Beginner’s Modern Greek Module 1: Alphabet, Sounds, and Basics

Module 1 — Beginner’s Modern Greek: Greetings, Grammar, and PracticeLearning Modern Greek opens a door to one of Europe’s oldest living languages, a vibrant modern culture, and clearer travel and conversation in Greece and Cyprus. Module 1 focuses on three foundations: greetings (so you can start conversations politely), core grammar (so sentences make sense), and practical exercises (so you can use what you learn immediately). This article lays out a step-by-step plan, introduces essential vocabulary and grammar, and gives practice activities and tips to build confidence.

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Why start here?

• Greetings are the first bridge between learners and native speakers; they create good impressions and let you participate in everyday exchanges.
• Basic grammar gives structure — even a small set of rules helps you produce and understand reliable phrases.
• Practice turns passive recognition into active use, which is how languages become skills.

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Unit A — Essential greetings and polite phrases

Here are the most useful greetings and short phrases for first encounters. Practice pronunciation slowly, then speed up as you get comfortable.

Common greetings and phrases

• Hello / Hi — Γειά σου (Ya sou) [informal], Γειά σας (Ya sas) [formal or plural]
• Good morning — Καλημέρα (Kalimera)
• Good afternoon / Good evening — Καλησπέρα (Kalispera)
• Good night — Καληνύχτα (Kalinikhta)
• Goodbye — Αντίο (Adio) or use Γειά σου / Γειά σας
• Please — Παρακαλώ (Parakalo)
• Thank you — Ευχαριστώ (Efharisto)
• You’re welcome — Παρακαλώ (Parakalo) or Τίποτα (Tipota) for “it’s nothing”
• Yes — Ναι (Ne)
• No — Όχι (Ohi)
• Excuse me / Sorry — Συγγνώμη (Signomi)
• How are you? — Τι κάνεις; (Ti kaneis?) [informal], Τι κάνετε; (Ti kanete?) [formal/plural]
• I’m fine, thanks — Είμαι καλά, ευχαριστώ (Ime kala, efharisto)

Pronunciation notes

• γ sounds like “y” before front vowels (γειά → ya), and like a soft voiced fricative (similar to the “gh” in some languages) elsewhere.
• χ is a guttural /x/ (like German “Bach”) — Καληνύχτα (Kalinikhta).
• Stress falls on one syllable; accent marks in Greek indicate stress. Try to listen to native speakers for rhythm.

Short dialogues (practice)

• A: Γειά σου! — B: Γειά σου!
• A: Καλημέρα. Τι κάνετε; — B: Καλημέρα. Είμαι καλά, ευχαριστώ. Εσείς;
• A: Συγγνώμη, πού είναι το τραπέζι; — B: Εκεί, δίπλα στο παράθυρο.

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Unit B — Core grammar: nouns, articles, and simple sentences

Understanding a few core grammatical points will let you form and recognize basic statements and questions.

Nouns and gender

• Greek nouns have grammatical gender: masculine, feminine, or neuter. Example endings:
  • Masculine often ends in -ος (ο άντρας — the man)
  • Feminine often ends in -α/-η (η γυναίκα — the woman)
  • Neuter often ends in -ο/-ι (το παιδί — the child)
• The definite article changes with gender and number:
  • Masculine singular: ο (o)
  • Feminine singular: η (i)
  • Neuter singular: το (to)
  • Plural: οι (oi – masc/fem), τα (ta – neut)

Forming simple sentences

• Basic order is Subject — Verb — Object (SVO), similar to English, but word order can be flexible.
  • Example: Η Μαρία (S) γράφει (V) ένα γράμμα (O). — Maria writes a letter.
• To say “I am,” use Είμαι. Example: Είμαι φοιτητής (I am a student — masculine), Είμαι φοιτήτρια (feminine).
• Questions: Use question words or intonation.
  • Who? — Ποιος; Τι? — What? — Τι; Where? — Πού; When? — Πότε; Why? — Γιατί;

Simple verb forms (present tense)

• Regular verbs mostly fall into conjugation groups; learn the present tense endings for -ω verbs first. Example: μιλάω (to speak) — εγώ μιλάω (I speak), εσύ μιλάς (you speak), αυτός/αυτή/αυτό μιλάει (he/she/it speaks), εμείς μιλάμε (we speak), εσείς μιλάτε (you pl. or formal), αυτοί/αυτές/αυτά μιλάνε (they speak).
• Useful verbs: είμαι (to be), έχω (to have), θέλω (to want), μπορώ (can), πηγαίνω (to go), μιλάω (to speak), καταλαβαίνω (to understand).

