμα Essential Phrases and Vocabulary Μένεις εδώ; “Do you live here?” Είσαι εδώ για διακοπές; “Are you here for holidays? Όχι. Είμαι εδώ για σπουδές! “No. I’m here to study!” Ναι! Είμαι εδώ για διακοπές! “Yes. I’m here for holidays!” Πόσο καιρό θα είσαι εδώ; “For how long are you here?” Θα είμαι εδώ για [δύο] εβδομάδες. “I am here for [two] weeks.” Σου αρέσει εδώ; “Do you like it here?” Ναι. Μου αρέσει εδώ! “Yes. I like it here!” For Quiz 10: – You will be able to give the plural and accusative forms of ο δρόμος, ο άνδρας, η γυναίκα, η αδελφή, ο κήπος, ο άνδρας, η μέρα, η αδελφή, το μήλο, το τρένο, το παιδί, το κορίτσι, το όνομα, and το πράγμα. – You will be able to conjugate “to be,” “to have,” “to do,” “to go,” and “to want.” – MOST IMPORTANT! You will know and be able to pronounce all essential phrases and vocabulary from Lessons 1-10.


Lesson 11 Essential Grammar 11.1 Plural Forms of the Accusative Case Just as you make changes when you move articles, nouns, and adjectives from the nominative case to the accusative case in the singular, so too will you make changes when you move articles, nouns, and adjectives from the nominative case to the accusative case into the plural. The three most important rules for these changes are as follows: a) Plural articles. οι becomes τους (masculine) οι become τις (feminine) τα does not change (neuter) b) Plural nouns ending in –οι . Plural nouns ending in –οι will end in –ους in the accusative. c) Other plural nouns. Most other plural nouns do not change in the accusative. You should pay attention to those article, nouns, and adjectives that do change and to those that do not change when moving into the accusative case. Examples of these changes are shown in the chart below: Nominative Case (subjects) Accusative Case (objects) οι ψηλοί τοίχοι “the big walls” τους ψηλούς τοίχους οι καλοί άνδρες “the good men” τους καλούς άνδρες δύο μικροί δρόμοι “two small roads” δύο μικρούς δρόμους οι μικρές αδελφές ”the little sisters” τις μικρές αδελφές οι καλές γυναίκες “the good women” τις καλές γυναίκες δύο μεγάλες πόρτες “two big doors” δύο μεγάλες πόρτες τα καλά σπίτια “the good houses” τα καλά σπίτια τα μεγάλα δωμάτια “the big rooms“ τα μεγάλα δωμάτια δύο μικρά πράγματα “two small things” δύο μικρά πράγματα


11.2 Basic Verb Construction (Present) “to be able (can)” μπορώ ”I am able” - “I can” μπορείς “you are able” - “you can” μπορεί “he/she/it is able” - “he/she/it can” μπορούμε “we are able” - “we can” μπορείτε “you [all] are able” - “you [all] can” (polite) μπορούν(ε) “they are able” - “they can” You can also create useful phrases (or questions) by placing να after the present tense of μπορώ (or another verb) and adding a second verb. So: Μπορώ να κάνω αυτό; “Can I do this?” Μπορώ να κάνω αυτό! “I can do this!” Μπορείς να διαβάσεις αυτό; “Can you read this?” Μπορείς να διαβάσεις αυτό! “You can read this!” Θέλω να κάνω αυτό; “I want to do this?” Θελεις να κάνεις αυτο! “You want to do this!” Essential Phrases and Vocabulary Θα ήθελες να κάνουμε κάτι αύριο; “Would you like to do something tomorrow?” Ναι. Αλλά δε μπορώ να κάνω τίποτα αύριο. “Yes. But I can’t do anything tomorrow.” Πότε μπορούμε να κάνουμε κάτι; “When can we do something?” Δευτέρα, Τρίτη, Τετάρτη, Πέμπτη, Παρασκευή, Σάββατο, Κυριακή Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday For Quiz 11: – You will be able to give the plural and accusative forms of ο δρόμος, ο άνδρας, η γυναίκα, η αδελφή, ο κήπος, ο άνδρας, η μέρα, η αδελφή, το μήλο, το τρένο, το παιδὶ, το κορίτσι, το όνομα, and το πράγμα. – You will be able to conjugate “to be,” “to have,” “to do,” “to go,” “to want,” and “to be able.” – MOST IMPORTANT! You will know and be able to pronounce all essential phrases and vocabulary from Lessons 1-11.


