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The 100 Most Common Words in Greek Posted by on Oct 8, 2013 in Vocabulary

The 100 Most Common Words in Greek

For those looking to learn a language quickly, Tim Ferris (of the 4 Hour Work Week) recommends you learn vocabulary based on frequency. For example, the 100 most frequently used words in English writing make up about 25% of all English writing. That’s a huge return on investment for learning only 100 worlds, right? I once had a student ask me to prepare her a list of the 100 most frequently used Greek words. As far as I know, there is no official list of this type, so I created the list below based on my experience with the language, not on any official research. However, for those looking to learn 100 of the most commonly used Greek words, this is the right place to start.

 

Word Transliteration Meaning
1 τι ti  what
2 το to  the (neuter, singular, nominative and accusative) / it (personal pronoun, neuter, singular, accusative)
3 ο o  the (masculine, singular)
4 η ee  the (feminine, singular)
5 τον ton  the (masculine, singular, nominative)/ him (personal pronoun, masculine, singular, accusative)
6 την tin  the (feminine, singular, accusative) / her  (personal pronoun, feminine, singular, accusative)
7 οι ee  the (masculine and feminine, plural, nominative)
8 τα ta  the (neuter, plural)
9 των ton  of the (possessive case, masculine, feminine and neuter, plural)
10 μου mou  my / me(personal pronoun, singular, genitive)
11 σου sou  your / you (singular)
12 του tou of the (possessive case, masculine and neuter  singular)/ his / him (personal pronoun masculine or neuter, genitive, singular)
13 μας mas  our / us
14 σας sas  your / you (plural)
15 τους tous  their / them
16 εγώ ego  I
17 εσύ esee you
18 εμείς emeis we
19 μένα mena  me (personal pronoun, singular, accusative)
20 σένα sena  you (personal pronoun, singular, accusative)
21 ένας enas  a / one (masculine, singular, nominative)
22 έναν enan  a / one (masculine, singular, accusative)
23 μία mis  a / one (feminine, singular, nominative and accusative)
24 ένα ena  a / one (neuter, singular, nominative and accusative)
25 πολύ polee  very / much / a lot
26 να na  to (particle)
27 δε(ν) de  not
28 μην min  do not
29 και (κι) ke (ki)  and
30 με me  with / me (personal pronoun, singular, accusative)
31 από apo  from
32 για gia  for
33 μα ma  but
34 ναι ne  yes
35 όχι ohi  no
36 στον ston  in, at, to (masculine, singular, accusative)
37 στο sto  in, at, to (neuter, singular, accusative)
38 στη sti  in, at, to (feminine, singular, accusative)
39 στους stous  in, at, to (masculine, plural, accusative)
40 στα sta  in, at, to (neuter, plural, accusative)
41 στις stis  in, at, to (feminine, plural, accusative)
42 στου stu  at (masculine and neuter, singular, genitive)
43 αυτός ο aftos o  this (demonstrative pronoun, masculine, singular, nominative)
44 αυτή  η aftee ee  this (demonstrative pronoun, feminine, singular, nominative)
45 αυτό το afto to  this (demonstrative pronoun, neuter, singular, nominative and accusative)
46 αυτοί οι aftee ee  these (demonstrative pronoun, masculine, plural, nominative)
47 αυτές οι aftes ee  these (demonstrative pronoun, feminine, plural, nominative)
48 αυτά τα afta ta  these (demonstrative pronoun, neuter, plural, nominative and accusative)
49 αυτούς τους aftous tous t hese (demonstrative pronoun, masculine, plural, accusative)
50 έλα ela  come
51 χωρίς horis  without
52 είναι ine  he, she, it is / they are
53 ήταν itan  he, she, it was
54 θα tha  will
55 ότι oti  that (conjunction)
56 πως pos  that (conjunction)
57 πώς pos  how
58 που pou  who / which / that (relative pronoun)
59 πού pou  where
60 πότε pote  when
61 γιατί yatee  why / because
62 ποτέ pote  never
63 ξανά xana  again
64 έχω eho  I have
65 όλος ο olos o  all (masculine, singular, nominative)
66 όλη η oleeee  all (feminine, singular, nominative)
67 όλο το olo to  all (neuter, singular, nominative and accusative)
68 όλοι οι olee ee  all (masculine, plural, nominative)
69 όλες οι oles ee  all(feminine, plural, nominative
70 όλα τα ola ta  all (neuter, plural, nominative and accusative)
71 όλο τον olo ton  all (masculine, singular accusative)
72 όλη την olee tin  all (feminine, singular, accusative)
73 όλους τους olous tous  all (masculine, plural, accusative)
74 όλες τις oles tis  all (feminine, plural, accusative)
75 ποιος poios  who / which (interrogative pronoun, masculine, singular, nominative)
76 ποια poia  who / which (interrogative pronoun, feminine, singular and neuter plural)
77 ποιο poio  who / which (interrogative pronoun, neuter, singular, nominative, accusative)
78 πόσο poso  how much (adverb or interrogative pronoun neuter, singular, nominative and accusative)
79 πόσα posa  how much / many (interrogative pronoun, neuter, plural, nominative and accusative)
80 πόση posee  how much (interrogative  pronoun feminine, singular, nominative and accusative)
81 πόσος posos  how much (interrogative  pronoun masculine, singular, nominative)
82 πόσοι posee  how much / many (interrogative  pronoun masculine, plural, nominative)
83 πόσες poses  how much (interrogative  pronoun feminine, plural, nominative and accusative)
84 πόσον poson  how much (interrogative  pronoun masculine, singular, accusative)
85 πόσους posous  how much /many(interrogative  pronoun masculine, plural, accusative)
86 καλά kala  well
87 κάτι kati  something
88 τίποτα tipota  nothing
89 εντάξει entaxi  ok
90 πρωί proi  morning
91 μεσημέρι mesimeri  noon / afternoon (12:00-16:00)
92 απόγευμα apogevma  afternoon
93 βράδυ vradi  evening
94 τότε tote  then
95 πιο pio  more
96 πια pia  anymore
97 σήμερα simera  today
98 χθες hthes  yesterday
99 αύριο avrio   tomorrow
100 ώρα ora  hour / time

