ELC Language Centre, 209 Faron Street, 24132 Kalamata, Greece - Tel:(+30) 27210 25151
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Saturday, 30 June 2012
More basic Words
General Phrases | |
Good bye | Αντίο |
Good morning | Καλημέρα |
Good night | Καληνύχτα |
How are you? | Τι κάνεις; |
I like Greece | Μου αρέσει η Ελλάδα |
I want | Θέλω..... |
I would like | Θα ήθελα |
It (the weather) is cold/hot | Κάνει κρύο/ζέστη |
Please/You are welcome | Παρακαλώ |
Thank you | Ευχαριστώ |
Very well | Πολύ καλά |
a little | λίγο |
also | επίσης |
and | και |
but | αλλά |
excuse me | συγνώμη |
how much? | πόσο; |
how? | πώς; |
maybe | ίσως |
only | μόνο |
too | επίσης |
what? | τι; |
when? | πότε; |
where? | πού; |
which? | ποιο; |
who? | ποιος; |
why? | γιατί; |
Friday, 29 June 2012
Numbers
Cardinal Numbers in Modern Greek | |
zero | μηδέν |
one (m, f, n) | ένας, μία (also μια), ένα |
two | δύο (also δυο) |
three (m/f, n) | τρεις, τρία |
four (m/f, n) | τέσσερις, τέσσερα |
five | πέντε |
six | έξι |
seven | επτά (also εφτά) |
eight | οκτώ (also οχτώ) |
nine | εννέα (also εννιά) |
ten | δέκα |
eleven | έντεκα (also ένδεκα) |
twelve | δώδεκα |
thirteen (m/f, n) | δεκατρείς, δεκατρία |
fourteen (m/f, n) | δεκατέσσερις, δεκατέσσερα |
fifteen | δεκαπέντε |
sixteen | δεκαέξι |
seventeen | δεκαεπτά (also δεκαεφτά) |
eighteen | δεκαοκτώ (also δεκαοχτώ) |
nineteen | δεκαεννέα (also δεκαεννιά) |
twenty | είκοσι |
thirty | τριάντα |
forty | σαράντα |
fifty | πενήντα |
sixty | εξήντα |
seventy | εβδομήντα |
eighty | ογδόντα |
ninety | ενενήντα |
one hundred | εκατό |
Ordinal Numbers in Modern Greek | |
first | πρώτος, -η, -ο |
second | δεύτερος, -η, -ο (F. also δευτέρα) |
third | τρίτος, -η, -ο |
fourth | τέταρτος, -η, -ο (F. also τετάρτη) |
fifth | πέμπτος, -η, -ο |
sixth | έκτος, -η, -ο |
seventh | έβδομος, -η, -ο |
eighth | όγδοος, -η, -ο |
ninth | ένατος, -η, -ο |
tenth | δέκατος, -η, -ο |
Thursday, 28 June 2012
Why is Greek such a great language?
What is it that gives words their character and makes a style high or low? Obviously, their associations; the company they habitually keep in the minds of those who use them. A word which belongs to the language of bars and billiard saloons will become permeated by the normal standard of mind prevalent in such places; a word which suggests Milton or Carlyle will have the flavour of those men’s minds about it. I therefore cannot resist the conclusion that, if the language of Greek poetry has, to those who know it intimately, this special quality of keen austere beauty, it is because the minds of the poets who used that language were habitually toned to a higher level both of intensity and of nobility than ours. It is a finer language because it expresses the minds of finer men. By ‘finer men’ I do not necessarily mean men who behaved better, either by our standards or by their own; I mean men to whom the fine things of the world, sunrise and sea and stars and the love of man for man, and strife and the facing of evil for the sake of good, and even common things like meat and drink, and evil things like hate and terror, had, as it were, a keener edge than they have for us and roused a swifter and a nobler reaction.
From Gilbert Murray, Greek is the higher life of man
Wednesday, 27 June 2012
Greek Verb Conjugator
This is a simple Modern Greek verb conjugator.
The conjugator can currently do 1080 verbs.
You have to type in the first person present form of the verb to
conjugate it in Greek.