Lesson 12 Essential Grammar 12.1 Some Uses of the Accusative So you’ve done all this work with the accusative case. What is it good for? a) As noted in Lesson 10, the accusative case is used to denote the object of a sentence:

Ο Μάριος ζωγραφίζει τον ψηλό τοίχο. Marios paints the big wall.

Όταν η Άντζελα καθαρίζει, μετακινεί την καρέκλα. When Angela cleans, she moves the chair.

Σήμερα, το παιδί έφερε το σκύλο του στο σχολείο. Today, the child brought his dog to school.

Ο Μάριος και ο Πέτρος ζωγραφίζουν τους ψηλούς τοίχους. Marios and Peter paint the big walls.

Η Άντζελα έφερε πολλὲς γάτες στο σπίτι της. Angela brought many cats into her house.

b) We also use the accusative after prepositions, such as:

σε at/in/to/into με with από from μετά after για for πριν before

This allows us to build sentences such as these:

Ο Μάριος ζει στην Αθήνα με τη γυναίκα του. Marios lives in Athens with his wife.

Ο Πέτρος είναι από την Αμερική. Peter is from America.


Αυτό το μήλο είναι για το Μάριο. This apple is for Marios.

Ο Μάριος πάει στην παραλία με τον Πέτρο. Marios goes to the beach with Peter.

Ας πάμε στην παραλία μετά τα μαθήματά μας! Let’s go to the beach after our lessons!

Όχι! Ας πάμε στην παραλία πρὶν τα μαθήματά μας!

No! Let’s go to the beach before our lessons! 12.2 Basic Verb Construction (Present) “to bring” φέρνω ”I bring” φέρνεις “you bring” φέρνει “he/she/it brings” φέρνουμε “we bring” φέρνετε “you [all] bring” (polite) φέρνουν(ε) “they bring” Essential Phrases and Vocabulary Πώς πάμε; Τι γίνεται; “How’s it going?” “What’s happening?” Τι νέα; “What’s new?” Τίποτα! Βαριέμαι! “Nothing! I’m bored!” Ας πάμε θα διασκεδάσουμε! “Let’s go do something fun!” Πού; “Where?” Στα Φηρά, φυσικά! “Fira, of course!” Τι θα κάνουμε εκεί; “What will we do there?” Τι νομίζετε; Θα διασκεδάσουμε! “What do you think? We’ll have fun!” For Quiz 12: – You will be able to conjugate “to be,” “to have,” “to do,” “to go,” “to want,” “to be able,” and “to bring.” – You will understand two important uses of the accusative case. – MOST IMPORTANT! You will know and be able to pronounce all essential phrases and vocabulary from Lessons 1-12.


Lesson 13 Essential Grammar 13.1 Personal Pronouns Greek personal pronouns in the nominative case follow a pattern very similar to their counterparts in English. So: εγώ Ι εμείς we εσύ you εσείς you [all] αυτός/-ή/-ό he/she/it αυτοί/-ές/-ά they (m/f/n) However, since Greek verbs hold the nominative (subject) personal pronoun “within” the verb form itself (see above, 3.2), the use of the personal pronoun in the nominative case is usually reserved for special emphasis: Τον βλέπουμε. We see him. Εμείς τoν βλέπουμ, όχι εσείς! We see him, not you! The most frequently used form of personal pronouns are the so-called “weak forms” of the accusative case. These are personal pronouns that serve as the object of a subject’s action (see above, 10.1). Note the change between the nominative and accusative cases: με me μας us σε you σας you [all] τον him τους them (masculine) την her τις them (feminine) το it τα them (neuter) Με βλέπουν. They see me. Σε βλέπουν. They see you. Τον βλέπουν. They see him. Την βλέπουν. They see her. Το βλέπουν. They see it. Μας βλέπουν. They see us. Σας βλέπουν. They see you [all]. Τους βλέπουν. They see them (m). Τις βλέπουν. They see them (f). Τα βλέπουν. They see them (n).


