Modern Greek1 The Greek language is one of the oldest written languages in the world, and Greek literary culture extends back in time even past the invention of writing, to the time of Homer. Greek is a language distinguished by an extraordinarily rich vocabulary. The vast majority of Modern Greek vocabulary is directly inherited from ancient Greek, like άνθρωπος (anthropos - man) or θάλασσα (thalassa - sea). Words of foreign origin have entered the language mainly from Latin, Italian and Ottoman Turkish. During older periods of the Greek language, loan words into Greek acquired Greek inflections, leaving thus only a foreign root word. Modern borrowings (from the 20th century on), especially from French and English, are typically not inflected. Up until the twentieth century, the archaic (καθαρεύουσα, "katharevousa," "purist") form of the language was the only one with cultural prestige, and was the formal language of government. Over the course of the twentieth century, however, the written language was changed to resemble the modern spoken language, becoming the modern demotic language (δηµοτική, "of the people"), which is now the official language of the Greek and Cypriot state. The last change became effective as late as 1981, with the abolition of the polytonic system. This book is about the modern language, not classical or biblical Greek. Introduction to the writing system Fortunately, Greek is spelled mostly phonetically and the Greek alphabet is very easy to learn. You have probably already seen quite a few of the letters before, since they're used in maths, physics and chemistry. Others, particularly the capital letters, are often identical or very similar to Latin letters (the letters most of the western European languages, including English, use). Here are some letters that you can immediately recognise, in their upper and lowercase forms: Αα Ιι Κκ Οο Ττ These are called alpha, iota, kappa, omikron and tau. The capital letters are all exactly the same as in the Latin alphabet. The small letters show some subtle differences: • • • • The small alpha looks similar to how most people write their small As, not like a computer a though. The i-dot is missing on the small iota. Small kappa and small tau look exactly like a miniature version of the capital letter, when at least some people would write them a little differently in the Latin alphabet. The small tau is also a miniature version of the capital one, whereas the Latin lowercase "t" is written as a cross. 2 Knowing these few letters, you can already understand when a cartoon shows people shouting "α!" or "ο!". ο also happens to be the masculine article. το is the one for neuter. Here's how to pronounce the letters you just learned: • • • • • Α α is pronounced as the a in father, the IPA symbol is [a] Ι ι is pronounced as the ee in meet, the IPA symbol is [i] Κ κ is pronounced as a regular English k Ο ο is pronounced as in obey, the IPA symbol is [o] Τ τ is pronounced as a plain t (without the extra air at the end that native English speakers like to add), [t] Let's practice reading some more. For example, do you know the American band whose greatest hit was "Africa"? It's Τότο. (All solutions can be found at the bottom of this page) Wait!!! Why is there an accent on the omikron? This accent indicates that the word stress should be on the ο. It's pronounced TOto, not toTO. Every Greek word of at least two syllables gets one accent indicating which syllable is stressed. This is a great feature for learners, since - unlike in English or German for example - you don't have to memorise the stress. Here's another word for practise: κακάο. This is what the Greeks call cocoa. And κότα means "hen" in Greek. I'd like to introduce you to one more letter in this lesson: Ρρ This is the letter Rho. It looks like P, but it's actually the Greek equivalent of R. Be careful not to confuse it. Its pronunciation is closer to a Spanish R than an English one. Knowing this letter and the ones introduced above, you can read quite a few new words. For example, do you recognise the following country names: Ιράκ, Κροατία, Κατάρ? The city Κάιρο? And κάρτα, which means "card" in Greek? The next letter you should learn is Nu: Νν Again the capital letter looks the same as in the Latin alphabet. The small letter looks similar to a lowercase V. It's still pronounced like a regular N (IPA [n]) though. This letter appears in the prefix νανο- for example. It also appears in the following names that you should be able to read now: 3 here's the letter Lambda: Λλ 4 . the lower letter is decidedly different from the Latin one this time. Here are words with Mu: µαµά (every child's call) Μαρόκο (African country south of Spain) Οµάν (Arabic country) Αµµάν (capital of Jordan) Μαρκ Μαρία Μόνικα αρµονία άτοµο µονοτονία I'd also like you to meet the letter Epsilon: Εε Capital letter as in the Latin alphabet. small letter a variation on the capital letter. Epsilon is pronounced approximately as in bet (IPA [ε]). You have probably seen it before. The pronunciation is just like a regular M (IPA [m]). Practise reading some more words: Αρµενία Κορέα Κάρµεν Κατερίνα κέικ κρέµα κάµερα Finally. It's very commonly used as a special symbol in various academic fields though.-) ) Άννα (a girl's name) Ιράν (a country in the Middle East) Κίνα (a country in the Far East) Τίρανα (capital city of Albania) Ανόι (capital city of Vietnam) Next letter is Mu: Μµ While the capital letter is identical again.ΝΑΤΟ (very difficult . German "Bett" and French "mère" are exactly the same as this Greek sound. and of course this letter and all the others will frequently appear in the following lessons. Here are some sample words that you should be able to read now: Πεκίνο (old European name for Beijing) Πιέρ (French name) ρεπόρτερ πακέτο Πάολο Νεπάλ Now you're probably wondering how to write B. which is also used in science. Sometimes at the middle of a word µπ may sound like [mb]. rather than just two like the other letters. e.g. too. It looks quite different. The first one (σ). because Beta is pronounced in Modern Greek as an English V. which is very common in Greek: Sigma. There's one capital sigma (Σ). and there are two versions of small sigma. Be careful not to confuse a capital alpha with a capital lambda! Here are a few more words to practise. Here are some examples: µπαρ µπικίνι µπετόν µπανάνα Καµπέρα Μπενίν Now you're going to learn an extremely important letter.This is the equivalent of the letter L. but they should be familiar to anybody with a high school education in maths. αλκοόλ κιλό Ιταλία καραµέλα The next letter you should learn is Pi: Ππ Both the capital and the small letter look different from the Latin alphabet. which looks like a circle 5 . as the mathematical symbol for sums. Σσς Sigma has three forms. Greeks need two letters: Mu and Pi (µπ). The answer is not Beta. but you will probably be able to memorise it quickly anyway (anyone familiar with the Cyrillic alphabet will immediately notice its similarity with the letter Л). Pi is pronounced as a regular P (IPA [p]). but this detail is not very strict for the pronunciation. In order to represent the sound of a regular B. Sigma is pronounced as an English S (IPA [s]). but this is not very strict for right pronunciation. you can read lots of new words: παπάς (not "dad" but the Greek word for "priest") µπαµπάς (this is the correct word for "dad") Πέτρος (common Greek name) Ισπανία (important country in Europe) Κόστα Ρίκα Πακιστάν Σρι Λάνκα Λάος Παρίσι (capital of France) Όσλο Σαν . The second small sigma (ς). Example words: Σαντάµ Μόντρεαλ Τορόντο Ντολόρες Αντόνιο Μαντόννα ντισκοτέκ Delta. actually sounds like th in "this" (IPA: [ð]). looking similar to an ill-proportioned small S is only used at the end of a word. The capital form closely resembles the Cyrillic letter Д. Knowing this letter (and the ones taught before). (common start for city names) Μπρισµπέιν (city in Australia) Καράκας Σάο Πάολο Ελσίνκι ιστορία Now it's time for another letter combination.with an added line is used at the start or the middle of a word. Greeks don't write Delta but Nu and Tau combined: ντ. the last one for this lesson: ∆δ Delta appears in lots of words.. Sometimes at the middle of a word ντ may sound like [nd]. Here's the letter. Generally.. the letter you might expect to sound like D. When they mean the sound of D. so take this opportunity for a major revision: Ιρλανδία Καναδάς Ολλανδία Ανδόρρα ∆ανία (country north of Germany) 6 . it's used to mean [d] especially in foreign words. similar to µπ. most of times this letter is rendered as Y in English and vice versa. and Modern Greek. in very ancient Greek this letter was pronounced like 7 . it is pronounced like the Spanish "i" (IPA [i]). Medieval. this reference to those English words is a way to know whether a Modern Greek word is spelled with Eta or Iota. In standard transliteration this letter is rendered as ī (the dash is used in order to distinguish it from Iota). while in names and toponyms it is transcribed simply as i(with the disadvantage of being unable to distinguish it from Iota). Fortunately. In Attic Greek it must have sounded different from both. it used to be pronounced like a long "e". providing though a weird and wrong spelling. which is also a different sound from the original eta. In Hellenistic. this is actually a vowel. as in the word "pain". Υυ The shape of this Greek letter seems to refer us to both Y and U. same as the letter Iota. Practice your reading now: ακαδηµία Κρήτη Αµερική ηλεκτρονικά Ισραήλ Ινδονησία Μαδρίτη Τρίπολη Άρης Σπάρτη Ταϊλάνδη There is yet another letter that sounds like i: upsilon. Sometimes h is used just because of the similarity of the respective capital letters.