Archive for 'Grammar'
Once Upon a Time: An Introduction to the Past Continuous Tense Posted by Ourania on Jan 7, 2015
Γεια σας! This is the first post of 2015 and it’s about grammar. Παρατατικός (paratatikos, Past Continuous) is the tense of narrations and descriptions. It is used in order to describe an action that was being repeated in the past or that had a duration. Examples: Έπινα γάλα κάθε μέρα. (Epeena gala kathe mera). I…
Greek neuter nouns ending in -ος Posted by Ourania on Dec 12, 2014
A few months ago there was a post about feminine nouns ending in –ος. This article is about neuter nouns which end in –ος. Some of these nouns can be found in English words: chaos (χάος), anthology (from άνθος, anthos: flower), analgesic (from άλγος, algos: pain), calisthenics (from κάλλος, kalos: beauty) etc. Some neuter nouns…
Less is More: Adverbs of Quantity (greek) Posted by Ourania on Sep 30, 2014
Γεια σας! Today’s topic is the use of the adverbs of quantity, such as very, more, less, almost etc. Below there’s a list with the most common adverbs and some examples of their use. The English phrases are sometimes translated directly and I hope they make sense. πολύ λίγο αρκετά σχεδόν καθόλου ελάχιστα…
Deconstructing Greek Posted by Ourania on Sep 24, 2014
Most language learners ask their teacher how long will it take them to learn X language and most teachers reply “it depends”. According to Tim Ferriss’ article How to Learn (But Not Master ) Any Language in 1 Hour (Plus: A Favor) deconstructing a language helps the learners have a better idea on how…
Back to the future! Greek irregular verbs you must know Posted by Ourania on Sep 17, 2014
A few months ago I posted a list of common irregular verbs in the Past Simple tense (Αόριστος, aoristos). The same verbs have an irregular form in the Simple Future tense (Στιγμιαίος Μέλλοντας, (stigmiaios melontas): Ενεστώτας(Enestotas) Present Transliteration Definition Μέλλοντας(Melontas) Future Simple Transliteration είμαι ime to be θα είμαι tha eimai έχω eho to…
How to be polite in Greek Posted by Ourania on Sep 9, 2014
One of the first topics Greek students have to learn is the use of the polite form. It is a relatively “new” element, as it did not exist in ancient Greek, and has its origins in French. It is formed by the second plural person. E.g. «Τι κάνετε κύριε Δήμου;» (Tee kanete keerie Demou?) How…
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…