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Use of Greek Quiz Posted by Ourania on Jul 31, 2014
You are invited for dinner by some Greek friends. Which phrase would you use in the following contexts? For questions 1-10 choose the answer which is more suitable. The answers are not transliterated so the quiz is suitable for learners who are able to read the Greek alphabet. Intermediate and advanced students might find it…
What can vegans eat in Greece? A list of vegan summer foods Posted by Ourania on Jul 21, 2014
Most foreigners have connected Greek food to seafood, fish, cheese and meat. It’s true that the most typical dishes, such as souvlaki (σουβλάκι), moussaka (μουσακάς) and Greek salad (χωριάτικη σαλάτα) are animal-based products and cannot be consumed by vegans. Traditional Greek cuisine is based on the fasting periods during which people were not allowed to…
Reflexive pronouns in Modern Greek Posted by Ourania on Jul 16, 2014
If you have already come accross the reflexive pronouns (αυτοπαθείς αντωνυμίες, aftopathees antonimies), this means that you are at an intemediate level. Well done! You can take a look at this article if you’re in the mood for a quick review. The reflexive pronouns are formed by the noun «εαυτός» (eaftos) which means “self” and…
A love letter to olive oil Posted by Ourania on Jul 7, 2014
Dear olive oil, You are the best-known product of Greece and a basic component of the Mediterranean diet. Scientists relate you to good health, big eaters to pleasure and cosmetologists to beauty. For me you are the indispensable ornament of my favorite comfort food, which is greens with feta cheese, and of my…
Question words in Modern Greek Posted by Ourania on Jul 2, 2014
Question words are placed at the beginning of the sentence. Sometimes their use is confusing because some of them are declined, i.e. they have singular and plural, genders and cases. Note that we use the Greek question mark: ; 1. Ποιος, ποια, ποιο (pios, pia, pio): who, which Ποιος είναι αυτός ο άντρας; (pios ine…
Borrowing from earlier times Posted by Ourania on Jun 25, 2014
There are a lot of phrases, sayings and even single words that we use every day that come right from ancient Greek. We usually use them exactly in the form we have found them in ancient texts or exactly as they were used to be used in the ancient times. That’s why they sometimes seem…
Animal expressions in Greek Posted by Ourania on Jun 16, 2014
Animals can be sweet, furry, wild and so on. Can humans be “bear”, fox” or “baboon”? In this post there’s a list of the most common animal expressions and idioms used when referring to a person. You might also want to check the list of Fish and Seafood idioms. Αετός (aetos)= eagle It can be…