Tag Archives: Greek colloquialisms
Cotton candy or old woman’s hair? Greek idioms Posted by Ourania on Jul 14, 2019
The word μαλλί takes different meanings depending on the context. It can mean hair, wool and yarn. There are many idioms and proverbs used in colloquial Greek. Πόσο πάει το μαλλί; (How much does it cost?) «Βρήκα δωμάτια στο καινούργιο ξενοδοχείο.» «Πόσο πάει το μαλλί;» (“I found rooms at the new hotel.” “How much do…
Phrases with the Greek adverb “well”. Posted by Ourania on Feb 28, 2019
Γεια σας! One of the most common Greek words is καλά and it means “well”. In this post, there is a list of phrases and expressions with καλά. The examples in Greek are translated literally. #1. να ‘σαι καλά / να ‘στε καλά (να είσαι καλά, να είστε καλά): Βe well. We use…
Greek quiz: How good you are in slang? Posted by Ourania on Feb 19, 2019
Γεια σας! Most people like learning slang words because they are funny. If you want to test how good you are in Greek slang or if you want to learn new vocabulary, you can do the following quiz. Please, note that although the words are relatively “standard”, the content of this article might be offensive…
News from Greece: “Raphael” and “Sophia” bring snow Posted by Ourania on Jan 4, 2019
Καλή Χρονιά! 2019 entered bringing snowfall and low temperature and many remote villages became snowbound. “Raphael”(Ραφαήλ) is the name given to the weather phenomenon that welcomed the New Year, by the Greek scientists of the National Observatory of Athens. “Sophia” (Σοφία), a new phenomenon, started yesterday and it is expected to bring snow in Στερεά Ελλάδα…
Greek heroes, nicknames and adjectives Posted by Ourania on Oct 5, 2018
The Greek literature and mythology are rich in characters whose predominant traits are linked to their name. Nowadays, we use the names of these heroes as adjectives to describe a person with the same traits. In this post, there is a list of the most common names. The examples are written in colloquial Greek and…
Understanding colloquial Greek Posted by Ourania on Sep 26, 2018
Γεια σας! It’s been a while since we did some informal language examples. In this post, we will see some of the most common expressions that native speakers use everyday. If you speak with Greeks, you are very likely to hear these phrases. If you have any question, feel free to post it on the…
Seven colloquial expressions in Greek Posted by Ourania on Jul 18, 2018
In our conversations we use short phrases which cannot be translated.Even advanced students can find them confusing if they don’t practice conversational Greek. In this post, there are seven common colloquial expressions put in context. #1. Αν+verb+λέει Α: Μαγειρεύεις κάθε μέρα;/ Do you cook everyday? Β: Αν μαγειρεύω λέει; Τουλάχιστον τρία φαγητά τη μέρα./…