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Love talks Posted by Ourania on Feb 12, 2014
Valentine’s Day (η Ημέρα του Αγίου Βαλεντίνου, imera tou Agiou Valentinou) is coming with teddies, chocolates and flowers, all wrapped in pink paper. In Greece, Saint Valentine has many believers, the most fervent of which are teenagers. Some people like this day and some others hate it. There are also those who wonder if Saint…
Enceladus strikes again Posted by Ourania on Feb 5, 2014
The last few days everyone in Greece talks about the earthquake that striked Cephalonia twice in a week. According to scientists, earthquakes happen because two blocks of the earth slip past one another. Many years ago, the ancient Greeks gave their own interpreting which is far more poetic and scary. The story goes that in…
Time to listen Posted by Ourania on Jan 27, 2014
Γεια σας! (geia sas, hello) How about practicing oral comprehension today? Below, there’s a link to a video about Nisyros, an island of the Dodecanese. Watch it from 02:14-04:00 and do the exercises. On the first exercise you must fill in the blanks with the right word from the transcript. On the second exercise you…
Greek quiz-Expressions of time and frequency Posted by Ourania on Jan 21, 2014
How good are you at giving the right answer to questions related to time and frequency? Do this quiz to find out. For questions 1-10 choose α, β, or γ. Only one answer is correct. This quiz is suitable for beginners who are able to read the Greek alphabet and who have been taught prepositions…
To make, to fix, to repair: a must know verb Posted by Ourania on Jan 15, 2014
A couple of days ago while I was having a lesson of conversational Greek, I realized that the verb φτιάχνω is one of the most common verbs. It can be used to mean to make, to fix, to repair, to prepare, to make one’s bed,to make up or to make one’s hair, and the list…
What’s app with Greek? Posted by Ourania on Jan 8, 2014
A new year has started and for some people this is the perfect time to learn a new language. If you think that you’d like your children to learn Greek but are not sure if they will like it or not, test the water first with some apps. Greek is not one of the easiest…
Traditional New Year Carols from Greece Posted by Ourania on Dec 31, 2013
Χρόνια πολλά! (Hronia polla, many greetings) Today is New Year Eve and children go from door to door singing carols (κάλαντα, kalanda), in order to wish people “Καλή Χρονιά” (Kali Hronia, Happy New Year) and to get a tip. This is a custom dating from the Byzantine years. The word κάλαντα (kalanda, carols) derives from…