13.2 Basic Verb Construction (Present) “to ask” ρωτάω ”I ask” ρωτάς “you ask” ρωτάει “he/she/it asks” ρωτάμε “we ask” ρωτάτε “you [all] ask” (polite) ρωτάνε “they ask” Essential Phrases and Vocabulary Τι ώρα θα συναντηθούμε; “What time will we meet?” Πού θα συναντηθούμε; “Where will we meet?” Ας συναντηθούμε στις οχτώ! “Let’s meet at eight!” Ας συναντηθούμε στα Φηρά! “Let’s meet in Fira!” Είσαι έτοιμος; Είμαι έτοιμος! (m) “Are you ready! I am ready!” Είσαι έτοιμη; Είμαι έτοιμη! (f) “Are you ready! I am ready!” Πού θα είσαι; “Where will you be?” Τα λέμε! (slang) “See you soon!” For Quiz 13: – You will be able to conjugate “to be,” “to have,” “to do,” “to go,” “to want,” “to be able,” “to bring,” and “to ask.” – You will understand two important uses of the accusative case. – You will know and be able to pronounce the personal pronouns in the nominative and accusative cases. – MOST IMPORTANT! You will know and be able to pronounce all essential phrases and vocabulary from Lessons 1-13.


Lesson 14 Essential Grammar 14.1 “Liking” Something and the Genitive Case When you are shopping, eating, or out in the clubs, you might want to say that you “like” something (or someone!). Here, the Greek verb αρέσω is useful. There are two fun challenges with this verb. The first is that when you use the verb αρέσω, you will need to use it with the genitive case that you learned in Lesson 4. Here, however, the genitive case is not used to show possession, but rather is used to denote the object of the verb. The second challenge is that when you use the verb αρέσω, the thing that you “like” is actually the subject of the sentence. For example: Μου αρέσει ο καφές. “I like coffee.” Here, ο καφές is the subject, αρέσει the verb, and Μου the genitive object. Literally, what you are saying is, “The coffee pleases me.” So: Μου αρέσει ο καφές. “I like coffee.” Σου αρέσει ο καφές. “You like coffee.” Του/της/του αρέσει ο καφές. “He/she/it likes coffee.” Μας αρέσει ο καφές. “We like coffee.” Σας αρέσει ο καφές. “You [all] like coffee.” Τους αρέσει ο καφές. “They like coffee.” You can also use nominative forms of “this” and “that” to add specificity to your sentence. This is very useful for pointing. So: Μου αρέσει αυτό/εκείνο το ψάρι. “I like this/that fish.” (Lit. “This/that fish pleases me.”) Μου αρέσει αυτό/ εκείνο το μήλο. “I like this/that apple.” (Lit. “This/that apple pleases me.”) Αυτός /εκείνος μου αρέσει. “I like him.” (Lit. “This/that man pleases me.”) Αυτή/ εκείνη μου αρέσει. “I like her. (Lit. “This/that woman pleases me.”)


14.2 Basic Verb Construction (Present) “to speak, to talk” μιλάω ”I speak” μιλάς “you speak” μιλάει “he/she/it speaks” μιλάμε “we speak” μιλάτε “you [all] speak” (polite) μιλάνε “they speak” Essential Phrases and Vocabulary Αύριο είναι η τελευταία μέρα μου εδώ. “Tomorrow is my last day here.” Δε θέλω να φύγω. “I don’t want to go.” Θέλω να μείνω στην Ελλάδα για πάντα! “I want to stay in Greece forever!” Να τα ξαναπούμε! “We’ll be in touch.” Γεια. “Good-bye.” For Quiz 14: – You will be able to conjugate “to be,” “to have,” “to do,” “to go,” “to want,” “to be able,” “to bring,” “to ask,” and ”to speak.” – You will understand two important uses of the accusative case. – You will know and be able to pronounce the personal pronouns in the nominative and accusative cases. – You will know and be able to use the verb αρέσω and the genitive case pronouns. – MOST IMPORTANT! You will know and be able to pronounce all essential phrases and vocabulary from Lessons 1-14.