Ινδία Ιορδανία Ισλανδία διαµάντι διάλεκτος Ανδρέας δισκέτα Λονδίνο (capital of the UK) Τολέδο Ρόδος Let's start with Eta: Ηη Even though the capital letter looks like an H and the small letter looks somewhat like a small N. An example: δηµοκρατία became "democracy" and not "dimocracy" in English. That's why words which got derived in the past from Greek and are spelled with an Eta are actually spelled with an E in English. and that's correct: when English words derive from Greek ones. In Ancient Greek. Also. but this leads to weird and incorrect spelling. In standard transliteration. Knowing this letter (and the ones taught before). you can read some new words: Ιαπωνία Ρωσία ωροσκόπιο ερωτικός άρωµα Κώστας Κως 8 . Example words: δυναµική ανάλυση Σύδνεϋ Τόκυο Συρία Υεµένη Now you're probably wondering how to write the u sound as in "rule" in Modern Greek. ω This is the second variety of O in Greek. because French also spells [u] as "ou". Here are a lot of sample words with this letter combination. The O that you already learned is called Omikron. this letter is rendered as ō because in ancient Greek it had the sound of a long [o]. which translates to "small O". They are both pronounced the same. This one is called Omega. This probably sounds familiar to those who have studied French. which translates to "big O". In medieval Greek the letter started sounding just like Iota and Eta. which made it essentially a different vowel. Sometimes unofficially it is rendered as w(inspired by the shape of the small letter). sound which doesn't exist in English). Transcription in names and toponyms is usually just o. like "egw agapw". as o in obey. as in some pretty weirdlooking transliterations. for practise: Ουκρανία Ρουµανία Τουρκία µουσική Καµπούλ Καλκούτα Ιερουσαλήµ Σεούλ Περού Ρουάντα Now you're going to learn another very important Greek letter: Omega.the u in "rule" (IPA [u]) but later it transformed to the French U sound (German Ü. Greeks need two letters for this: Omikron and Upsilon (ου). IPA [y]. If English derived a word containing Phi 9 . cause of the common origin of the two letters. The pronunciation is familiar though: it's just like an English F (IPA [f]). but it was again pronounced as a V. Ββ As I mentioned earlier. this letter sounds like an English V (IPA [v]). which has a V sound unless it's found in the beginning of a word. Compare the sound of Beta to the sound of the Spanish 'B'. not like a B. That's why it is often used for English words that contain V or W.Πορτ-ω-Πρενς Ρώµη Πολωνία The last letter I'd like to introduce to you in this lesson is Beta. In older times it was used also for B though. Beta is generally very often used and there are lots of example words that you can use for practice: ασβέστης αµβροσία Βιετνάµ Βολιβία Λίβανος Ιβάν Οττάβα Κούβα Κουβέιτ Αλβανία Λίβερπουλ Βρετανία Βανκούβερ Μελβούρνη Βιέννη Βατικανό Βουδαπέστη Ελ Σαλβαδόρ Βέρνη Βοµβάη Ρέυκιαβικ Κολοµβία Βαρσοβία Λισαβόνα ∆ουβλίνο Ταϊβάν The first new letter you'll learn is Phi: Φφ Both letters have no resemblance to English letters. It is what the previous statement says. Although "j" is a letter in the English alphabet. isn't it? Example words: ντίζελ Βραζιλία Τερέζα Βενεζουέλα Ζάµπια Ζιµπάµπουε Καζακστάν Νέα Ζηλανδία An interesting combination in Greek is Tau-Zeta: Τζ τζ This is pronounced as a combination of the sounds of Tau and Zeta (IPA [dz]).just like in the letter name "Phi" itself. too. there is τζ is not a letter in the Greek alphabet. Practise using the following Greek words: φιλοσοφία φιλµ φεµινισµός φαρµακείο ελέφαντας Φίλιπ Αφρική Σαν Φρανσίσκο The next letter is easier again. 10 . this combination is sometimes used to replace the j sound as in "journalist" or the g sound as in "general". it is typically spelled with ph instead of simply f . because there is no sound [dʒ] in Greek. It's pronounced as an English Z (IPA [z]). just a sound coming from a combination of letters.from Greek. This is Zeta: Ζζ The capital Zeta looks like a Z and the small Zeta looks like a more curvy version of it. In words derived from English. Easy. Practise reading the following words: ατζέντα έιτζ Φίτζι Τζορτζ Μπους Αζερµπαϊτζάν Ρίο ντε Τζανέιρο Τζακάρτα Καµπότζη Now you're going to learn another very important Greek letter: Gamma. Γκ γκ Sometimes when this combination is at the middle of words then it represents the sound ng in the English word "ring" (like γγ). Examples: Ουγγαρία Αγγλία Μογγολία άγγελος Finally. with the difference that vocal chords should be vibrated when pronouncing it. When it is followed by a 'dark' vowel sound such as A. you need two letters again: Gamma and Kappa.) This letter comes up very often in Greek.Γγ This is equivalent of G in Greek. so you'll have lots of opportunities to practise. When Gamma is followed by a 'light' vowel sound such as E or I. (Listen to a sound sample. Πορτογαλία φιγούρα Γερµανία Βουλγαρία βιολογία Βέλγιο γεωλογία πρόγραµµα γραφικά Αργεντινή Πράγα Νορβηγία Αλγερία Αφγανιστάν Γεωργία Γουατεµάλα Γουινέα Γρενάδα Μαδαγασκάρη A variation occurs when there are two Gammas in a row: γγ This combination is pronounced like the ng in the English word "ring" (IPA: [ŋg]). but when the word is a foreign 11 . it is pronounced like the English Y in "year" (IPA [ȭ]). O or U. how to spell the actual [g] sound as in "garden"? For that. kind of like the ch in "Bach" or the lake "Loch Ness" in Scotland. except that it isn't pronounced as a regular English G. it is pronounced in a way that doesn't exist in English. it is pronounced like the ch in the Scottish word loch or the German word Bach (IPA [x]). This letter is pronounced as the th in thumb and coincidentally the IPA symbol for this sound is a small Theta: [θ]. The pronunciation is not like X though. Some words for practise: τεχνολογία Χιλή 12 . The capital letter looks exactly like an X and the small letter looks maybe like an x drawn by a first-grader. It's either of two sounds that don't exist in English. When it is followed by any other vowel sound or by a consonant. then it is pronounced as [g]. it sounds like the ch in the German word ich (IPA [ç]). When Chi is followed by a 'light' vowel sound such as e or i. Here are some sample words that you should be able to read now: µαθηµατικά κιθάρα (a musical instrument) Θεσσαλονίκη θεραπεία απαθής αθλητής αµφιθέατρο ανθολoγία ανθρωπολογία αντιπαθητικός Now for a letter that looks somewhat familiar again: Χχ This is the letter Chi. Though.loanword and the intention is to have a [g] sound. this detail is not very significant for the pronunciation and it is not wrong to always pronounce γκ as a [g] sound. Greek words you already know that include this combination are: γκαράζ γκέτο Γκάνα Αγκόλα γκάλοπ γκαλερί Σανγκάη Κογκό Μπανγκλαντές The next letter you should learn is Theta: Θθ Both the capital and the small letter look different from the Latin alphabet. Practise reading: ψυχολογία ψυχίατρος αποκάλυψη αυτοψία 13 . but in Greek it is more common. The answer is the letter Xi: Ξξ This letter looks unfamiliar.συγχρονίζω Χουάν (Spanish name) Χοσέ (another Spanish name) Κοπεγχάγη Ζυρίχη Νέο ∆ελχί Στοκχόλµη αραχνοφοβία Now you're probably wondering how to write the x (ks) sound that is rather common in Greek. but it sounds exactly like the English x as in axe (IPA [ks]). Ψψ Psi is pronounced like ps as in apse (IPA [ps]). Here are some examples: ξενοφοβία Μεξικό Βρυξέλλες εξάγωνο Λουξεµβούργο Αλέξανδρος ορθόδοξος λεξικό οξυγόνο The very last Greek letter to learn is Psi. There are not that many English words with this letter combination. Greek phrases Translation Greek hello please thank you that one how much? English yes no sorry I don’t understand where's the bathroom? generic toast Do you speak English? Phrase ελληνικά γειά σας γειά σου παρακαλώ ευχαριστώ εκείνο πόσο κάνει. IPA /ǫlini'ka/ /ja sas/ /ja su/ /paraka'lǤ/ /ǫfxari'stǤ/ /e'kinǤ/ /'pǤsǤ 'kani/ /aŋgli'ka/ /nǫ/ /'Ǥçi/ /sig'nǤmi/ /'ðǫŋ katala'vǫnǤ/ /'pu 'inǫ i tua'lǫtǫs/ /'ja mas/ /mi'latǫ aŋgli'ka/ Pronunciation eh-lee-nee-KAH YA suss (formal/plural) YA soo (informal/singular) pah-rah-kah-LOH ef-khah-ree-SSTOH eh-KEE-noh POH-soh KAH-nee ung-glee-KAH neh (this is a faux ami for many speakers of other European languages) OH-hee sigg-NOH-mee dheng kah-tah-lah-VEH-noh poo EE-neh ee too-ah-LEH-tess YAH muss mee-LAH-teh ung-glee-KAH — Πώς είσαι. You do not need any prior knowledge of Greek. But you do need to be able to read it. γειά µας µιλάτε αγγλικά. αγγλικά ναι όχι συγ(γ)νώµη δεν καταλαβαίνω πού είναι οι τουαλέτες. you will learn to greet people and ask how they are. The verb 'to be' is discussed and the formation of yes/no questions is introduced. Goal In this lesson. Dialogue 14 . Very well! πολύ καλά! Well! καλά! ΟΚ. Εντάξει So so. Ανθή: Καλά είµαι! Εσύ πώς είσαι. The most formal way to greet is χαίρετε! Examples • Γεια σας! Πώς είστε. How are you? Τι κάνεις. Αντώνης Καλά. Αρκετά καλά.. And you? . Έτσι κι έτσι. εσύ. Ανθή: Γεια σου! Αντώνης Γεια σου! Hello! Αγγλικά Ελληνικά Hi! Γεια! Hello! Γεια σου! Hello! (formal) Γεια σας! Good morning! Καληµέρα! Good evening! Καλησπέρα! Good night! Καληνύχτα! Goodbye Αντίο Notes • • Remember that Γεια σου can be used to say hello and goodbye. Τι κάνετε. Fairly well. Πώς είστε. How are you? Ελληνικά Πώς είσαι.Αντώνης: Γεια σου! Ανθή: Γεια σου! Αντώνης: Πώς είσαι.. Thank you! Ευχαριστώ Notes Αγγλικά 15 .. They are formed simply by intonation with no word order change. If we look at the second mini dialog in the above examples. can be used instead of Πώς είσαι. Are you hungry? or Do you like apples?. and in this case. Α: Καλά. Α: Καλά! Example 2 (informal) • Α: Γεια σου! Eίσαι καλά. you are (singular) .' 16 . είσαι and είστε.