How to Say Words in Greek
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Greek is a tough language. It's no wonder we say "it's all Greek to me" when we don't understand something. Still, it's a beautiful language, and it's simple enough to pick up some
Αα - άλφα /'alfa/ AHL-fah /a/
Ββ - βήτα /'beta/ BEE-tah /v/
Γγ - γάμα /'ɣama/ GHA-mah /ɣ/, /ʝ/
Δδ - δέλτα /'delta/ DEHL-tah /d/
Εε - έψιλον /'epsilon/ EH-psee-lon /e/
Ζζ - ζήτα /'zita/ ZEE-tah /z/
Ηη - ήτα /'ita/ EE-tah /i/
Θθ - θήτα /'θita/ THEE-tah ('th' as in 'thin') /θ/
Ιι - γιώτα /'jota/ YO-tah /i/
Κκ - κάπα /'kapa/ KAH-pah /k/
Λλ - λάμδα /'laɱvða/ LAHM-thah ('the' as in 'then') /l/
Μμ - μι /mi/ MEE /m/, /ɱ/
Νν - νι /ni/ NEE /n/
Ξξ - ξι /ksi/ KSEE /ks/
Οο - όμικρον /'omikron/ OH-mee-kron /o/
Ππ - πι /pi/ PEE /p/
Ρρ - ρο /ro/ RO /r/
Σσς/Ϲϲ - σίγμα /'siɣma/ SEEGH-mah /s/
Ττ - ταυ /taf/ TAHF /t/
Υυ - ύψιλον /'ipsilon/ EE-psee-lon /i/
Φφ - φι /fi/ FEE /f/
Χχ - χι /çi/ HEE /x/, /ç/
Ψψ - ψι /psi/ PSEE /ps/
Ωω - ωμέγα /o'meɣa/ oh-MEH-ghah /o/
Learn some expressions:
Note: If two phrases are separated by '~', the first one is used when speaking to one person or to someone your age or younger; the second one is used when speaking to more than one person or someone older or higher than you.
~How are you: Πώς είσαι;~Πώς είστε; /pos 'isɛ/~/pos 'istɛ/ pos EE-seh~pos EE-steh
~My name is: Με λένε ___ /me 'lene/ meh LEH-neh
~What is your name: Πώς σε λένε; /pos se 'lene/ pos seh LEH-neh
~Mother (mama): μαμά /ma'ma/ mah-MAH
~Father (papa): μπαμπάς /ba'bas/ bah-BAHS
~You are very beautiful: Είσαι πολύ ωραία /'ise pol'i o'rea/ EE-seh po-LEE o-REH-ah
~You are very handsome: Είσαι πολύ ωραίος /'ise pol'i o'reos/ EE-seh po-LEE o-REH-os
~You are very funny: Είσαι πολύ αστείος (to a guy)\αστεία (to a girl) /'ise pol'i a'stios\a'stia/ EE-seh po-LEE ah-STEE-os/ah-STEE-ah
~Thank you (very much): Ευχαριστώ (πολύ) /efxari'sto (po'li)/ ef-khah-ree-STO (po-LEE)
~Please: Παρακαλώ /paraka'lo/ pah-rah-kah-LO
~Come here: Έλα 'δώ /'ela ðo/ EH-lah tho (like 'then')
~Well done!: Μπράβο /'bravo/ BRAH-vo
Tips
- Talking with a native speaker can greatly aid in pronunciation.
- Get audio when you're starting out, and do take the time to learn the alphabet. Don't rely on transliteration to English letters.
- Have fun! A lot of English words have Greek roots. Look for the patterns and relationships as you learn, and both languages will improve.
- Be careful with the accents. The two words for "tail" and "urine" are spelled exactly the same but because of the accent, they mean different things.
- Greek has gone through various stages. If you are visiting Greece, you should learn modern Greek (the subject of this article). If you want to learn Greek for historical or Biblical study, other forms may be more appropriate. Decide ahead of time and seek lessons on the right type.
Sources and Citations