Negation

• Place δεν before the verb: Δεν καταλαβαίνω — I don’t understand.

Possessives (basic)

• My/your/his/her: ο/η/το + noun changes to show possession with μου (my), σου (your), του/της (his/her).
  • Example: το βιβλίο μου — my book.

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Unit C — Pronunciation & alphabet basics

If you want to read signs and start writing simple words, learn the Greek alphabet and a few pronunciation rules.

Greek alphabet (selected letters)

• Α α — a (like “a” in “father”)
• Β β — v (not “b”: βιβλίο = vivlio)
• Γ γ — /ɣ/ or /ʝ/ (soft “gh” or “y” before e/i)
• Δ δ — like English “th” in “this” (voiced dental fricative)
• Ε ε — e (like “e” in “met”)
• Ζ ζ — z
• Η η — i (like “ee”)
• Θ θ — like “th” in “thin” (unvoiced)
• Ι ι, Υ υ — i (like “ee”)
• Κ κ — k
• Λ λ — l
• Μ μ — m
• Ν ν — n
• Ξ ξ — ks
• Ο ο — o (like “o” in not)
• Π π — p
• Ρ ρ — rolled r
• Σ σ/ς — s
• Τ τ — t
• Φ φ — f
• Χ χ — /x/ (as noted)
• Ψ ψ — ps
• Ω ω — o (like “o” in more)

Reading tips

• Greek is mostly phonetic — letters usually map to consistent sounds.
• Practice by sounding out simple words: σπίτι (spiti — house), σχολείο (scholeio — school), νερό (nero — water).

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Unit D — Practical practice activities

Use the following focused exercises to move from recognition to comfortable use.

1. Daily greeting routine (5–10 minutes): Greet yourself and describe mood aloud using phrases above. Example: “Καλημέρα. Είμαι καλά, ευχαριστώ.”
2. Flashcard sets (vocabulary + articles): Make cards for 20 common nouns with definite articles (ο/η/το) and quiz gender.
3. Conjugation drills (10 minutes): Take three common verbs (είμαι, έχω, μιλάω) and conjugate in present tense aloud.
4. Short dialogues roleplay: Record or practice with a partner the short dialogues in Unit A; swap roles.
5. Listening practice: Find a 1–2 minute native speaker clip (children’s video or simple conversation). Listen once for gist, then again to pick out words you know.
6. Write five sentences about yourself using: a greeting, one verb, one noun, and one adjective. Example: “Γειά σας. Είμαι φοιτήτρια. Το σπίτι μου είναι μικρό.”

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Unit E — Common beginner mistakes and quick corrections

• Mixing gender and articles: Learn nouns with their article (ο/η/το) together.
• Over-applying English word order: Greek allows flexibility; focus on correct verb forms and articles.
• Pronouncing γ as hard “g”: remember context affects its sound (often soft).
• Neglecting stress: wrong stress can change meaning; learn where the accent mark is placed.

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Unit F — Mini-lesson plan (3 sessions)

Session 1 (45 min)

• Warm-up: 5 min greetings and pronunciation drills.
• Teach: 15 min alphabet overview + 10 words.
• Practice: 15 min simple dialogues and flashcards.

Session 2 (45 min)

• Warm-up: 5 min review.
• Teach: 20 min nouns, articles, and gender rules.
• Practice: 20 min drills with 20 nouns + short sentences.

Session 3 (45 min)

• Warm-up: 5 min review.
• Teach: 15 min verbs in present tense (is/has/speak).
• Practice: 25 min roleplay, writing five sentences, listening exercise.

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Resources & next steps

• Keep a small notebook with three columns: Greek — Transliteration — English. Add new items daily.
• Aim for consistent 15–20 minute daily practice rather than long, infrequent sessions.
• After mastering Module 1 content, move to: Module 2 (Past tense & directions), Module 3 (Shopping & eating out), Module 4 (Travel & accommodation).

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Short glossary (quick reference)

• Γειά σου / Γειά σας — Hello (informal/formal)
• Καλημέρα — Good morning
• Ευχαριστώ — Thank you
• Παρακαλώ — Please / You’re welcome
• Είμαι — I am
• Δεν — Not (negation)
• Το βιβλίο μου — My book

Good progress in Module 1 is measured by being able to greet people, form simple SVO sentences, conjugate a few present-tense verbs, and read basic printed Greek. Keep practicing pronunciation and gender rules; those small foundations make later stages much easier.