Part Two. The Glossary


Essential Vocabulary The following glossary contains all the Greek words used in this book and many more that you might find useful. m/f/n is used to denote masculine, feminine and neuter forms. The definite article is not translated into English in the case of proper nouns (see above, 2.3). GREEK - ENGLISH Α ο/η αδελφός/-η the brother/ the sister αγαπώ I love η αγορά the market αγοράζω I buy τα Αγγλικά English (language) ο αέρας the wind ακόμα still, yet, more ακούω I hear το αλάτι the salt η αλήθεια the truth αλλά but αλλάζω I change η Αμερική America ανάβω turn on; light ο άνδρας the man o άνθρωπος the man (the human being) από from το απόγευμα the afternoon αρέσω I please αριστερά left αύριο tomorrow το αυτοκίνητο the car αυτός/-ή/-ό this (m/f/n) Β βάζω I put; I place βεβαίως certainly το βιβλίο the book βλέπω I see η βοήθεια the help το βουνό the mountain


το βράδυ the night βρίσκω I find Γ η γάτα the cat το γατάκι the kitten ο γείτονας the neighbor γελάω I laugh γεμάτος/-η/-ο full (m/f/n) η γη the earth για for γιατί because (“what for”) ο γιατρός the doctor γλυκός/-ιά/-ό sweet (m/f/n) η γλώσσα the language; the tongue το γράμμα the letter γρήγορος/-η/-ο quick (m/f/n) η γυναίκα the woman γυρίζω I return Δ το δάσος the forest δεν not (negates verbs)

δεξιά right οι διακοπές the vacation διάφοροι/-ες/-α several (m/f/n) διψάω I thirst δοκιμάζω I try ο δρόμος the way, street, or road δύσκολος/-η/-ο difficult (m/f/n) τo δωμάτιο the room το δώρο the gift Ε η εβδομάδα the week εδώ here το έθνος the nation εγώ Ι η Ελλάδα Greece τα Ελληνικά Greek


είμαι I am εκεί there εκείνος/-η/-ο that (m/f/n) εμείς we ένα a (n) ένας a (m) ενώ while έξω out; outside επίσης also; too επόμενος/-η/-ο next (m/f/n) η εποχή the season ο εργάτης the worker έτσι thus; so το ευρώ the euro εσύ you εσείς you [all] έτοιμος/-η/-ο ready (m/f/n) ευχαριστώ I thank έχω I have Ζ ζέστη hot ζωγραφίζω I paint η ζωή the life το ζώο the animal Η η the (f) ή or NOTE! Don’t confuse with η “the (f)”! ήδη already Θ η θάλασσα the sea θέλω I want το θέμα the subject; the point η θέση the seat


Ι ο ιδιοκτήτης the owner ο ίδιος the same [one] ιδίως especially ίσιος straight Κ και and καθαρίζω I clean καθαρός/-ή/-ό clean (m/f/n) κάθε every καινούριος/-ια/-ο new (m/f/n) καλός/-ή/-ό good (m/f/n) κάνω I make κάποιος somebody κάποτε sometime κάπου somewhere η καρδιά the heart η καρέκλα the chair καταλαβαίνω I understand κάτι some ο κήπος the garden το κλειδί the key κλείνω I close κόκκινος/-η/-ο red (m/f/n) κοντός/-ή/-ό short κοντά close το κορίτσι the girl το κρεβάτι the bed Λ το λάδι the oil (olive) το λάθος the mistake το λεπτό the minute λέω I say το λεωφορείο the bus λίγο little το λιμάνι the port το Λονδίνο London