• • • The answer to Πώς είσαι. corresponding to I am. The είµαι needs to be changed into different forms to reflect different meanings. So it needs to be learn off by heart. I'm well and you? • Α: Είµαι πολύ καλά! I'm very well! Example 3 (formal) • • • Α: Γεια σας! Πώς είστε. This illustrates how yes-no question are formed in Greek. The most formal way to greet is χαίρετε! Examples Example 1 (informal) • • • Α: Γεια! Τι κάνεις. does not follow any pattern. ευχαριστώ! Explanations • • You have probably already noticed. question. εσείς. all we need are these three forms.g. that the words είµαι. Further yes-no questions can be formed like this. But for the moment. When we talk about yes-no question. Β: Είµαι αρκετά καλά. The verb είµαι is an irregular verb so the way it changes to mean something slightly different. and you are (plural). the longer form of the answer would be again είµαι καλά. could be είµαι καλά or it could simply be καλά. εσύ. Τι κάνεις. είµαι καλά. These are three forms of 'to be'. is conjugate. εσύ. Hello! Are you well? • Β: Ναι. we notice the είσαι καλά. Β: Πολύ καλά. For example: 'Είσαι εντάξει. Yes. we talk about questions of the form 'Are you' or 'Do you ' e. Αντώνης: Με λένε Αντώνη (answers the first question) (or "Το όνοµα µου είναι Αντώνης" (answers the second question)). εσύ πώς είσαι. simple questions involving these two words are formed by placing the question word at the beginning of the sentence. Summary • • • • • We have learnt the ways to say hello. In Greek..) We are able to answer how we are and ask in return. Πώς είστε.. Με λένε . Ανθή: Πώς σε λένε (or "Ποιο είναι το όνοµά σου" (not used)). (καλά! Είµαι εντάξει. you might have noticed that other questions are formed with the words τι and πώς. 'Πώς είστε. These two words are used to form questions. (Eίσαι καλά.. My name is .) Χαίρω πολύ! Dialog Αντώνης: Γεια σου! Ανθή: Γεια σου! Αντώνης: Πώς είσαι. Αντώνης: Είµαι καλά. Χαίρω πολύ! Αντώνης: Χαίρω πολύ επίσης. (Πώς είστε. Ανθή: Γεια σου! Αντώνης: Γεια σου! What is your name? Ελληνικά Ποιο είναι το όνοµά σου.) We can form simply questions with τι and πώς. Where syllables are dropped. For example. Το όνοµα µου είναι . 17 . Notes • Αγγλικά Note 'τ'όνοµά µου είναι' might also be said. (Τι κάνεις.'. You definitely must have noticed that in Greek the question mark is replaced by a semicolon.' and 'Τι κάνεις. Ανθή: Είµαι καλά. Ανθή: (Εµένα) µε λένε Ανθή (or "Το όνοµα µου είναι Ανθή"). What is your name? Πώς σε λένε..• • In this lesson.. Τι κάνεις.) We have introduced how to form yes-no questions. (Γεια σου! Γεια!) We now know how to ask how someone is.. They correspond to what and how in English. (Note that in this case in Greek male names we drop the final -ς) I'm Greek. Είµαι Γερµανίδα. The ο or η also tells us the gender.Examples • • Το ονοµά µου είναι Μάριος. I'm a teacher Αγγλικά Ελληνικά teacher o δάσκαλος η δασκάλα dentist ο οδοντίατρος /ο οδοντογιατρός lawyer o δικηγόρος engineer o µηχανικός doctor ο. But this is not always the case if we look at the words for Chinese. η Γαλλίδα ο Γερµανός. η Γερµανίδα ο Κινέζος η Κινέζα ο Ισπανός. Αµερικανίδα ο Γάλλος. η Ισπανίδα ο Έλληνας. η Ελληνίδα ο Τούρκος. This table also illustrates a pattern if the masculine ends in ος the feminine is most often formed by adding ίδα after dropping the ος. Αγγλικά English American French German Chinese Spanish Greek Turkish Notes • Ελληνικά ο Άγγλος. η Αγγλίδα o Αµερικανός. ο is for masculine and η is for feminine. Με λένε Μάριο. Examples • • • Είµαι Άγγλος. Είσαι Ελληνίδα.η µουσικός Notes 18 . η Τουρκάλα • Note that every one of these words has ο or η in front of it this tells us that these are nouns.η γιατρός actor o ηθοποιός musician ο. So if the noun is masculine then the adjective must also be masculine. καλή. One for males and another for females. They all correspond to 'the' in English. µικρό Pretty or Handsome όµορφος. Finally if it ends with ο it is neuter. The same applies for feminine nouns look at the first example. This means that Η Μάρια means Maria in English. In summary. 'Η'. 4 and 5. This is important because adjectives have to agree with the nouns that they describe. όµορφο Clever έξυπνος. 'Ο' and 'Το' are the definite articles for feminine. όµορφη. 'O γιατρός' is masculine so 'καλός' must also be masculine. If the adjective ends with ος it is masculine. Το όνοµα σου είναι όµορφο. -ο Small µικρός. έξυπνη. O Αντώνης είναι έξυπνος. The same is true of neuter nouns look at the third example. Examples Α: Ποιο είναι το επάγγελµα σου. Explanations • • Notice how there is agreement with the definite articles and the noun that is present before. Ο Στέλιος είναι µεγάλος. numbers 2. O γιατρός είναι καλός. We can see this illustrated in the examples above. Α: Είµαι δικηγόρος. καλό Bad κακός. But in Greek. Feminine if it ends with η. This roughly corresponds to the actor and actress that is present in English. -η. Ποιο είναι το επάγγελµα σου. This tells us the gender of the word. µικρή. In Greek. He's handsome Ελληνικά Big µεγάλος. this is case for every noun. You have probably noticed that there are three forms of each of the adjectives listed in the table above. It is wrong to use the masculine form to describe yourself if you are female. έξυπνο Good καλός. definite articles are always placed before Peoples names. This is called agreement. masculine and neuter nouns. Β: Είµαι δάσκαλος. You'll find definite articles listed after nouns in Dictionaries. 19 .• The each of the words introduced in the above table have two forms. κακή. Η Μάρια is feminine so the form must be όµορφη to agree with it. κακό Examples • • • • • Αγγλικά Η Μάρια είναι όµορφη. Το επάγγελµα Αγγλικά accountant baker beginner businessman carpenter cook garbage man general hairdresser housewife journalist explorer farmer fireman florist Ελληνικά λογιστής αρτοποιός αρχάριος επιχειρηµατίας ξυλουργός ο µάγειρας σκουπιδιάρης στρατηγός κοµµωτής νοικοκυρά δηµοσιογράφος εξερευνητής αγρότης πυροσβέστης ανθοκόµος 20 .) We can tell people what we do. In the same way. (Ποιο είναι το επάγγελµα σου. (Τι είναι το όνοµα σου? Με λένε Μάριος. (Είµαι Άγγλος.) We now know how to ask what profession someone has. the second example is a question simply because of its semicolon. (Είµαι δάσκαλος) professions and nationalities.• If we look at the I'm Greek section.) We can inquire if someone is a certain nationality. we can form questions asking whether someone is a doctor (Είσαι γιατρός/γιατρά. Recall that in speak what makes it a question is the rising intonation towards the end of the sentence.) Summary • • • • • We are able to ask someone's name and give our own name.) We have learnt the ways to what nationality you are. (Είσαι Ελληνίδα. librarian manager mailman mechanic musician nurse painter pilot philosopher photographer physicist plumber politician policeman salesman secretary scientist soldier student surgeon thief tourist volunteer waiter writer Αγγλικά American Argentinian Belgian Brazilian Canadian Chinese Cypriot Czech Dutchman Englishman French Finnish German Indian βιβλιοθηκάριος ο διευθυντής ταχυδρόµος µηχανικός µουσικός νοσοκόµα ζωγράφος πιλότος φιλόσοφος φωτογράφος φυσικός υδραυλικός πολιτικός αστυνοµικός πωλητής γραµµατέας επιστήµονας στρατιώτης ο φοιτητής η φοιτήτρια χειρούργος κλέφτης τουρίστας εθελοντής το γκαρσόνι συγγραφέας Η υπηκοότητα Ελληνικά Αµερικανός/Αµερικάνος Αργεντινός Βέλγος Βραζιλιάνος Καναδός Κινέζος Κύπριος Τσέχος Ολλανδός Άγγλος Γάλλος Φινλανδός Γερµανός Ινδός 21 . Italian Ιταλός Japanese Ιάπωνας Mexican Μεξικάνος Moroccan Μαροκινός Norwegian Νορβηγός Portuguese Πορτογάλος Russian Ρώσος Slovenian Σλοβένος South African Νοτιοαφρικάνος Spaniard Ισπανός Swede Σουηδός Swiss Ελβετός Turk Τούρκος reading and pronunciation. There are multiple spellings for some of these sounds: 22 . many letters in the Greek alphabet look like their counterparts in English. all vowels are pronounced nearer the English long rather than short: α approximately as in ball (closer to father in a Boston accent) ε approximately as in bet ι as in beet ο approximately as in boat ου as in boot Throughout this book. subject pronouns. and verbs Vowels Greek has five vowel sounds. tables highlighted in this color have (or will eventually have) audio recordings to go with them. As you can see from these examples. οι. τι. ει.ς ess ζ zee ν enn φ fee θ theh 23 . that is without the "h" sound in the end. ε and αι sound like EH as in "kettle". υ. άκου Most Greek words have a stressed syllable which in words of more than one syllable is shown with an accent over the stressed vowel. toward The following Greek consonants sound like familiar sounds from English. Vocabulary: κακό bad κατά against. Consonants The following letters sound like the English letters they resemble: κ. τη. Reading practice: τα.ι. το. and υι all sound alike. η. του. κότα. κάτω. but look different from their English counterparts: • • • • • • • • • • β vee λ elle π pee δ the µ emm σ. try to pronounce a plain τ. τω. η. ο and ω sound like OH as in "over". according to. τ Note: If you're a native English speaker. except before the sounds ε and ι. else af ευ ev before vowel or voiced consonant. where it sounds like y ρ like Spanish r χ like the ch in Scottish loch Vocabulary and reading practice: γράφω I write για for γιατί why?.• • ξ eks ψ eeps Vocabulary and reading practice: ναι yes καλό good πού where µε with από from σε in αλλά but The following Greek consonants have sounds not found in English: γ a soft. because προς to. και keh Vocabulary and reading practice: και and 24 . else ef ηυ iv before vowel or voiced consonant. else if µπ b at the beginning of a word. gargling g sound. nd elsewhere χε. mb elsewhere ντ d at the beginning of a word. χαι heh κε. toward όχι no παρακαλώ please The following combinations of letters have sounds that have to be learned: ου oo αυ av before vowel or voiced consonant. feminine. but the relationship isn't obvious. However. most of it though of scientific/technical nature). even when speaking to a single person. plural αυτός he αυτοί they (masculine) αυτή she αυτές they (feminine) αυτό it αυτά they (neuter) The second-person plural is also used as the formal form of address. Here are the personal subject pronouns: εγώ I εµείς we εσύ you. singular εσείς you. This may mean that the English word is derived from the Greek one. with ~. Verbs 25 . thank you (~"Eucharist") γυρεύω I look for µπορώ I can χαίρετε Rejoice! (a greeting and leave-taking) καλοκαίρι summer One of the big obstacles for an English speaker trying to learn Greek is that so few common usage words are related to English ones (although an estimated 10% to 20% of the total English vocabulary has Greek roots. and neuter. When this happens.