 

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About the Author: Ourania

Ourania lives in Athens. She holds a degree in French Literature and a Master’s degree in Special Education for Children. Since 2008, she has been teaching Greek to foreigners.

Comments:

  1. John:

    You said that μα = but, yet I always thought it was αλλά.

    am I wrong?

    • Ourania:

      @John Hello! No, you’re not wrong. Μα and αλλά mean the same thing. I think that μα is derives from Italian but I’m not 100% sure about it.
      In formal speech, I think it’s better to use αλλά.

  2. Ksenia:

    μα = but
    It is correct, most people in Athens use this word instead of word αλλά. it is possible to say that it is some kind of dialect

    • Will:

      @Ksenia ναι μα τοδε σκηπτρον
      Line 234 of Homer’s Iliad, only translates as “by” in the Ancient. Could this be the origin of the Modern “μα?”

      If so, not dialect, nor Italian origin.

  3. Tony Brignull:

    I’ve been married to a Greek woman for 46 years and think it might be time to talk to her – in her mother tongue that is. I’ve tried all sorts of courses and am now on Rosetta Stone. But I never get beyond paddling, as it were. I can never quite swim or feel at ease in the language, in fact I’m often out of my depth. Have you any suggestions? Your list of words is familiar to me, but thank you for posting it.

  4. Northern Dialect:

    In Bulgarian A-MÀ has the same meaning. The same алла as in greek! The only difference is that we read it differently 🙂 you just have to join the two L’s, and read them as an M, and it will give you the same word in bulgarian = ама.

    • Ourania:

      @Northern Dialect Very interesting! Thank you 🙂

      • Bulgarian man:

        @Ourania You are absolutely right! In Bulgarian language “Ala”is = to “ama..” And both mean the same thing . Best regards from Sofia

  5. Bulgarian man:

    Ala=ama=”but” in English Lang.

  6. Haluk y.:

    Hi Urania,

    Thanks for the post, very helpful

    Could you recomend for me a ressource where I can learn the verbs and the tenses (to conjugate them and the related rules )

    Thanks

    Haluk y.