Μ μα but μακριά far μαζί together με with μετά after μεγάλος/-η/-ο big (m/f/n) μετακινώ I move (something) μένω I stay η μέρα the day μιλάω I speak το μήλο the apple ο μήνας the month μήπως perhaps η μητέρα the mother μια one (f) μικρός/-ή/-ό small (m/f/n) μόνο only μόνος/-η/-ο alone (m/f/n) το μουσείο the museum μπλε blue μπορώ I can; I am able η μπύρα the beer το μωρό the baby Ν ναι yes τα νέα the news το νερό the water το νησί the island νομίζω I think η νύχτα the night νωρίς early Ξ το ξενοδοχείο the hotel ξένος/-η/-ο foreign; foreigner (m/f/n) ξέρω I know ξυπνάω I wake up


Ο ο the (m) ο οδηγός the driver η οικογένεια the family όλος whole όμορφος/-η/-ο handsome/beautiful (m/f/n) το όνομα the name όταν when ότι that ούτε . . . ούτε neither … nor όχι no Π το παζάρεμα the bargain το παιδί the child το παιχνίδι the game παίζω I play πάλι again παλιός/ά/ό old (m/f/n) πάντα always το παράθυρο the window παρακαλώ please; you are welcome πεινάω I am hungry περίπου approximately η πόλη the city ποιoς/-α/-ο who; which(m/f/n) πολλοί/-ές/-ά many; several (m/f/n) η πόρτα the door το πράγμα the thing πριν before το πρωί the morning πού where πώς how Ρ το ράδιο the radio ρωτάω I ask το ρεύμα the electricity τα ρούχα the clothes


Σ σαν like σε in/into σήμερα today σύντομα soon το σπίτι the house οι σπουδές the studies η στιγμή the moment; the second στρίβω I turn η στροφή the turn συγνώμη excuse me το συμφέρον the interest συμφωνώ I agree συναντώ I meet σύνολο total; whole το σώμα the body σωστό correct Τ το ταξίδι the journey, the trip τέλειος/-ια/-ο perfect (m/f/n) τελευταίος/-α/-ο last τι what η τιμή the price τίποτα nothing το the (n) ο τοίχος the wall η τουαλέτα the toilet τραγουδάω I sing το τρένο the train η τράπεζα the bank τώρα now Υ η υγεία the health ο ύπνος the sleep Φ το φαγητό the food το φεγγάρι the moon


φέρνω I bring ο/η φίλος/-η the friend (m/f) ο φοιτητής/ η φοιτήτρια the student (m/f) η φράση the phrase φρέσκος/-ια/-ο fresh (m/f/n) φτηνός/-ή/-ό cheap (m/f/n) φεύγω I leave φυσικά naturally η φωνή the voice Χ ο χάρτης the map, the paper τα χρήματα the money ο χορός the dance ο χώρος the area ο χρόνος the year; time η χώρα the country χωρίς without Ψ το ψάρι the fish ψηλός/-ή/-ό tall (m/f/n) το ψωμί the bread Ω η ώρα the time ωραίος /-α/-ο beautiful (m/f/n)


ENGLISH-GREEK A a (m/f/n) ένας/μία/ ένα I am able μπορώ after μετά the afternoon το απόγευμα again πάλι I agree συμφωνώ alone (m/f/n) μόνος/-η/-ο already ήδη also επίσης always πάντα I am είμαι America η Αμερική and και the animal το ζώο the apple το μήλο approximately περίπου the area ο χώρος I ask ρωτάω B the baby το μωρό the bank η τράπεζα the bargain η παζάρεμα beautiful (m/f/n) ωραίος /-α/-ο beautiful (m/f/n) όμορφος/-η/-ο because (lit. “what for”) γιατί the bed το κρεβάτι the beer η μπύρα before πριν big (m/f/n) μεγάλος/-η/-ο blue μπλε the body το σώμα the book το βιβλίο the bread το ψωμί I bring φέρνω the brother ο αδελφός the bus το λεωφορείο but αλλά