ή or αυτός he αύριο tomorrow ευχαριστώ I give thanks. as with ευχαριστώ and Eucharist. Names of the letters: α άλφα ι γιώτα (or ιώτα) ρ ρω (or ρο) β βήτα κ κάππα (or κάπα) σ σίγµα γ γάµµα λ λάµδα (or λάµβδα) τ ταυ δ δέλτα µ µι υ ύψιλον ε έψιλον ν νι φ φι ζ ζήτα ξ ξι χ χι η ήτα ο όµικρον ψ ψι θ θήτα π πι ω ωµέγα Personal subject pronouns Greek has three genders: masculine. sometimes there is a relationship that would help you to remember the Greek word. or merely that both the English word and the Greek one come from a common root. we'll note it as in the example above. First conjugation The subject pronouns are usually omitted, because the form of the verb indicates the subject. For example: γράφω I write γράφεις you (singular) write γράφει he/she/it writes γράφουµε we write γράφετε you (plural) write γράφουν they write There is no infinitive in modern Greek. For naming a verb, the first-person singular of the present tense is used as a generic term. For example, we refer to the verb γράφω, to write. To summarize the conjugation of a verb, we write it in a table like this: γράφω γράφουµε γράφεις γράφετε γράφει γράφουν Audio recording: This recording was made by a non-native speaker of Greek. We would be grateful to any native speaker who could redo it. Γράφω is an example of a verb belonging to the first conjugation. Verbs in this conjugation can be recognized because their accent falls before the final ω. The following verbs belong to the first conjugation: δίνω give (~"donate") αλλάζω change διαβάζω read κοιτάζω look at βλέπω see ακούω hear φτάνω arrive φεύγω leave παίρνω take αγοράζω buy ξέρω know νοµίζω think βάζω put πίνω drink 26 Conjugations of some of these verbs: Audio recording: listen (help·info) This recording was made by a non-native speaker of Greek. We would be grateful to any native speaker who could redo it. The verbs έχω, to have, and είµαι, to be Two important verbs are έχω, to have, and είµαι, to be. The first-conjugation verb έχω is regular in the present tense, so it has the same endings as γράφω. έχω έχουµε έχεις έχετε έχει έχουν To be in English is expressed in the active voice, but the Greek είµαι is passive, and doesn't have an active form. The ending -µαι is a typical, regular ending for passive verbs. Although we won't be concerned with passive constructions until later, είµαι is so important that you need to get it under your belt right away. είµαι είµαστε είσαι είστε είναι είναι Capital letters Now that we're ready to handle complete sentences, we need capital letters. Most of the capital letters of the Greek alphabet are similar in form either to the lowercase letters, or to their counterparts in the Latin alphabet: αΑι Ι ρ Ρ βΒκΚ σ Σ γΓ λΛ τ Τ δ∆ µΜυ Υ εΕνΝ φΦ ζΖξΞ χ Χ ηΗοΟ ψΨ θΘπΠ ω Sentences The order of words in a Greek sentence is much more free than in English, but you can correctly construct a sentence using the familiar English syntax of subject+verb, or subject+verb+object. The subject is usually omitted when it is a pronoun. Sentences: Είναι καλό. It is good. 27 Είναι κακό. It is bad. In Greek, adjectives change their endings to agree with the gender and number of the nouns they describe (declension). The following vocabulary list introduces some nouns that happen to be neuter, and some adjectives, which are given in neuter form. The word το is the definite article, like English "the," used with singular neuter nouns. Vocabulary: νερό water κρασί wine τσάι tea καυτό hot κρύο cold άσπρο white κόκκινο red θέλω to want Sentences: Το νερό είναι κρύο. The water is cold Το κρασί είναι κρύο. The wine is cold. Το τσάι είναι καυτό. The tea is hot. Το άσπρο κρασί είναι κρύο. The white wine is cold. Negatives are formed by placing δεν before the verb. The question mark in Greek is the semicolon. Sentences: Το κόκκινο κρασί δεν είναι κρύο. The red wine is not cold Το νερό δεν είναι καυτό. The water is not hot. Dialog: Χαίρετε. Hello. Χαίρετε. Hello. Έχετε τσάι; Do you have tea? Οχι, δεν έχουµε τσάι. Θέλετε νερό; No, we don't have tea. Do you want water? Ναι, ευχαριστώ. Yes, thank you. Dialogue 1 Greeting others 28 Kαληµέρα. 29 .Mark: Anna: Mark: Anna: Mark: Γειά σας. and one needed to guess or to know their specific place inside the word. The script used had some peculiarities not observed today: for instance. Πολύ καλά. Vocabulary Πως How σε λένε they call you µε λένε they call me Summary of the alphabet and pronunciation Alphabet / Αλφάβητο The Greek Language was one of the first written languages in all world. Vocabulary Γειά σας Hello! Kαληµέρα Good morning Τι κάνετε How are you? Πολύ καλά Very well Και εσείς And you? Dialogue 2 Introducing yourself Mark: Πως σε λέvε. through contact with other cultures and through the simple action of the time. we can spot some (or even many) similarities with the Latin (or Roman) one. until it became what it is today. Πολύ καλά και εσείς. The alphabet used nowadays has 24 letters: 7 vowels and 17 consonants. Τι κάνετε. the vowels were not written. Anna: Mε λέvε Άvvα. This alphabet has been evolving. Amongst the Greek alphabet. in general. but almost.Letter English Name Greek Name Aa alpha άλφα Ββ beta βήτα Γγ gamma γάµµα ∆δ delta δέλτα Εε epsilon έψιλον Ζζ zeta ζήτα Ηη eta ήτα Θθ theta θήτα Ιι iota ιώτα Κκ kappa κάπα Λλ lambda λάµδα Μµ mu µι Νν nu νι Ξξ ksi ξι Οο omicron όµικρον Ππ pi πι Ρρ rho ρω Σ σ* sigma σίγµα Ττ tau ταυ Υυ ypsilon ύψιλον Φφ phi φι Χχ chi χι Ψψ psi ψι ω omega ωµέγα * The sigma has a special lowercase form. This time. Letter Aα Ββ Γγ ∆δ Εε Ζζ Ηη otherwise like Spanish agua this bed zoo see How to say it arc vacuum yes before certain vowels. used only at the end of words. IPA [a] [v] [ȭ] before [ǫ] or [i]. the columns represent not the name. as we'll see later in this page). [dz] otherwise [ð] [ǫ] [z] [i] XSAMPA a v G D E z i 30 . soft. we see here a table with the various letters. Pronunciation of the Alphabet Greek sounds are. As a major rule. Both lowercase sigmas have the same value. each letter carries a single sound (this is not universal. but the approximate sound of the letters. As in the previous chapter. [if] see soon [i] [u] 31 . beef before others [iv]. [af] see [i] ever before certain letters. simultaneous with the vibration of the vocal cords. [k] otherwise clock [l] mine nine excellent oh ape like Spanish pero soup hate see photo [m] [n] [ks] [Ǥ] [p] [Ȏ] [s] [t] [i] [f] like German ich before certain vowels. Before e and i vowels. af i Ev. it is the voiced counterpart of the χ.Diphthongs How to say it bed Diphthong αι αυ ει ευ ηυ οι ου IPA [ǫ] XSAMPA E av. [ç] before [ǫ] or [i]. else like German Loch [x] otherwise maps [ps] oh [Ǥ] Note: The letter Γγ is the most difficult to pronounce for an English speaker: it is like a stronger h. the word Diphthong (δίφθογγος) is also used for combination of vowels that sound like a simple vowel. k l m n k_s O p 4 s t i f C. x p_s O cute before certain vowels. in other words. if i u have before certain letters. Note that in Modern Greek. else knock [c] before [ǫ] or [i]. Ef iv. There are also some similar combinations of consonants: Tabela II . [ǫf] evening before certain letters. it is pronounced as a y like in Diphthongs Diphthongs are combinations of two vowels that function as a unique sound. after before others [av]. effect before others [ǫv]. There are eight diphthongs in Modern Greek.Θθ Ιι Κκ Λλ Μµ Νν Ξξ Οο Ππ Ρρ Σσ Ττ Υυ Φφ Χχ Ψψ ω thin see [θ] [i] T i c. the stressed syllables are com and ar. as in the word Εβραϊκός (Hebrew). there are monosyllabic words that also have accent.υι γγ γκ µπ ντ see [i] i Ng g. Words like these are read as affixes added to the main word. the accent is usually omitted. "Ο πατέρας µου" (My father) is also read as a single word . In onesyllable words. Examples: • • ο (the masc. unlike their weak comparing counterparts.aw-pah-TEras. and these don't have an accent. finger anywhere [g]. When the stress falls on a syllable that has a diphthong.η (the fem. the diaeresis ( ¨ ) is used. Greek marks the stressed syllable with an accent mark ( ΄ ) over the vowel.aw-paTE-raz-mu. which has three syllables. but the accent falls on other syllable. On the other hand. Thus. which). otherwise. are correctly accented. some words that aren't stressed (usually monosyllabic grammatical words). would be equal . as in the word ρολόι (watch or clock). If the accent is put on the first vowel of a diphthong. Ng b. not two. µου (my). respectively. the accent is used above the last letter of this diphthong. It marks words as strong. [nd] else Accent and Diaeresis Most Greek words have a stressed syllable which is the syllable said with more strength: for instance. sand anywhere [d]. nd finger [ŋg] good at the beginning of words. thumb [b].) "Ο πατέρας" (The father) is read as a single word . [ŋg] else banana at the beginning of words. There are. 32 .) and που (that. if one wishes to separate the diphthong. words like Παύλος (Paul) ou γυναίκα (woman). however. like ή (or) and πού (where). Every stressed word with more than one syllable carries an accent. in the English words comfort and peculiarity. mb d. [mb] anywhere else day at the beginning of words. However. This accent has a double function: • • It distinguishes words that. it is not read as a diphthong but read as two independent vowels. but the other tenses are actually formed from their longer forms.Irregular verbs. Λέγω/λέω. to say: λέω λέµε λες λέτε λέει λένε Τρώγω/Τρώω. to hear (regular form are also used occasionally): ακούω ακούµε ακούς ακούτε ακούει ακούν(ε) The body 33 . the body. to go: πάω πάµε πας πάτε πάει πάνε Ακούω. family. to eat: τρώω τρώµε τρως τρώτε τρώει τρώνε Πηγαίνω/πάω. the genitive. prepositions Irregular verbs The following three verbs have simplified forms that are used in the present tense. το κεφάλι 34 . το σώµα Vocabulary: το σώµα το κεφάλι ο εγκέφαλος το µάτι το φρύδι τα µαλλιά το στόµα the body (~"somatic") the head (~"decapitate") the brain (~"encephalitis"." but means mouth!) 