Georgios Papadakis

Ioannis Padouvas
Ioannis Xiradakis
 the Greek Alphabet and how each letter is
pronounced

 the most common diphthongs and consonant

combinations and how each of them is
pronounced

 some of the simplest and most common

Greek greetings as they are very useful when
it comes to talking with a Greek person and
very fun too!
GREEK ALPHABET
A journey to the Greek language…
 Αα Ββ
IPA*: [a] IPA: [v]
Sounds like a as in the Sounds like v as in the
English word “father”. English word “vote”.

Γγ Δδ
IPA: [ɣ] IPA: [ð]
Sounds like g as in the
Spanish word “lago”. Sounds like th as in the
English word “then”.

*IPA: International Phonetic Alphabet

 Εε Ζζ
IPA: [e] IPA: [z]
Sounds like e as in the Sounds like z as in the
English word “pet”. English word “zoo”.

Ηη Θθ
IPA: [i]
Sounds like i as in the IPA: [θ]
English word Sounds like th as in the
“machine”. English word “thin”.
 Ιι Κκ
IPA: [i] IPA: [k]
Sounds like ee as in Sounds like c as in the
the English word English word “car”.
“beet”.

Λλ Μμ
IPA: [l] IPA: [m]
Sounds like l as in the
English word “lantern”. Sounds like m as in the
English word “music”.
 Νν Ξξ
IPA: [n] IPA: [ks]
Sounds like n as in the Sounds like x as in the
English word “net”. English word “fox”.

Οο Ππ
IPA: [o] IPA: [p]
Sounds like o as in the
German word “Gott”. Sounds like p as in the
English word “top”.
 Ρρ Σσ/ς**
IPA: [r] IPA: [s]
Sounds like r as in the Sounds like s as in the
English word “rain”. English word “soft”.

Ττ Υυ
IPA: [t] IPA: [i]
Sounds like t as in the Sounds exactly
English word “coat”.
like eta and iota!

** the "σ" is used at the beginning or

in the middle of the words,
the "ς" only at the end.
 Φφ Χχ
IPA: [f] IPA: [x]
Sounds like f as in the Sounds like ch as in
English word “five”. the German word “ich”.

Ψψ Ωω
IPA: [ps]
IPA: [o]
Sounds like ps as in
the English word Sounds exactly
“lapse”. like omicron!
THE MOST COMMON DIPHTHONGS
AND CONSONANT COMBINATIONS
A journey to the Greek language…
THE COMMONEST DIPHTHONGS

Αι/αι
IPA: [e]
«Αίγυπτος» [eɣiptos]
(=Egypt)

Οι/οι Ει/ει
IPA: [i] IPA: [i]
«Οικογένεια»
«Είμαι» [ime] (=I am)
[ikogenia] (=Family)
THE COMMONEST CONSONANT COMBINATIONS

Ντ/ντ Μπ/μπ
IPA: [d/nd] IPA: [b/mb]
«Ντομάτα» [domata] «Μπάνιο» [banio]
(=Tomato) (=Bath)

Γγ/γγ/Γκ/γκ Τσ/τσ
IPA: [g]
IPA: [ts]
«Φεγγάρι» [fegari] (=Moon)
«Αγκαλιά» [agalia] (=Hug) «Τσάντα» [tsanta]
(=Bag)
 Τζ/τζ
IPA: [tz]
«Τζατζίκι»***
[tzatziki] (=Tzatziki)

***This is Tzatziki!  
GREEK GREETINGS
A journey to the Greek language…
 This phrase is best suited for informally saying hello to one
person. Smile as you say it – be friendly! Bear in mind that
“Yassou” is only a rough English rendition of the Greek
pronunciation. The word is sometimes spelled "giasou" or “ya
su”. You can also shorten the phrase to “ya” in an informal
setting.
 Say “Yassas” (pronounced “YAH-sas”) in formal situations, or
when you're informally greeting two or more people at the
same time. Use this formal version if you're addressing a
stranger or an older person.
 Pronounce it “HE-reh-the”; say the e's like you would in the
word “egg”. You can use “herete” in both formal and informal
situations. It is typically used between the hours of 10am and
2pm.
 As with many cultures, Greeks use certain time-specific greetings in
the morning, the afternoon, and the evening. You can use “yassou” or
“yassas” during most of these times, but you may find the following
phrases more appropriate.
 Kalimera (καλημέρα): “good morning”. Use this when reaching or
leaving a location or event. Pronounce it “kah-lee-MEH-rah”.
 Kalispera (καλησπέρα): “good afternoon” or “good evening”. Use this
only when coming to a place or meeting someone in the evening or
at night. Pronounce it “kah-lee-SPARE-a”.
 Kalinihta (καληνύχτα): “good night”. Use this phrase only as a
goodbye greeting in the evening or at night. Pronounce it “kah-lee-
NEE-hta”.
 Say “antio”. Be sure to stress the “i” syllable.
This is a standard, informal farewell.
 Say “geia” (pronounced “gee-ah”) or “ya”. This
can mean both “hello" and "goodbye”.
  Use “Pos Ise?” to ask “How are you”.
 Say “ti kaneis” (tee kah-nis) to ask “What's up?”
 Say “esi?” (pronounced “eh-see”) to reflect a
question with “And you?”
If someone asks you how you're doing, it can be
useful to respond with basic qualifiers like
these ones:
 “I”: “ego”
 “You” : “esi”

 “Good”: “kala”
 “I'm not okay”: “den eimai kala”
 “Not good”: “Ohi kala”
 “Yes”: “neh”
 “No”: “OH-hee”
Thank you for your time. We hope you liked
our presentation. Georgios and Ioannis2!