but μα I buy αγοράζω C I can μπορώ the car το αυτοκίνητο the cat η γάτα certainly βεβαίως the chair η καρέκλα I change αλλάζω cheap (m/f/n) φτηνός/-ή/-ό the child το παιδί the city η πόλη I clean καθαρίζω clean (m/f/n) καθαρός/-ή/-ό I close κλείνω close κοντά the clothes τα ρούχα correct σωστό the country η χώρα D the dance ο χορός the day η μέρα difficult (m/f/n) δύσκολος/-η/-ο the doctor ο γιατρός the door η πόρτα the driver ο οδηγός E early νωρίς the earth η γη the electricity το ρεύμα English τα Αγγλικά especially ιδίως the euro το ευρώ every κάθε excuse me συγνώμη


F the family η οικογένεια far μακριά I find βρίσκω the fish το ψάρι the food το φαγητό for για foreign (m/f/n) ξένος/-η/-ο the forest το δάσος fresh (m/f/n) φρέσκος/-ια/-ο the friend (m/f) ο/η φίλος/-η from από full (m/f/n) γεμάτος/-η/-ο G the game το παιχνίδι the garden ο κήπος the gift το δώρο the girl το κορίτσι good (m/f/n) καλός/-ή/-ό Greece η Ελλάδα Greek τα Ελληνικά H handsome (m/f/n) όμορφος/-η/-ο I have έχω the health η υγεία I hear ακούω the heart η καρδιά the help η βοήθεια here εδώ hot (m/f/n) ζέστος/η/ο the hotel το ξενοδοχείο the house το σπίτι how πώς I am hungry πεινάω I Ι εγώ in σε


the interest το συμφέρον into σε the island το νησί J the journey το ταξίδι K the key το κλειδί the kitten το γατάκι I know ξέρω L the language η γλώσσα last τελευταίος/-α/-ο I laugh γελάω I leave φεύγω left αριστερά the letter το γράμμα the life η ζωή light ανάβω like σαν little λίγο London το Λονδίνο I love αγαπώ M I make κάνω the man ο άνδρας the man, the human being o άνθρωπος many (m/f/n) πολλοί/-ές/-ά the map ο χάρτης the market η αγορά I meet συναντώ the minute το λεπτό the mistake το λάθος the moment η στιγμή the money τα χρήματα the month ο μήνας the moon το φεγγάρι


more ακόμα the morning το πρωί the mother η μητέρα the mountain το βουνό I move (something) μετακινώ the museum το μουσείο N the name το όνομα the nation το έθνος naturally φυσικά the neighbor ο γείτονας neither … nor ούτε . . . ούτε new (m/f/n) καινούριος/-ια/-ο the news τα νέα next (m/f/n) επόμενος/-η/-ο the night το βράδυ the night η νύχτα no όχι not (negates verbs) δεν nothing τίποτα now τώρα O the oil (olive) το λάδι old παλιός/ά/ό on πάνω one (n) ένα only μόνο or ή out έξω outside έξω the owner ο ιδιοκτήτης P I paint ζωγραφίζω the paper ο χάρτης perfect (m/f/n) τέλειος/-ια/-ο perhaps μήπως the phrase η φράση


place βάζω I play παίζω I please αρέσω please παρακαλώ the point το θέμα the port το λιμάνι the price η τιμή I put βάζω Q quick (m/f/n) γρήγορος/-η/-ο R the radio το ράδιο ready (m/f/n) έτοιμος/-η/-ο red (m/f/n) κόκκινος/-η/-ο I return γυρίζω right δεξιά road ο δρόμος the room τo δωμάτιο S the salt το αλάτι the same one ίδιος I say λέω the season η εποχή the seat η θέση the second η στιγμή I see βλέπω several (m/f/n) διάφοροι/-ες/-α several (m/f/n) πολλοί/-ές/-ά short κοντός/-ή/-ό I sing τραγουδάω the sister η αδελφή the sleep ο ύπνος small (m/f/n) μικρός/-ή/-ό some κάτι somebody κάποιος sometime κάποτε somewhere κάπου