If you're totally out of ideas, some Greek verbs
to try are:
Tuesday, 26 June 2012
Basic words and phrases (for German students)
Für den Anfang... | ||
Auf Wiedersehen | Αντίο | |
Wie geht es dir? | Τι κάνεις; | |
Ich mag Griechenland. | Μου αρέσει η Ελλάδα | |
Ich möchte .... | Θέλω..... | |
Ich hätte gerne .... | Θα ήθελα | |
Es (das Wetter) ist kalt/heiß. | Κάνει κρύο/ζέστη | |
Bitte/Gern geschehen | Παρακαλώ | |
Danke | Ευχαριστώ | |
Sehr gut. | Πολύ καλά |
was? | τι; |
welcher/s? | ποιο; |
wo? | πού; |
wann? | πότε; |
wie viel? | πόσο; |
wer? | ποιος; |
warum? | γιατί; |
wie? | πώς; |
und | και |
nur | μόνο |
ein wenig | λίγο |
auch | επίσης |
aber | αλλά |
vielleicht | ίσως |
Monday, 25 June 2012
Verb conjunctions
In Greek verbs are divided into two conjunctions. Two categories. The first conjunction (α’ συζυγία) includes the verbs which are not stressed on the last syllable. The verbs of the second conjunction (β’ συζυγία) are always stressed on the last syllable.
The second conjunction is divided into two groups. In the first group are the verbs with the ending -α and in the second group the verbs with the ending –εί in present form of the indicative, third person singular. This will help you form the other tenses as well.
The tense for both conjunctions in the following examples is the Simple Present of the indicative. Later we will see the conjunctions for the other tenses.
First conjunction
Λύνω, solve.
Εγώ | λύν-ω |
Εσύ | λύν-εις |
Αυτός, αυτή, αυτό | λύν-ει |
Εμείς | λύν-ουμε |
Εσείς | λύν-ετε |
Αυτοί, αυτές, αυτά | λύν-ουν |
In order to conjugate the verbs we keep the verb without the ending and then we just add the suitable ending.
Second Conjunction, first group (-α).
Απαντώ, answer.
Εγώ | απαντ-ώ | or απαντ-άω |
Εσύ | απαντ -άς | |
Αυτός, αυτή, αυτό | απαντ –ά | or απαντ-άει |
Εμείς | απαντ –ούμε | or απαντ-άμε |
Εσείς | απαντ -άτε | |
Αυτοί, αυτές, αυτά | απαντ –ουν | or απαντ-άνε |
Do not forget that all the verbs of this category have two forms in all persons apart from the second person in both singular and plural. In Greek the first person of the verb functions as the infinitive. Thus, the infinitive for the first group of the second conjunction can have two forms as well. Don’t get confused.
Second Conjunction, second group (-ει).
Λειτουργώ,operate.
Εγώ | λειτουργ-ώ |
Εσύ | λειτουργ -είς |
Αυτός, αυτή, αυτό | λειτουργ –εί |
Εμείς | λειτουργ –ούμε |
Εσείς | λειτουργ -είτε |
Αυτοί, αυτές, αυτά | λειτουργ –ουν |
Here are some verbs.
1st Conjunction | 2nd Conjunction , first group | 2nd Conjunction, second group |
Γράφω = write | Αγαπώ = love | Ακολουθώ = follow |
Σβήνω = erase | Φιλώ = kiss | Παρατηρώ = observe |
Παιζώ = play | Κρατώ = hold | Εποκοινωνώ = communicate |
Πλένω = wash | Ρωτώ, ask | Εξηγώ = explain |
Αγοράζω = buy | Σπαταλώ = waste | Συγχωρώ = forgive |
Πηγαίνω = die | Μετρώ = count | Πληροφορώ = inform |
Μαθαίνω = learn | Χαιρετώ = wave | Οδηγώ = drive |
Έχω = have | Πηδώ = jump | Ομολογώ = confess |
Πιστεύω = believe | Γελώ = laugh | Ζώ = live |
Φωνάζω = shout | Κολυμπώ = swim | Δημιουργώ = create |
Sunday, 24 June 2012
Personal pronouns, direct-indirect object
For example in English we say : I met him and I talked to him.
Both direct and indirect object are the same. If you translate the same sentence to Greek:
Τον συνάντησα και του μίλησα
Here the “Τον” is the direct object and the “του” is the indirect. I will give you a second example to understand it better:
Σε ικετεύω μην το κάνεις! - I beg you don’t do it! Whom do I beg? -> you.
Σου έφερα φαγητό να φας.- I brought you food to eat. To whom I brought? ->to you