35 . literally "in-the-head") the eye the eyebrow the hair the mouth (cognate with "stomach. put on (clothes) βγάζω to take out. Γαργαλάς την κοιλιά µου! You're tickling my belly! Clothing/Τα ρούχα τα ρούχα the clothing φορώ to wear βάζω to put. The mother combs the child's hair. give birth to (~"genesis") the health (~"hygiene") the pain (cognate with the English word) to hurt the heart (~"cardiac") Η µητέρα χτενίζει το παιδί.τα δόντια το αυτί η µύτη τα χείλη τα µάγουλα το σαγόνι ο λαιµός το στήθος η κοιλιά το χέρι η παλάµη το πόδι η πατούσα (colloquial)/ το πέλµα (formal) το γόνατο γυµνός χτενίζω κάνω µπάνιο ο θάνατος η ζωή γεννώ η υγεία ο πόνος πονώ η καρδιά Example: the teeth (~"dentist") the ear (~"audio") the nose the lips the cheeks the jaw the neck the chest (~"stethoscope") the belly the arm AND the hand (the whole upper limb) the palm (cognate with the English word) the foot AND the leg (the whole lower limb) (~"podiatry") the sole of the foot the knee (~"genuflect") naked (~"gymnasium") to comb (~"ctenophore. take off (clothes) το πουκάµισο the shirt το παντελόνι (singular!) the pants/trousers 36 ." comb jelly) to take a bath death life (~"zoo") to give birth. My feet hurt. Πονάνε τα πόδια µου. I put on my clothes. the foot of the dog) The genitive plural is easy." Greek expresses using the genitive case. Βγάζω το παλτό µου.η φούστα το σακάκι το παλτό τα παπούτσια οι κάλτσες το καπέλο η ζώνη η γραβάτα Examples: the skirt the jacket the coat the shoes the socks or stockings the hat the belt (~ "zone") the tie (~"cravat") Βάζω τα ρούχα µου. I take off my coat. The genitive What English expresses using possessives or the presposition "of. τα πόδια των σκύλων the dogs' feet The genitive singular is formed according to a greater variety of patterns. We aren't wearing shoes. ο σκύλος the dog (subject form) οι σκύλοι the dogs (subject form) του σκύλου of the dog (genitive form) των σκύλων of the dogs (genitive form) τον σκύλο the dog (object form) τους σκύλους the dogs (object form) Example: το πόδι του σκύλου the dog's foot (literally. genitive. The following example shows the noun σκύλος in all the subject. because it's always formed with -ων. ∆ε φοράµε παπούτσια. and object cases. and the article is always των. of which three of the most important are shown here: ο σκύλος του σκύλου η ώρα της ώρας το βιβλίο του βιβλίου το παιδί του παιδιού 37 . feminine genitive µία or µια one. The noun το χάδι (the caress) presents the following declensions: το χάδι τα χάδια του χαδιού των χαδιών το χάδι τα χάδια Genitive indefinite article The following list shows the indefinite article in all three of the cases covered so far: ένας one. People in most cases put the accent intuitively and at some instances even native speakers have great difficulty in accentuating correctly. masculine genitive έναν one. one has to have at least a basic level of Ancient Greek. neuter object Genitive pronouns 38 . neuter subject ενός of one. feminine object ένα one. neuter genitive ένα one. from antepenult to ultimate between nominative plural and genitive plural. There is a set of rules to distinguish in which cases this happens.Accentuation In some nouns. the genitive is accented at the penult and when the penult is accented the genitive is accented at the ultimate. masculine subject ενός of one. This is an issue with Modern Greek itself. This is why it is often said that in order to properly speak Modern Greek. masculine object µία or µια one. when the antepenult is accented. since most of the nuances of Ancient Greek are lost in Modern Greek. Most of the rules derive from Ancient Greek and have to do with either long and short vowels or Ancient Greek declensions. τα πόδια των ανθρώπων (άνθρωπος/ανθρώπων) the men's feet (genitive plural) τα πόδια του ανθρώπου (άνθρωπος/ανθρώπου) the man's feet (genitive singular) τα πόδια των ανδρών (άνδρας/ανδρών) the men's feet (genitive plural) but τα πόδια των πατέρων (πατέρας/πατέρων) the fathers' feet τα πόδια του άνδρα (άνδρας/άνδρα) the man's feet (genitive singular) The accent can also advance two positions. feminine subject µίας or µιας of one. over κάτω από below. the salutation Χαίρετε (rejoice) is also utilized. by means of µαζί µε together with χωρίς without για for από from (moving away from) σε. του τους When indicating possession. εις in. Γεια is a short form for υγεία (health → "hygiene"). using the verb αρέσω: Μού αρέσει το αυτοκίνητο. more often than not the σου is omitted). rather than saying that you like something. Something similar happens with certain prepositions (see below). When a noun followed by a possessive pronoun has the accent on the third syllable from the end.") This form is a remnant of the ancient dative case (δοτική πτώση). the genitive pronoun follows the noun it modifies. Στην υγειά σας! To your health (Cheers!) το βιβλίο µου my book Το κεφάλι του είναι µεγάλο. "The car is pleasing to me.µου µας σου σας του. moving to µέσα σε into πάνω σε on πάνω από above. For a group of people except the abovementioned Γεια σας. I like the car (lit. under ύστερα από after πρίν before (~"pre-") 39 . His head is big. it gets a second accent on the final syllable: το γόνατό µου my knee In Greek. you say that it is pleasing to you. της. on. When greeting a person you either say Γεια σας (the polite plural) or Γεια σου (friendly address. Prepositions The following are some common prepositions: µε with. at. π. put down money. εξ Examples: before. in front of (~"proactive") against against from. the preposition may be in a different form than the ones given above.πρό ενάντια σε εναντίον εκ. I'm from America. As a remnant of ancient Greek's more complex case system. Είµαι από την Αµερική. A common prefix is συν-/συµ-. out of (~"ex-wife") Το κλειδί της Άννας είναι κάτω από το τραπέζι. with. relating to. to throw to invade: σε (modern εις)+βάλλω. This is a usage that is dying out. Anna's key is under the table. suggest to blow (~"pneumatic") 40 .. in ancient Greek. However. εις rather than σε. subject to. because of. 'throw together' to debouch to expel to pay. 'throw in' to contribute to: συν+βάλλω σε. Anna's key is on the table. If the preposition σε is followed by a definite article. εναντίον. Paul is at the theater. Ο Παύλος είναι στο θεάτρο. as in the use of the genitive with the verb αρέσω. and υπό. for.Χ. e. βάλλω εισβάλλω συµβάλλω σε εκβάλλω αποβάλλω καταβάλλω διαβάλλω υποβάλλω πνέω to shoot. the genitive is really being used as the dative (indirect object) case. however. from the ancient Greek preposition συν. the joint form στο(ν)/στη(ν)/στο (σε plus το(ν)/τη(ν)/το) is used: Το κλειδί της Άννας είναι στο τραπέζι. Two other suffixes based on ancient Greek prepositions are δια. In these constructions.g. under (~"hypodermic"). There are. buckle to to slander someone. put someone down to submit something. certain fixed phrases that will seem inexplicable otherwise: πρό Χριστού. before Christ εν τάξει OK Prepositions used as prefixes It is extremely common for Greek verbs to be formed by adding a preposition as a prefix to a simpler verb. and a beginner doesn't need to worry about it too much. together. εκ/εξ) are supposed to take the genitive case rather than the object (accusative) case. certain prepositions (πρό. to be lacking καταλείπω to leave something behind εκλείπω to vanish. daughter ο αδελφός the brother (~"Philadelphia") η αδελφή the sister ο παππούς the grandfather η γιαγιά the grandmother ο θείος the uncle η θεία the aunt ο ανιψιός the nephew (~"nepotism") η ανιψιά the niece Examples: ο πατέρας µου my father ο γιος σας your son Η Ελένη είναι η κόρη µου. expire. residual) Family Vocabulary: ο πατέρας the father η µητέρα the mother ο άντρας the man. Note that in Greek. It's the brothers' house. be in eclipse (~"eclipse") διαλείπω to be intermittent (also διάλειψη = lapse of memory) υπολείποµαι (passive) to fall short of (also υπόλοιπο = the rest. She's Anna's mother. the husband η γυναίκα the woman. Είναι η µητέρα της Αννας. Helen is my daughter. Grimm's law 41 . the wife ο γιος the son η κόρη the girl. a definite article is used with a person's name. Είναι το σπίτι των αδελφών. terminate something to run through λείπω to be away. die.εισπνέω εκπνέω διαπνέω to inhale something to exhale. Indo-European.g. and door to the ancient θύρα rather than modern πόρτα (which is a loan from italian). For example. Nouns in -ας and -ης ο αστροναύτης 42 . not the modern αδελφός.The words πατέρας and µητέρα are actually closely related to the English words mother and father. the consonants are related as follows: πτ κβδγφθχ f th h p t k b d g This is known as Grimm's law (after a linguist from the same family that collected the Grimm's fairy tales). When English and Greek words are derived from the same root in their common ancestral language. the Greek word that's cognate to the English one is ancient rather than modern. Sometimes it can help you to learn words in Greek. Examples: δύο τρία πόδι two three foot In some cases. "fraternity"). brother corresponds to the ancient φρατήρ (e. Other than -ος. ο παπάς (coll. the astronaut. the most common endings for masculine nouns are -ας and -ης. pupil: subject ο µαθητής οι µαθητές genitive του µαθητή των µαθητών object το µαθητή τους µαθητές These endings are particularly common in nouns referring to professions.. the father: subject ο πατέρας οι πατέρες genitive του πατέρα των πατέρων object τον πατέρα τους πατέρες Ο µαθητής. People Vocabulary: οι ιερέες ο εργάτης the worker the doctor ο γιατρός (~"psychiatrist") ο ιερέας (formal) and in plural οι ιερείς and not οι ιερέες as the priest is noted by the picture. the student.) (~"hieroglyph") ο στρατιώτης the soldier ο ράφτης the tailor 43 . e. ο αστροναύτης. Ο πατέρας.g. The king is rich. According to this rule if the next word does not start with a vowel or any of the voiceless plosives (κ. 44 . the employee the police officer the friend the neighbor the baby the young person (~"new") the old man (~"geriatrics") strong rich poor the king the queen Ο γιος του φίλου µου είναι ιερέας.). τ. guerrilla the farmer the driver the teacher the student (university) the student (technical school) the student (elementary school) the clerk. Ο δάσκαλος έχει τριάντα µαθητές The teacher has 30 students. the definite article at the accusative (object) case is different: τον πατέρα το µαθητή There is a general rule that applies to not only the definite article but most words ending with a ν. The letter ν at the end of a word You might have noticed above that while both ο πατέρας and ο µαθητής are masculine nouns. My friend's son is a priest. but rarely) ο γέρος γερός πλούσιος φτωχός ο βασιλιάς η βασίλισσα Examples: the sailor the sailor (military) the thief. το βρέφος (formal) ο νέος (also νεαρός. ξ. Ο βασιλιάς είναι πλούσιος. ψ) then the ν is often omitted. π.