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Grammar Time: The Present Perfect Posted by Ourania on May 18, 2017
We use the Present Perfect tense (Παρακείμενος) to talk about an action that happened in the past. The focus is on the effects of the action. It is formed by the verb έχω + the stem of the Past Simple Tense (Αόριστος) + the ending –ει / -εί. έχω αγοράσει έχεις αγοράσει έχει αγοράσει etc…
Greek adjectives to describe clothing Posted by Ourania on May 11, 2017
In this post, there is a list of adjectives about clothing. Most of the adjectives can be used to describe other objects too. ακριβός,-ή,-ό: expensive Αυτή η φούστα κάνει διακόσια ευρώ. Είναι ακριβή. This skirt costs 200 euros. It is expensive. κοντός,-ή,-ό: short ο Τάσος είναι ψηλός και το παντελόνι τού είναι κοντό. Tasos is…
Playing with Greek verbs Posted by Ourania on May 4, 2017
The Greek language is rich in compound words. In this post, there is a list of compound verbs formed by an adverb and a verb or by two verbs. They are used mostly in spoken language. They are very “colorful” and can be used in many contexts. Ξανά + verb Ξανά means again. It can…
Hotel Dialogue in Greek Posted by Ourania on Apr 25, 2017
Sometimes, while traveling, we visit places without having a reservation first. In this post, there is an example of a hotel conversation. Some phrases are translated literally. (Ρ) indicates the receptionist (ρεσεψιονίστ) and (Π) the customer (πελάτης). (Π) Γεια σας. Θα ήθελα ένα δωμάτιο για δύο βράδια, παρακαλώ. Δεν έχω κάνει κράτηση. Hello. I…
Sweet Easter with a Greek recipe! Posted by Ourania on Apr 12, 2017
Easter is coming soon and as you know the Orthodox culture is reach in traditions and customs. Μεγάλη Πέμπτη (Maundy Thursday) is a very creative day: we make τσουρέκι (Easter bread) πασχαλινά κουλουράκια (Easter cookies) and we make κόκκινα αυγά (we boil eggs and dye them red). In this post, there is a video by…
Untangling the Greek Personal Pronouns Posted by Ourania on Apr 4, 2017
In Greek, there are different pronouns for the direct and indirect object.This topic is very confusing, especially when we try to translate directly from English. In this post, there are examples the use of the personal pronoun used as the object of the verb. Feel free to leave a comment if you have a question! Direct…
Native language interference in learning Greek Posted by Ourania on Mar 30, 2017
When we speak a foreign language, it is not unusual to translate directly from our native language. In this post, there are examples of phrases translated from English and the correct way of saying the same thing in Greek. The correct sentences are translated literally from Greek to English. I drove to work: Οδήγησα στη…