Useful Greek Words and phrases

Note: when you speak you stress specific syllables of a word - you don't even think about it - you simply do it naturally because that's how everyone pronounces it.

For example, we say "independence", putting the stress on the third syllable (the second "e"). If we say "indeependence" it sounds strange. Likewise if we say "insurance" instead of "insurance". Try saying these words with the stress in the wrong place. It sounds very odd, doesn't it. In fact if someone speaks a sentence full of words with the stress on the wrong syllables, it is not easy to understand!

Well, the Greeks have the same problem when we try to speak their language so it is important to stress the correct syllable, even though it sounds strange to us. If you get it wrong, you won't be understood.

Some words will even have the wrong meaning if you stress them incorrectly! Look at the first two words in the list.

Pronounciation: we have used "X" to depict the "ch" sound as in Scottish "loch" and "dh" to depict the voiced "th" sound used in "this" but not in "athlete". In English, an "e" at the end of a word is not pronounced but might modify the preceding vowel. In Greek the "e" is pronounced as in "bet" so we depict this sound with "eh" at the end of a word, below. For example: "neh" sounds like "net" without the "t". Note that "to" in Greek means "the" (neuter gender) and is a short sound pronounced like "toh" not "too". Also at the end of a word.

town	polee
very	polee
yes	neh
no	oXee
thank you	efhareesto ("..toh" not "..toe" or "..too")
no thank you	oXee efhareesto
please/you're welcome	parakalo
good day (until 2pm)	kalee maira
your health (used for hello/goodbye)	ya sas
or to a child or a friend...	ya soo
good evening	kalee spaira
good night	kalee neeXta
I would like	dha eethela
we would like	dha theloumeh
this	afto
here	edho
now	tora
and	keh
why/because	yatee
every	katheh
when	poteh
never	poteh
what a shame/pity	tee kreema
the money	ee Xreema
I have	eXo
I don't have	dhen eXo
the small change (coins)	ee pseela
high up	pseela
the meal	to fageeto
where is?	poo eena?
the post office	oh taXeethromeeo
the bank	ee trapeza
the table	to trapezi
the car	oh avtokeeneeto
the bus	oh leeoforeeo
excuse me/sorry	seegnomee
sorry	leeparmeh
I'm not interested	dhen endheeaferomeh
We're just looking	mono vlepoomeh
I'm just looking	mono vleppo
We're (just) taking a walk	parmeh meea volta
I'm full/had sufficient	arketa
finished	telos
nice	kala
the meal was very nice	to fageeto eetan polee kalo
have a nice journey	kalo takseedhee
air-head	teepotta messa
in one ear and out of the other	benny vee enny
the bill please	to logareeasmo parakalo
upstairs	epano
downstairs	ekato
up	pano
down	kato
I didn't understand	dhen katalova
I understood	katalova
the toilet	ee tooaletta
can I have	boro na eXo
mine	dheekoss moo
for you	ya senna
for me	ya menna
and for me ...	keh ya menna ...
a beer	meea beera
which beer?	tee beera?
a Mythos / an Alpha, please	mia meethoss / mia alfa, parakalo
from the barrel	apo teen varella
keep the change	krateesteh ta resta
a tea (brown)	enna tseye mavro
a village salad	meea salata Xoreeateekee

Go to "A Winter on Crete".