Lesson #1, Morning Options

[DarkRaven]

Since I consider myself to be among those who believe that the best way to learn sth is through practice I'm about to present what someone will be needing to know to survive in greece!!

Station #1 is the morning!


-Yaaaawn (Yaaaawn)
-mornin' (Kalimera OR 'mera)
-Where's the COFEE? (Pou einai o KAFES?)
-In the CUPBOARD (sto NTOULAPI)
-Do we have any TOILET PAPER?(exoume KWLOXARTO?)
-Yes, there's no NEED to go to the supermarket(Nai, den yparxei ANAGI na pame sto supermarket)
-Where are my CIGARETTES?(pou einai ta TSIGARA mou?)
-XA XA sou TELEIWSAN!!(XA XA you're FRESH OUT!!! OR XA XA they're FINISHED)
-SHIT!(SKATA!)
-MATE, why don't we go out for a cofee, and you can get some from the ROAD...(re MAL _AKA den pame gia kana kafe kai perneis ston DROMO...)(please ommit the underscore in the previous sentence!!)
-OK!(OK!)

Next will follow the time spent while driving to the cafeteria(a very all-time classic scenery if I may say so myself )

[Sabbattack]

Hahahaha looool (Hahahaha ti mal_kas!!)

[ladygorb]

Very nice ... more please ... every day sayings are very helpful Efcharisto

[viv]

Very good DarkRaven!

[Sabbattack]

Also a really important lesson in greek language, typical for almost every greek:

- What time is it? (Ti ora eenai
-You jerk, did you have to wake me at this time? (Re mal_ka, giati me sikoses teteea ora)

[ladygorb]

May I please have lesson #2 ... maybe an afternoon session or evening ... just like DarkRavens morning routine please?

[hlias_gr]

gaiduri means donkey
alogo means horse
skilos means dog
gata means cat

[hlias_gr]

More:

Kokino is red
prasino is green
kitrino is yellow
ble is blue
gri is gray
mavro is black
aspro is white
portokali is orange

[hlias_gr]

neo means new
patata means poato
domata means tomato
krasi means wine

[stathiscafe]

I add more!

tsai means tes
pagomeno tsai means ice tea
gala means milk
zachari means sugar
thelo na paragilo means i want to order

[morbius]

Well, I'll have to learn greek anyway, so please keep 'em coming!
How about some basic grammar? How do I make present or past tense?
What about your alphabet? How are your letters pronounced?

[viv]

Greek alphabet

Α α - Alpha
Β β - Beta
Γ γ - Gamma
Δ δ - Delta
Ε ε - Epsilon
Ζ ζ - Zeta
Η η - Eta
Θ θ - Theta
Ι ι - Iota
Κ κ - Kappa
Λ λ - Lambda
Μ μ - Mu
Ν ν - Nu
Ξ ξ - Xi
Ο ο - Omicron
Π π - Pi
Ρ ρ - Rho
Σ σ - Sigma
Τ τ - Tau
Υ υ - Upsilon
Φ φ - Phi
Χ χ - Chi
Ψ ψ - Psi
Ω ω - Omega


Letter Name & Sound Modern Greek pronunciation Classic Greek Pronunciation (Attic)

1 Alpha [a], as in "father". Same as [a] in Spanish and Italian. Phonetically, this sound is: open, central, and unrounded. As in Modern Greek

2 Beta [v], as in "vet"; a voiced labiodental fricative. , as in "bet"; a voiced bilabial plosive.

3 [B]Gamma [gh], a sound that does not exist in English. If followed by the sound [u] then it sounds almost like the initial sound in "woman", but with the back of the tongue touching more to the back (soft) palate. To pronounce [gha], try to isolate "w" from "what" without rounding your lips, and then say [a]. In Castilian Spanish this sound exists in "amiga". Same is true for [gho]: try eliminating the [u] sound from "water". (C. Spanish: "amigo".) On the other hand, due to a phonetic phenomenon called palatalization, [ghe] sounds a bit like "ye" in "yes", and [ghi] sounds a bit like "yi" in "yield". Phonetically, gamma is a voiced velar fricative. (Its palatalized version is a voiced palatal fricative.) [g], as in "got"; a voiced velar plosive.

4 Delta [th], as in "this"; a voiced dental fricative. [d], as in "do"; a voiced alveolar plosive.

5 Epsilon [e] as in "pet", except that the [e] in "pet" (and in most other English words) is lax, while in Greek it is tense. As in Modern Greek

6 Zeta [z], as in "zone", a voiced alveolar fricative. Actually, the remark for sigma (see below) applies to zeta as well (it is shifted a bit towards [Z], as in "pleasure"). [zd], as in "Mazda". Also: [z], and even: [dz].