ο ναυτικός ο ναύτης ο κλέφτης ο αγρότης ο οδηγός ο δάσκαλος ο φοιτητής ο σπουδαστής ο µαθητής ο υπάλληλος o αστυνοµικός ο φίλος ο γείτονας το µωρό (coll. etc. the vocative. βαµβακερά. I'm ordering a suit. food. Συνηθίζουν να πηγαίνουν στο ράφτη. χρησιµοποιεί όλη την επιτηδειότητά του. perfect.wool. made suits. Ευτυχώς υπάρχει ενα κατάστηµα που Fortunately.Thus. Ο ράφτης σας παίρνει τα µέτρα και The tailor takes your measurements. there's a store that sells πουλάει πολύ καλά υφάσµατα. Οι Έλληνες δε θέλουν ν' αγοράζουν έτοιµα The Greeks don't like to buy readyκουστούµια. cotton. κι έχει και very good material. για and uses all his skill to make your suit να κάνει το κουστούµι σας τέλειο. καµιά δεκαριά Object pronouns. They usually go to the tailor. Reading Vocabulary: lit. singular σας you. more numbers. νάυλον κλπ.µάλλινα. variety of fabrics -. "around ten. past tenses in first conjugation Object pronouns We've already seen the personal subject pronouns in lesson 1. Here are the object forms: µε me µας us σε you. Απ' το ίδιο κατάστηµα αγοράζω και καµιά At the same store. the avoidance of complex consonant combinations helps in keeping the smooth flow of the speech. and it has a large µεγάλη ποικιλία υφασµάτων -. nylon. I'm also buying a a δεκαριά άσπρα πουκάµισα bunch of white shirts. plural τον him τους them (masculine) την her τους them (feminine) 45 . colors. Έχουν επίσης και πολύ καλές µεταξωτές They also have very good silk ties in all γραβάτες σε όλα τα χρώµατα." used loosely the same way "a dozen" is used in English Παραγγέλνω ένα κουστούµι. and the genitives in lesson 3. is a masculine noun. singular) τους σκύλους the dogs (object. Masculine nouns Σκύλος. dog. Feminine nouns The noun Η ώρα (the hour. The man bites the dog. singular) τις ώρες the hours (object. plural) of the children (genitive plural) 46 . the time) is shown below: η ώρα the hour (subject. Another noun in -oς is άνθρωπος. το παιδί του παιδιού the child (subject. The dog bites the man. a thing) being addressed. human/man Examples: Ο σκύλος δαγκώνει τον άνθρωπο. The vocative The vocative case is used when the noun is a person (or. singular) οι σκύλοι the dogs (subject. plural) του σκύλου of the dog (genitive singular) των σκύλων of the dogs (genitive plural) το(ν) σκύλο the dog (object. Note the different forms of the definite article. and σκύλος demonstrates their regular pattern. singular) of the child (genitive singular) τα παιδιά των παιδιών the children (subject. They see me. plural) σκύλε! dog! (vocative singular) σκύλοι! dogs! (vocative plural) The ending -ος is the most common one for masculine nouns. plural) της ώρας of the hour (genitive singular) των ωρών of the hours (genitive plural) την ώρα the hour (object. conceivably.το it τα them (neuter) The object pronouns come before the verb: Με βλέπουν. plural) ώρα! hour! (vocative singular) ώρες! hours! (vocative plural) Neuter nouns Το παιδί (the child) is an example of a neuter noun. Ο άνθρωπος δαγκώνει το σκύλο. singular) οι ώρες the hours (subject. The following are some examples of nouns in all four cases. ο σκύλος the dog (subject. plural) children! (vocative plural) More numbers Multiples of 10: είκοσι 20 τριάντα 30 σαράντα 40 πενήντα 50 εξήντα 60 εβδοµήντα 70 ογδόντα 80 ενενήντα 90 εκατό 100 Most numbers from 1 to 100 are formed by giving a multiple of 10 following by the second digit of the number. and adding endings that differ from those used in the present. For verbs in the first conjugation. The following example illustrates this with the verb διαβάζω: Present: διαβάζω διαβάζουµε διαβάζεις διαβάζετε 47 .) δεκατρία 13 εξήντα οκτώ 68 The numbers 11 and 12 are exceptions: έντεκα (or ένδεκα) 11 δώδεκα 12 Past tenses Imperfect tense in first conjugation The imperfect tense is used to describe an action in the past that was continuous or repeated. singular) child! (vocative singular) τα παιδιά παιδιά! the children (object.το παιδί παιδί! the child (object. and the ones above 20 as two words. (The numbers from 13 to 19 are written as single words. it is formed from the progressive stem by moving the accent to the third syllable from the end. rather than separate imperfect and past tenses.is added: έγραφα γράφαµε έγραφες γράφατε έγραφε έγραφαν Past tense in first conjugation The past tense is used to indicate an action that occurred at one time in the past. but from the aorist stem. Past: διάβασα διαβάσαµε διάβασες διαβάσατε διάβασε διάβασαν Example: Χτες. or that has been completed. διάβασε την εφηµερίδα. 48 . It is formed in the same was as the imperfect. Yesterday. Past tenses of είµαι and έχω The verbs είµαι and έχω have only a single past tense.διαβάζει διαβάζουν Imperfect: διάβαζα διαβάζαµε διάβαζες διαβάζατε διάβαζε διάβαζαν Example: Η γιαγιά µου διάβαζε. the prefix ε. If the stem of the verb is too short to allow an accent on the third syllable from the end. My grandmother used to read. he read the newspaper. [1] Achilles was the son of Peleus. The following list shows more of the common patterns: 49 . και της Νηρηίδας Θέτιδας. βασιλιά των Μυρµιδόνων.Ο Αχιλλέας Past tense of είµαι: ήµουν ήµαστε ήσουν ήσαστε ήταν ήταν Past tense of έχω: είχα είχαµε είχες έιχατε είχε είχαν Example: Ο Αχιλλέας ήταν γιός του Πηλέα. Formation of the aorist stem in the first conjugation We have already seen that aorist stems are often formed by adding an "s" sound. and the nymph Thetis. king of the Myrmidons. Euclid was a greek mathematician who taught in Alexandria.Ο Ευκλείδης λύνω λύσω loosen θέτω θέσω put. Today (lit. bend over Examples: Έλυσαν τις ζώνες τους.[2] They loosened their belts. Στις µέρες µας είναι γνωστός ως ο πατέρας της γεωµετρίας. Μπορούµε να ακούσουµε τους σκύλους. We can hear the dogs. Egypt. place ακούω ακούσω hear νιώθω νιώσω feel διαβάζω διαβάσω read αλλάζω αλλάξω change υπάρχω υπάρξω exist ανοίγω ανοίξω open επιδιώκω επιδιώξω aim σπρώχνω σπρώξω push διδάσκω διδάξω teach γράφω γράψω write λείπω λείψω lack σκύβω σκύψω lean. "in our days") he is known as the father of geometry. 50 . Ο Ευκλείδης ήταν Έλληνας µαθηµατικός. που δίδαξε στην Αλεξάνδρεια της Αιγύπτου. although we use the masculine or feminine gender to refer to it as a characteristic of a masculine or feminine noun: το µαύρο χρώµα ο µαύρος σκύλος η µαύρη γάτα τα µαύρα µάτια Foreign words like µπλέ do not change to show case or number: το µπλε κασκόλ (french: cache-col) the blue scarf 51 . The flowers are white. The flower is red. Since το χρώµα (the color) is a neuter noun. Τα λουλούδια είναι άσπρα.The colors/τα χρώµατα τα χρώµατα µαύρο black άσπρο white κόκκινο red κίτρινο yellow πράσινο green γαλανό/γαλάζιο azure. we use the neuter gender to refer to itself. light blue µπλε (transliteration from french: bleu) blue πορτοκαλί (from the fruit) orange καφέ (from coffee) brown µωβ/µοβ (transliteration) mauve γκρι (transliteration from french: gris) grey Examples: Το λουλούδι είναι κόκκινο. τα µπλε κασκόλ (french: cache-col) the blue scarfs Food and restaurants τα σταφύλια το κρέας ο ελληνικός καφές η σαλάτα 52 . το φαγητό/το φαΐ η ταβέρνα το εστιατόριο ο καφές το καφενείο η καφετέρια/το καφέ το µενού ο σερβιτόρος ο λογαριασµός το ψωµί ο φούρνος (colloquial)/το αρτοποιείο (formal) η σαλάτα η µπύρα το γάλα το γιαούρτι το ψάρι το κρέας η ντοµάτα η ελιά το φρούτο το µέλι η ζάχαρη το αλάτι το πιάτο το πρωινό (colloquial)/το πρόγευµα (formal) γλυκός το γλυκό (colloquial)/ το επιδόρπιο (formal) το κουτάλι το µαχαίρι το πηρούνι η χαρτοπετσέτα (when not from paper. women weren't supposed to sit in traditional coffee houses. the account) the bread the bakery the salad the beer the milk the yoghurt the fish the meat (~"pancreas") the tomato the olive the fruit the honey (~"mellifluous") the sugar the salt the dish. η πετσέτα) το ποτήρι τα σταφύλια το κώνειο Example: Τον παλιό καιρό δεν αφήναν τις γυναίκες να κάθονται στα καφενεία. plate the breakfast sweet the sweet. 53 . the food the traditional restaurant (~"tavern") the modern restaurant the coffee the traditional coffee-house the modern coffee-house the menu the waiter the bill (lit. the dessert the spoon the knife the fork the napkin the drinking glass the grapes the hemlock A long time ago. prefix on the past tense of all persons except first and second person plural. are irregular. Present tense: τρώω τρώµε τρως τρώτε τρώει τρώνε Imperfect: έτρωγα τρώγαµε έτρωγες τρώγατε έτρωγε έτρωγαν Past (The aorist stem is φαγ-): έφαγα φάγαµε έφαγες φάγατε έφαγε έφαγαν Notice the έ.The verbs τρώγω. and πίνω. The verb τρώ(γ)ω. to eat. to eat Ο Αδάµ και η Εύα έφαγαν το φρούτο. Example: 54 . to drink. The verb πίνω. to drink Ο Σωκράτης ήπιε το κώνειο. Present tense: πίνω πίνουµε πίνεις πίνετε πίνει πίνουν Imperfect: έπινα πίναµε έπινες πίνατε έπινε έπιναν Past: ήπια ήπιαµε ήπιες ήπιατε ήπιε ήπιαν Example: Ο Σωκράτης ήπιε το κώνειο. Adam and Eve ate the fruit.