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Tag Archives: Greek colloquialisms

Untranslated colloquialisms in Greek Posted by on Feb 16, 2021

Σήμερα χιονίζει στην Ελλάδα! Today it snows in Greece and this is big news, especially for us who live in Athens! The topic of this article is about snow. We will see the meaning of untranslated colloquialisms with examples related to snow. #1. Δηλαδή: we use it to mean such as or what do you…

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Greek vocabulary: to be out of line Posted by on Oct 13, 2020

Γεια σας! We all know people who often act inappropriately and create problems to the others. Today we will see the most common phrases we use when someone “goes beyond the limits”, as we say in Greek.     Most of these expressions are formed by the prefix παρα- and a verb. Παρα- means excessively…

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Colloquial phrases in modern Greek Posted by on Jun 24, 2020

Γειά χαρά! Today we are going to take a look into some colloquial phrases we often hear in Greek but are quite difficult to understand.   Colloquial phrases are metaphorical expressions used in everyday speech. These are usually short, often incomplete, phrases, usually taken from a proverb or anecdotal incident, so it is difficult to…

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Eight colloquial Greek verbs Posted by on Feb 18, 2020

Γεια σας! Everyday life expressions are always interesting and hard to know because they cannot be found in textbooks. In this post, there are eight common verbs used in casual conversations.   #1. κουκουλώνομαι: to cover oneself with a blanket or with thick clothes. Example: Γιατί κοκουλώθηκες έτσι; Κρυώνεις; / Why did you cover yourself…

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Common Greek filler words and phrases Posted by on Feb 6, 2020

Γεια σας! Today we will see some common filler words and phrases which are used in oral speech. These words are meaningless, so do not try to translate them. They are only used when we want to make a pause or when we feel awkward and hesitant during a conversation. #1. Λοιπόν It can mean…

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Greek vocabulary quiz for upper-intermediate students Posted by on Aug 21, 2019

Γεια σας! The summer will end soon and some of you might want to review vocabulary before resuming the Greek lessons. In this post, there is a vocabulary quiz suitable for upper-intermediate students (B2 level). For sentences 1-12 choose the Greek word (α, β, γ or δ) that has the same meaning as the English…

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Colloquial Greek: a list of common phrases Posted by on Aug 7, 2019

One of the biggest challenges we face when we communicate in a foreign language is to understand the colloquial language: we hear people speak and even though we know the meanings of the words they use, we cannot decode their phrases. In this post, there is a list of colloquial phrases  which will help you…

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