Archive for 'Vocabulary'
“Come on! Hey! Come again?” Examples of the use of ela. Posted by Ourania on Sep 26, 2013
One of the most common Greek words is έλα (ela). It is the imperative of the verb έρχομαι (erhomai, to come) and literally it means come (in the second singular person): “Έλα! Το λεωφορείο φεύγει!» (Ela! To leoforeio fevgei. Come! The bus is leaving!) The plural of έλα is ελάτε (elate, come): «Ελάτε παιδιά, φεύγουμε!»…
Greek idiomatic expressions describing feelings and mood Posted by Ourania on Sep 18, 2013
When someone asks «τι κάνεις» (ti kaneis, how are you) the answer they get is «καλά» (kala, well). This is one of the first words that people learn in Greek. The Greek language is very rich in idiomatic and slang expressions used when we talk about our mood. Below, there’s a list of some…
Texting and Tweeting in Greek Posted by Ourania on Sep 11, 2013
What does TLM mean? Does S AGP has anything to do with graphics? What if someone sends you FLK? The first mobile phones appeared in Greece in the mid 90’s and a few years later they were accessible to anyone. Texting was very popular among younger users , who were using prepaid SIM cards, but…
Do you have crabs in your pockets? (Fish and Seafood Idioms) Posted by Ourania on Aug 12, 2013
The Mediterranean diet is rich in fish and seafood. In Greece, not only do we eat seafood, but we use it in many idioms and expressions, too. In this article there’s a list of some popular fishy phrases. The English translation is not always accurate because it’s not possible to translate these expressions literally…
Survival phrases in Greek Posted by Ourania on Aug 6, 2013
In Greece most people speak English, so language is not really a barrier. If you’d like to use simple Greek words though, now and then, feel free to do so. We really appreciate it when a foreigner is trying to talk to us to our language, and if we laugh, it’s not because you’re funny…
Passing through the Symplegades: Avoiding Some of the Most Common Mistakes in Greek Posted by Ourania on Jul 17, 2013
In Greek mythology, the Symplegades were two rocks that crashed together every time a ship was passing between them. In spite of the different techniques used in the process of learning a foreign language, we all pass through the slamming rocks. We all make mistakes and we all get discouraged. Some of the most…
Greek Numbers 1 – 20 Posted by Transparent Language on Oct 24, 2012
We’ve created this simple table of Greek numbers from 1 to 20 just for students who have just started learning Greek. We’ve also included a video with voice pronunciation. Listen to it a few times, and make sure to practice saying the words out loud too; if you’re a self-guided learner it’s an easy step to…