Ο Αδάµ και η Εύα έφαγαν το φρούτο. 55 . Socrates drank the hemlock. -Then we'll taste their famous food right away. ο µουσακάς και τα λοιπά. the menu. Αλλά τί µπορούµε να πιούµε. -Ξέρω ότι εδώ έχουν φρέσκα ψάρια. and good chicken and very tasty meat. Καλή όρεξη. please. -Στήν Ελλάδα όλος ο κόσµος πίνει ούζο. Bon apetit! Song: Γερακίνα Γερακίνα is a very well known folk song. Where can I eat? -That tavern has very good food. Let's go there.") Dialog -Πεινώ. Πάµε εκεί. -Βεβαίως. -∆ηλαδή θέλετε να πείτε ότι το ούζο είναι το εθνικό τους ποτό. here to hitch New vocabulary: κινώ βραχιόλι βροντώ φωνή καηµός to move bracelet to rumble. Πού µπορώ να φάω. -Waiter. you're trying to tell me that ouzo is the national drink? And isn't lamb their national food? -Of course. but we can drink beer or retsina. -In other words. αλλά εµείς µποροµε να πιούµε µπίρα ή ρετσίνα. Και µήπως είναι το αρνάκι το εθνικό τους φαΐ. thunder voice sorrow 56 . which is Latin for "poison hemlock. Review of old vocabulary: φέρνω (aorist φέρ-) to carry πέφτω (aorist πέσ-) to fall ρίχνω to throw βγάζω (aorist βγάλ-) to take out παίρνω to take πιάνω to grab. as well as souvlaki. -Γκαρσόν. But what can we drink? -Everybody in Greece drinks ouzo. όπως επίσης τα σουβλάκια. καλά κοτόπουλα και πολύ νόστιµο κρέας.(The scientific name for hemlock is conium maculatum. -Τότε θα δοκιµάσουµε αµέσως τα περίφηµα φαγητά τους. το µενού παρακαλώ. etc. -Αυτή η ταβέρνα έχει πολύ καλή κουζίνα. -I know they have fresh fish here." A very popular rock band in Greece during the sixties and seventies bore the name "Socrates drank the conium. moussaka. -I'm hungry. Yerakina. and hitched it to her belt. Κι έτρεξε ο κόσµος όλος κι έτρεξα κι εγώ καηµένος.. χρυσός golden το κορδόνι cord. and I came running. and take you for my wife. etc. Κι έπεσε µες στο πηγάδι κι έβγαλε φωνή µεγάλη ντρουµπου. Threw down a golden rope. more about secondconjugation verbs Vocabulary 57 . She fell into the well.her bracelets thunder (present).. And everyone came running. The countryside. brought a big voice out of her mouth). "sorrowful... Έριξα χρυσό κορδόνη και την έπιασα απ τη ζώνη ντρουµπου. poor you.... Translation: Yerakina moved to fetch cold water. ντρουµπου... poor me. I'll pull you out..καηµένος lit. too... and she shouted with a big voice (lit. Γερακίνα θα σε βγάλω και γυναίκα θα σε πάρω ντρουµπου." used in expressions meaning poor me. rope Γερακίνα Κίνησε η Γερακίνα για νερό κρύο να φέρει ντρουµπου-ντρουµπου-ντρουµπου-ντρουµ τα βραχιόλια της βροντούν τα βραχιόλια της βροντούν ντρουµπου. ο ταύρος το αγρόκτηµα τα δέντρα η ύπαιθρος το χωριό η φύση το αγρόκτηµα ο αγρότης το ζώο το φυτό το δέντρο το δάσος ο γάïδαρος το άλογο η αγελάδα ο ταύρος η κατσίκα το πουλί το κοτόπουλο the countryside ("open air". ~"ether") the village the nature (~"physics") the farm (~"agriculture") the farmer the animal (~"zoo") the plant the tree (~"dendrite") the forest the donkey the horse the cow the bull (~"taurus") the goat the bird the chicken 58 . ανατολικός the east. βόρειος the north. Υπάρχουν αγελάδες στην ύπαιθρο. Υπάρχει κανένα πουλί στο δέντρο. Is there no bird on the tree?) 59 ." the sky god) η σκιά the shadow το αστέρι/το άστρο the star (~"astronaut") η Γη the Earth Examples: Πού είναι το µονοπάτι. νότιος the south. trail στενός narrow (~"stenographer") το στενό the mountain pass πάω περίπατο/πάω βόλτα to go for a walk (~"peripatetic") το βουνό the mountain ο λόφος the hill η κοιλάδα the valley ο ποταµός/το ποτάµι the river (~"hippopotamus") το ρυάκι the stream. to exist The verb υπάρχω. Where is the path? Το µονοπάτι είναι στενό. creek ο βράχος the rock το έδαφος the soil ο βορράς. to exist. southern η ανατολή. west ο ήλιος the sun (~"helium. δυτικός the west. There are cows in the countryside." which was first detected in the sun) η σελήνη the moon ο ουρανός the sky (~"Uranus. το άλογο του αγρότη the farmer's horse η κοιλάδα της σκιάς του θανάτου the valley of the shadow of death The verb υπάρχω. eastern (~"Anatolia") η δύση. Is there any bird οn the tree? (lit. is used where we would say there is or there are in English. honeyed) το µυρµήγκι the ant το µονοπάτι the path. northern (~"aurora borealis") ο νότος.πετώ to fly η µύγα the fly η µέλισσα the bee (~"mellifluous". The trail is narrow. to go The common verb πηγαίνω has the aorist forms πήγα and να πάω. Πήγαµε στην ύπαιθρο. Πηγαίνουµε στην ύπαιθρο. The child loved his mother. άρα υπάρχω. The accent also goes to the previous syllable: The verb αγαπώ (to love) becomes αγάπησα αγάπησα αγαπήσαµε αγάπησες αγαπήσατε αγάπησε αγάπησαν The verb διψώ (to go thirsty) becomes δίψασα 60 . Do you want to go to the country? More about second-second-conjugation verbs Imperfect tense The Imperfect is the Past Continuous in English. -εσ-. We went to the country. -ησ. Θέλετε να πάτε στην ύπαιθρο. therefore I am. Both first order verbs like αγαπώ (to love) and second order verbs like καλώ (to call). Aorist The aorist is the simple past in English. Verbs use one of the suffixes -ασ-. I think. The mother was calling her child. use the suffix -ούσ-: καλούσα καλούσαµε καλούσες καλούσατε καλούσε καλούσαν Examples: Η µητέρα καλούσε το παιδί της.Σκέπτοµαι. We're going to the country. Το παιδί αγαπούσε τη µητέρα του. The verb πηγαίνω. όχι µόνο φέτος I want to invite you to my birthday (party) this year. to invite) becomes κάλεσα κάλεσα καλέσαµε κάλεσες καλέσατε κάλεσε κάλεσαν Examples: Η µητέρα κάλεσε το παιδί της. which can be one of -ησ-. (imperfective) 61 . Τα παιδιά δίψασαν. The mother called her child. Imperfective Aspect: να καλώ να καλούµε να καλείς να καλείτε να καλεί να καλούν The imperfective subjunctive is conjugated exactly like the present tense (with the addition of να) Examples: Θέλω να σε καλέσω στα γενέθλιά µου φέτος Πρέπει να µε καλείς κάθε χρόνο. The children went thirsty. (perfective) You should invite me every year. Subjunctive The subjunctive has two forms according to the aspect being perfective or imperfective: Perfective Aspect: να καλέσω να καλέσουµε να καλέσεις να καλέσετε να καλέσει να καλέσουν The perfective aspect uses the aorist stem. not only this year.δίψασα διψάσαµε δίψασες διψάσατε δίψασε δίψασαν The verb καλώ (to call.-εσ.-ασ-. Do you want to go for a walk on the path to the village? It isn't raining. but it was raining. It was summer. It's hot today. αλλά έβρεχε. 62 . Κάνει κρύο στο βουνό. Ηταν καλοκαίρι. We don't want to go on foot. ∆ε θέλουµε νά πάµε µε τα πόδια. It's cold on the mountain. the autumn ο χειµώνας the winter η άνοιξη the spring The weather Vocabulary: ο καιρός the weather η λιακάδα the sunshine το σύννεφο the cloud η βροχή the rain η µπόρα the (rain) shower η καταιγίδα the storm η βροντή the thunder η αστραπή the lightning (from cloud to cloud) ο κεραυνός the lightning (if reaching the ground) βρέχω to moisten βρέχει it rains το χιόνι the snow χιονίζει it snows το χιονόνερο the sleet η οµίχλη the fog η καταχνιά the mist η πάχνη the dew το χαλάζι the hail ο παγετός the frost Examples: Θέλετε να πάµε για περίπατο στο µονοπάτι για το χωριό. γιατί βρέχει. Κάνει ζέστη σήµερα. ∆ε βρέχει. because it's raining.The seasons το καλοκαίρι the summer το φθινόπωρο the fall. Where are you going on your walk? -To the village. stigmieos melondas. sir. which implies that the action will continue.Ο ∆ίας είναι ο γιος του Κρόνου και της Ρέας. -Αυτό το αγρόκτηµα. Combining θα with the present tense gives the future continuous (εξακολουθητικός µέλλοντας.[1] is the god of the sky and the thunder. -Hello. perhaps indefinitely: Θα καθαρίζω το σπίτι. Dialog -Χαίρετε. Song: Τα κλεφτόπουλα 63 . -Στο χωριό. Πού πάτε γιά περίπατο. Η ύπαιθρος είναι πολύ όµορφη. "future imperfect"). -Ναι. and a bull. It will be hot tomorrow. κυρία. είναι δικό σας. -This farm. I will clean the house (at a certain time). Future tenses The future tense is formed by adding the word θα before the verb: Θα κάνει ζέστη αύριο. -∆ώδεκα. is it yours? -Yes. Πόσες αγελάδες έχετε. we have the future simple (στιγµιαίος µέλλοντας. The country is very beautiful. exakolouthitikos melondas. ma'am. which implies that the action will only happen once: Θα καθαρίσω το σπίτι. If we instead use the aorist stem. κύριε. I will be cleaning the house. "future instantaneous"). -Hello. How many cows do you have? -Twelve. He Είναι θεός του ουρανού και της βροντής. Zeus is the son of Kronos and Rhea. -Χαίρετε. και έναν ταύρο. ντουφέκι long gun (rifle. µα ένα µικρό κλεφτόπουλο δεν τρώει. or shot gun) Μάνα µου τα. κλέφτης thief.A scene from the Greek War of Independence. µόν' τ' άρµαντά του κοίταζε Του ντουφεκιού του λέει: «Γεια σου Κίτσο µου λεβέντη!» Ντουφέκι µου. guerrilla. the traditional words are actually "απ' του εχθρού τα χέρια κι απ' των Τούρκων τα µαχαίρια. the warriors. In the second-to-last verse. This song dates to the Greek War of Independence. άιντε πίνουν και γλεντάνε Μα ένα µικρό. they drink and make merry. resistance fighter κλεφτόπουλο young resistance fighter τουφέκι. ∆εν µου λέεις τι να κάνω (Note: The words above are transcribed from the recording. βάι δεν πίνει. και τώρα µε λησµόνησες σαν καλαµιά στον κάµπο. 1821-1827.") Translation: Mother. πολλές φορές µε γλύτωσες απ' του εχθρού τα χέρια µε κυνήγαν νύχτα µέρα Και τώρα µε. µια χαρά είσαι το καηµένο Πολλές φορές. musket. mother. they eat and sing. µάνα µου τα κλεφτόπουλα τρώνε και τραγουδάνε. 