Tag Archives: use of Greek
Use of the Greek articles Posted by Ourania on Jan 27, 2016
One of the challenges beginners and intermediate students face is the right use of the definite and the indefinite articles. When it comes to articles, Greek is very particular. For example, the definite article is always used with people names, in the nominative, genitive and accusative cases: ο Πέτρος. / Το βιβλίο του Πέτρου. /…
Examples of the accusative case Posted by Ourania on Sep 30, 2015
Greek is not one of the easiest languages to learn and most learners quit their efforts before they reach an intermediate level. In Greek, words such as articles, nouns, pronouns, adjectives and verbs are not invariable but they change according to their function in the sentence. One of the issues that Greek teachers have to…
Use of Greek: verb to switch on Posted by Ourania on Aug 10, 2015
Sometimes students are not sure which verb means to turn an appliance on. The most common verb is ανοίγω (aneego) which means “to open” but also “to turn/switch on”: Ανοίγω τα μάτια μου. (Anigo ta matia mou). I open my eyes. / Ανοίγω το παράθυρο. (Anigo to parathiro). I open the window. With some nouns…
About Greek numbers Posted by Ourania on Jul 22, 2015
The Greek numbers are not too hard to learn. However, beginners find it hard to use them. The reason is that the numbers one, three and four are not invariable and are declined. They have three genders (masculine, feminine and neuter), cases , singular and plural. Number one has only singular and numbers three and…
Quiz: Use of Greek 2 (yes or no) Posted by Ourania on Jun 30, 2015
Do you know how to accept or to deny an invitation or a request ?Which phrase would you use in the following contexts? For questions 1-10 choose the answer that you find suitable. The answers are not transliterated so the quiz is suitable for learners who are able to read the Greek alphabet. You may find…
Playing hide and seek with the final n Posted by Ourania on Feb 19, 2015
One of the most confusing topics is the maintenance of the final ν of some articles, pronouns and particles, mostly because the grammar books contain different rules about it. Below, there’s a list of the cases where the final ν is maintained or omitted. These rules apply mostly when speaking. In written speech the article…
Make it small with Greek diminutives Posted by Ourania on Feb 5, 2015
Diminutives (υποκοριστικά) are words that connote a smaller size. Their use is also related to affection and intimacy but also to contempt. There are many suffixes that form diminutives are, but the most common are –άκι, –ίτσα, –ούλης, –ούλα, -άκης. They are very commonly used with food and drink (το ούζο – το ουζάκι,ouzo, η…