soon σύντομα I speak μιλάω I stay μένω still ακόμα straight ίσιος street ο δρόμος the student (m/f) ο φοιτητής/ η φοιτήτρια the studies (οι) σπουδές the subject το θέμα sweet (m/f/n) γλυκός/-ιά/-ό T tall (m/f/n) ψηλός/-ή/-ό I thank ευχαριστώ that ότι that (m/f/n) εκείνος/-η/-ο the (f/m/n) η/ο/το the sea η θάλασσα there εκεί the thing το πράγμα I think νομίζω I thirst διψάω this (m/f/n) αυτός/-ή/-ό thus έτσι the time η ώρα time ο χρόνος today σήμερα together μαζί the toilet η τουαλέτα tomorrow αύριο tongue η γλώσσα too επίσης total σύνολο the train το τρένο the trip το ταξίδι the truth η αλήθεια I try δοκιμάζω I turn στρίβω the turn η στροφή turn on ανάβω


U I understand καταλαβαίνω V the vacation (οι) διακοπές the voice η φωνή W I wake up ξυπνάω the wall ο τοίχος I want θέλω the water το νερό the way ο δρόμος we εμείς the week η εβδομάδα you are welcome παρακαλώ what τι when όταν where πού which (m/f/n) ποιoς/-α/-ο while ενώ who (m/f/n) ποιoς/-α/-ο whole όλος whole σύνολο the wind ο αέρας the window το παράθυρο with με without χωρίς the woman η γυναίκα the worker ο εργάτης Y the year ο χρόνος yes ναι yet ακόμα you εσύ you [all] εσεί

Part Three. Writing Greek Letters


Bibliography and Further Reading When you’re ready to take the plunge into more advanced Greek, there are many useful guides that can be found on the internet. One of the most useful sites is that put together by Giorgos Zacharia and Panayiotis Zaphiris for kypros.org at: http://kypros.org/LearnGreek/ . The following books on modern Greek are also very good: Papaloizos, T.C. 2006. Modern Greek. (Athens: Papaloizos Press). Holton, D. P., et.al. 2012. Greek: An Essential Grammar of the Modern Language, Second Edition. (London and New York: Routledge). Farmakides, A. 1983. A Manual of Modern Greek. (New Haven: Yale University Press). Modern Greek stands at the end of a profound literary tradition. The impact this tradition has had on western society cannot be overstated. It was through Greek that the principles and ideologies of the Christian New Testament were initially spread, and it is on Greek foundations that the interconnected western traditions of poetry, rhetoric, philosophy, and democracy are based. If you are interested in the history of Christianity or in Roman Imperial culture, then New Testament Greek will be of use to you; William Ramey has put together a very good study course in New Testament Greek at: www.inthebeginning.org/ntgreek/index.htm . If you are interested in ancient Greek archaeology, society, or culture (or Roman authors like Polybius, Plutarch, or Lucian, who wrote in ancient Greek), Donald Mastronarde has created a set of rigorous, detailed ancient Greek tutorials at: www.ucbclassics.dreamhosters.com/ancgreek/ . The following books on New Testament and ancient Greek are also very good: Black, D.A. 2009. Learn to Read New Testament Greek. (Nashville, TN: B&H Press).

Luschnig, C. and D. Mitchell. 2007. An Introduction to Ancient Greek. A Literary Approach. (London and New York: Hackett).

Hansen, H. and G. M. Quinn. 1992. Greek. An Intensive Course. (New York: Fordham University Press).

The lessons in this book are based, in part, on Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλιδη. 1987. Νεοελληνική Γραμματική (Αθήνα). Mr. Triandafillidi’s book has been a staple textbook in Greek classrooms for two decades.

http://www.kypros.org/LearnGreek/user/view.php?id=5&course=1



http://ucbclassics.dreamhosters.com/ancgreek/

http://www.amazon.com/C.-A.-E.-Luschnig/e/B001JOJXWC/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1335189939&sr=1-1

http://www.amazon.com/Hardy-Hansen/e/B001KI7F8Q/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_2?qid=1335189939&sr=1-2

get your greek on!

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