64 . δεν τραγουδάει. δεν γλεντάει Μόν' τ' άρµαντα. ντουφέκι µου περήφανο σπαθί ξεγυµνωµένο. the verbs βλέπω and λέω. Κρύβοµαι. Example: Το κρασί µε ζαλίζει. my proud musket. so the first-person singular present tense of the passive voice. Passive voice. and now you forget me like a reed in the field. mayor and/or best man/woman). παντρεύοµαι. a joy you are. my brave man!" My musket. I hide (myself) Η µητέρα χτενίζει το παιδί. he doesn't eat. he doesn't sing. Η µητέρα χτενίζεται. perfect tenses. Χτενίζω τα µαλλιά µου to comb one's own hair (a lyrical construction) Πού χτενίζεσαι. The mother combs her (own) hair. I am getting married. You don't tell me what to do. Παντρεύοµαι. perform a wedding in the capacity of a priest. He only looks at his weapons. Sometimes the passive voice is used to express the idea of doing something to oneself. Just as the first-person singular present-tense form. my sword unsheathed. is used to refer to the active verb in general. Ζαλίζοµαι. "Hello Kitso. Where do you get your hair done? 65 . refers to the passive form in general. or to describe someone's own physical or mental state: Κρύβω τα λεφτά. I get dizzy. Παντρεύω.But one young warrior. my dear. παντρεύω. The wine makes me dizzy. I hide the money. numbers to 1000 Passive voice Certain verbs have both active and passive forms: I marry (i. doesn't drink or make merry. many times you saved me from the hands of my enemies who chased me day and night. And now. and says to his musket. The mother combs the child's hair.e. Many times. accept The present tense of the passive is conjugated like this: κοιµάµαι κοιµόµαστε κοιµάσαι κοιµάστε κοιµάται κοιµούνται Example: Η µητέρα αποκοιµίζει το µωρό. train (sports) διαλύνοµαι break apart ετοιµάζοµαι get ready γεννιέµαι be born Some verbs only exist in the passive voice. for example: έρχοµαι arrive. the passive form has a meaning that can't be guessed simply by taking the same concept and making the subject of the verb the recipient of the action. sit. The mother puts the baby to sleep. stand γυµνάζοµαι drill. The baby falls asleep. come φαίνοµαι appear (~"phenomenon") χρειάζοµαι need. The following are some passive verbs: βρίσκοµαι be. Perfect and Pluperfect As in English. require θυµάµαι remember (~"thymus") φοβάµαι be afraid (~"phobia") αισθάνοµαι feel (~"aesthetics") κοιµάµαι sleep αποκοιµάµαι fall asleep σκέπτοµαι to reflect.In many cases. 66 . the perfect tenses are formed using the helping verb to have. The baby and the mother fall asleep. Το µωρό αποκοιµάται. to ponder something (~"skeptic") συλλογιέµαι to think (~"syllogism") κάθοµαι sit γίνοµαι become δέχοµαι receive. Το µωρό και η µητέρα αποκοιµούνται. I have written. Έχουµε γραψει. No Greek equivalent. He had said goodbye to his wife. "being close") is formed by the verb έχω in present tense followed by the third person singular of the past subjunctive of the verb. very often the phrase is changed to Future Continuous. Έχω γραψει. Θα έχω γράψει. I will have been waiting for two hours when the plane arrives. I will have written. I will be waiting for two hours until the plane arrives. I will have written. The phrase changes to Θα περιµένω δύο ώρες µέχρι να έρθει το αεροπλάνο. Due to the lack of Future Perfect Continuous. We had written. The past subjunctive is formed by the aorist stem plus the suffix -ει. Note that in Greek there is no equivalent to the Future Perfect Continuous tense. an action will be a thing of the past. Θα έχω γράψει. Θα έχω γράψει. Future Perfect Future Perfect is another future tense. I had written. The Pluperfect tense (same as Past Perfect in English) is called Υπερσυντέλικος (hypersyndelikos. I will have been writing. 67 . which is formed with the word θα preceding the Perfect tense and signifies that in a moment in the future. We have written. Είχε αποχαιρετήσει τη γυναικα του. "hyper-perfect") is formed by the verb έχω in past tense followed by the third person singular of the past subjunctive of the verb Είχα γραψει. Its Greek name is συντελεσµένος µέλλοντας (syndelesmenos melondas) and it is equivalent to the Future Perfect in English.The Perfect tense (same as Present Perfect in English) is called Παρακείµενος (parakeimenos. Both meanings are expressed with Future Perfect and usually the actual nuance is derived from the neighboring words. Είχαµε γραψει. οχτακόσια) 800 εννιακόσια 900 χίλια 1000 δυο χιλιάδες 2000 68 . to see The present tense is regular: βλέπω βλέπουµε βλέπεις βλέπετε βλέπει βλέπουν The aorist uses a stem that is related to the English word "kaleidoscope:" είδα είδαµε είδες είδατε είδε είδαν The irregular verb λέω.The irregular verb βλέπω. εφτακόσια) 700 οκτακόσια (coll. to say Present: λέω λέµε λες λέτε λέει λένε Aorist past: είπα είπαµε είπες είπατε είπε είπαν Numbers to 1000 εκατό 100 διακόσια 200 τριακόσια 300 τετρακόσια 400 πεντακόσια 500 εξακόσια 600 επτακόσια (coll. π.The battle of Thermopylae/Η µάχη των Θερµοπυλών Η µάχη των Θερµοπυλών Vocabulary η µάχη ο πόλεµος πολεµώ η ειρήνη προ Χριστού. 'to throw') to invade (from εις + βάλλω. 'throw in') Persia the Persian Sparta the Spartan 69 ." "irenic") before Christ to shoot (in ancient Greek. βάλλω εισβάλλω η Περσία ο Πέρσης η Σπάρτη ο Σπαρτιάτης the battle the war (~"polemic") to fight the peace (~"Irene.Χ. Η Γοργώ τον ρώτησε τι πρέπει να κάνει τώρα που αυτός φεύγει. Against 200.C. from Greece. και η Thermopylae slowed down the Persians. τότε θα πολεµήσουµε υπό σκιά. Leonidas was saying farewell to his wife. At the Pass of Thermopylae.000 Persians. υπήρχαν 4. Ενάντια σε 200. Gorgo asked him what she should do now that he was leaving.. Η µάχη των their hands and teeth. "hold strong") επιβραδύνω to slow down (επί+βραδύς) Reading Much of the following reading was adapted from the Wikipedia article Μάχη των Θερµοπυλών (Battle of Thermopylae). Οι Πέρσες τους Persians saw them: They couldn't είδαν: ∆εν καταλάβαιναν γιατί χτενίζαν τα understand why they were combing their µαλλιά τους και γυµνάζονταν. Όταν The Greeks held out for five days.Χ.000 Έλληνες υπό το βασιλιά Λεωνίδα της Σπάρτης. Της απάντησε ότι πρέπει να βρει ένα καλό άνδρα να συνεχίσει τη ζωή της. Να πολεµάνε. Ο Λεωνίδας αποχαιρετούσε τη γυναίκα του.ο στρατός the army (~"strategy") το βέλος the arrow το τόξο the bow το σπαθί the sword κρύβω hide εναντίον (+genitive) against ενάντια σε (+accusative) κρατώ γερά stand fast (lit. Το 484 π. they were expecting death. He replied that she should find a good man and continue her life. a Spartan τους έκρυβαν τον ήλιο. 70 . In 479 B. there were 4. Το 479 π. πολέµησαν µε their swords broke. Οταν κάποιος είπε πως had seen the Persian army and their είχε δεί τον περσικό στρατό και τα βέλη arrows were hiding the sun. King Darius of Persia invaded Greece. When τα σπαθιά τους διαλύθηκαν. It was because περίµεναν το θάνατο. Οι Έλληνες κράτησαν για πεντε µέρες. the Greeks Στο Στενό των Θερµοπυλών οι Έλληνες were waiting for the Persians. There was no fear. then we will fight in the είπε: ραία. The περίµεναν τους Πέρσες. Gorgo. They were doing the ∆εν υπήρχε φόβος. they fought with τα χέρια και τα δόντια. Ελλάδα µπόρεσε να ετοιµαστεί για να and Greece was able to get ready to πολεµήσει. Ήταν γιατί hair and taking exercise.000 Πέρσες. Είχε become their life. It had πράγµα που ήξεραν. ο βασιλιάς ∆αρείος της Περσίας εισέβαλε στην Ελλάδα. When someone said he γίνει η ζωή τους. In 484 B.C. the Persians retreated από την Ελλάδα. The battle of Θερµοπυλών επιβράδυνε τους Πέρσες. οι Πέρσες έφυγαν fight..Χ. shade. τη Γοργώ. Έκαναν το µοναδικό only thing they knew..000 Greeks under King Leonidas of Sparta.. To fight. ένας Σπαρτιάτης said: Nice. That politician is the richest. Vocabulary: πολύ much 71 . expressions of time Passive imperfect tense Review of the present passive.Passive imperfect. to trust: εµπιστεύοµαι εµπιστευόµαστε εµπιστεύεσαι εµπιστεύεστε εµπιστεύεται εµπιστεύονται The passive imperfect. like the active imperfect. indicates an action in the past that was ongoing: εµπιστευόµουν εµπιστευόµασταν εµπιστευόσουν εµπιστευόσασταν εµπιστευόταν εµπιστεύονταν Comparisons Comparisons of adjectives like -er and -est in English are expressed using the endings -τερος and -τατος: πλούσιος rich πλουσιότερος richer ο πλουσιότατος the richest ένας πλούσιος πολιτικός a rich politician ένας πλουσιότερος πολιτικός a richer politician ο πλουσιότατος πολιτικός the richest politician η πλουσιότατη βασίλισσα the richest queen Note the shift in the accent toward the end of the word. The word πιο can be used instead: Αυτός ο πολιτικός είναι πιο πλούσιος. That politician is richer. comparisons. Αυτός ο πολιτικός είναι ο πιο πλούσιος. The common word µεγάλος. εµπιστεύοµαι. has the irregular form µεγαλύτερος. big. Και συλλογιέται η Φρόνηση πώς τον εγέλα· και πώς την εµπιστευόταν πάντα -... as . και λόγο.. as . χωρίς συντροφιά... Καβάφης (1897) 72 .. Κωνσταντίνος Π. Τι διάστηµα µικρό. κοντά almost (used with numbers and amounts) αρκετά enough πάρα πολύ very much Expressions of time Reading Ένας γέρος Στου καφενείου του βοερού το µέσα µέρος σκυµένος στο τραπέζι κάθετ' ένας γέρος· µε µίαν εφηµερίδα εµπρός του.. Ξέρει πως γέρασε πολύ· το νοιώθει. Κι αποκοιµάται στο καφενείο ακουµπισµένος στο τραπέζι.τι τρέλλα! -την ψεύτρα που έλεγε· «Αύριο.. το κοιτάζει... Την άµυαλή του γνώση καθ' ευκαιρία χαµένη τώρα την εµπαίζει. Και µες στων άθλιων γηρατειών την καταφρόνεια σκέπτεται πόσο λίγο χάρηκε τα χρόνια που είχε και δύναµη. Θυµάται ορµές που βάσταγε· και πόση χαρά θυσίαζε. όσο . Κ' εν τούτοις ο καιρός που ήταν νέος µοιάζει σαν χθες. κι οµορφιά. .πολλοί many πόσος how much πόσοι how many περισσότερος more ελάχιστος least λίγο a little λίγοι a few τόσο . Έχεις πολύ καιρό». τι διάστηµα µικρό.Μα απ' το πολύ να σκέπτεται και να θυµάται ο γέρος εζαλίστηκε.. and had a say in things.what folly! -. and the joys he passed by.An old man is sitting. And in the despair of miserable old age. he thinks how little he enjoyed the years when he was strong and beautiful." He remembers the passions he controlled. bent over the table. how he trusted her -. what a short time. He knows he's very old.and how she lied when she said. "Tomorrow. 73 . But all that thinking and remembering makes him dizzy. What a short time. Now those lost opportunities mock his foolish wisdom. companionless. There's always tomorrow. a newspaper in front of him. bent over the table in the back of the noisy coffeehouse. Still the time when he was young seems like yesterday. and he falls asleep in the coffeehouse. he can feel it and see it. And he thinks what a trick Prudence has played on him.