Tag Archives: vocabulary
Time for a Greek song! Posted by Ourania on Aug 29, 2019
Γεια σας! It is time to explore Greek music, so the topic of this post is Με γέλασαν τα πουλιά, a Greek folk song from Thrace (Θράκη). The version I chose to present is by Θανάσης Ζήκας (Thanasis Zikas) and Εύη Σεϊτανίδου (Evi Seytanidou), known as Καντινέλια (Kadinelia). If you ever have the chance…
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…
Basic English phrases translated in Greek Posted by Ourania on Jun 30, 2019
Γεια σας! When speaking or writing in a foreign language, one of the biggest challenges is to avoid the direct translation of common expressions. In this post, there is a list of common English phrases translated in Greek. Until next time. The direct translation μέχρι την επόμενη φορά makes no sense in Greek. It’s better…
False friends in Greek and English Posted by Ourania on Jun 15, 2019
Do Greeks drink metallic water, wear costumes and ride machines? Read this post on false friends in Greek and English to find out! #1. agony: in Greek αγωνία means suspense or anxiety. Example: Ο Γιάννης έχει αγωνία για τα αποτελέσματα των εξετάσεων. / Yannis is anxious about the results of the exams. #2…
News from Greece about the Parthenon Posted by Ourania on May 10, 2019
A traveler cannot leave Athens without visiting its landmark, the Parthenon. In this post there is a brief presentation of the news about the Parthenon, information on a famous mythic battle depicted on parts of the Parthenon and a list of words related to monuments. The Greek Archaeological Council decided to restore the inner-chamber…
Greek Impersonal Verbs Posted by Ourania on Apr 15, 2019
Γεια σας! In this post we will see the use some commons impersonal verbs. They are used in the third singular person and do not have a noun or pronoun as subject. Ρήματα (verbs) #1. χρειάζεται : need to do Δε χρειάζεται να έρθεις και εσύ μαζί μας αύριο. / There is…
Survival phrases in Greek about health Posted by Ourania on Apr 9, 2019
Last Sunday (April 7), we celebrated World Health Day. The Greek word for health is υγεία. In Greek mythology, Goddess Υγεία (Hygeia), the personification of health, was connected to the prevention (πρόληψη) of a disease. In this post there is vocabulary about health. υγεία (η): health. Related words are υγιεινός-η-ο (healthy). The words hygiene and…