7 Eta [i], as in "meet", but shorter, not so long. This is one of the three [i] in the Greek alphabet; they all have identical pronunciation. The reason for this redundancy has to do with Classic Greek, where they were not redundant. long open mid-[e], as in "thread" (but long).

8 Theta [th], as in "think"; a voiceless dental fricative. In Castilian Spanish: "zorro". [th], as in "top", but more aspirated.

9 Iota [i], exactly like eta (see above). The name of the letter is pronounced "yota" in Modern Greek. (the reason for the y-sound in front of the letter's name is due to phonetic transformation of [io] into [yo]). As in Modern Greek

10 Kappa [k], as in "pack". Notice that in English [k] is aspirated if it is at the beginning of a word; Greek makes no such distinction. When followed by the vowel [e] it is pronounced nearly as in "kettle", while when followed by [i] it is pronounced nearly as in "kill". For the exact pronunciation in the last two cases, please check the page on palatalization. Phonetically, it is a voiceless velar plosive. (Its palatalized version is a voiceless palatal plosive.) As in Modern Greek

11 Lambda [l] as in "lap". When followed by the vowed [i] it becomes palatalized, turning to a sound that does not exist in English (check the page on palatalization). The name of the letter is pronounced "lamtha" ( is eliminated because it is difficult to pronounce it between [m] and [th]). A voiced alveolar lateral approximant. As in Modern Greek

12 [B]Mu [m], as in "map"; a voiced bilabial nasal. Notice that the name of the letter is pronounced "mi" (mee), not "mew" as in American English. As in Modern Greek

13 Nu [n], as in "noble"; a voiced alveolar nasal. When followed by the vowed [i] it becomes palatalized, turning to a sound that does not exist in English (but exists in Spanish; check the page on palatalization). Notice that the name of the letter is pronounced "ni" (nee), not "new" as in American English. As in Modern Greek

14 Ksi [ks] as in "fox". Contrary to the English "x", the letter ksi does not change pronunciation at the beginning of a word (it does not become a [z]; Greeks have no trouble starting a word with [k]+[s]). Do not put any aspiration between [k] and [s] when pronouncing this letter. As in Modern Greek

15 Omicron [o] as in "hop", except that the [o] in "hop" (and in most other English words) is lax, while in Greek it is tense. Same like [o] in "got" the way it is pronounced in British English. A mid-close back rounded vowel. As in Modern Greek

16 Pi [p], as in "top"; a voiceless bilabial plosive. Notice that in English [p] is aspirated if it is at the beginning of a word; Greek makes no such distinction. As in Modern Greek

17 Rho [rh], a sound that does not exist in English (but exists in Scottish). Sounds very much like the Italian, or Russian [r], or the Spanish [r] in "caro". (Spanish speakers: in Greek there is no difference in how long you trill your rho; better to make it like in "caro" than like in "carro".) Phonetically, it is a voiced alveolar trill. Probably as in Modern Greek. Word-initially: aspirated: [hr]

18 Sigma [s], as is "soap"; a voiceless alveolar fricative. Actually, if you listen carefully to native Greek speakers, it sounds a bit between [s] and [sh] (probably because there is no [sh] in Greek, so the sound is somewhat shifted in the phonological space). However, it is much closer to [s], rather than [sh], and every Greek speaker would swear they pronounce it exactly like the English [s], unless forced to admit the difference by looking at spectrograms. This is the way "s" is pronounced in Castilian Spanish (as opposed to Latin American Spanish). Notice that the second way of writing the lower case sigma is used exclusively when the letter appears at the end of a word (there is only one capital form); this rule has no exceptions. Probably as in Modern Greek

19 Tau [t], as in "pot"; a voiceless alveolar plosive. Notice that in English [t] is aspirated if it is at the beginning of a word; Greek makes no such distinction. As in Modern Greek

20 Upsilon [i], exactly like eta and iota (see above). The name of the letter is pronounced [ipsilon] (ee-psee-lon), not "yupsilon" as it is called in American English. Rounded [i], as in French "une".

21 Phi [f] as in "fat"; a voiceless labiodental fricative. [ph], as in "pit", but more aspirated.

22 Chi [ch], a sound that does not exist in English (but exists in Scottish, as in "loch"; German: "Bach"; Spanish: "Jorge"). When followed by vowels [e] or [i] it is pronounced nearly as in German "ich". For the exact pronunciation in this case, please check the page on palatalization. Phonetically, it is a voiceless velar fricative. (Its palatalized version is a voiceless palatal fricative.) [kh], as in "cut", but more aspirated.

23 Psi [ps] as in "lopsided". Contrary to English, the sound of the letter does not change at the beginning of a word (it does not become a [s]; Greeks have no trouble starting a word with [p]+[s]). For example, in the word psychologia (psychology) the initial [p] sound is not omitted. Do not put any aspiration between [p] and [s] when pronouncing this letter. As in Modern Greek

24 Omega [o], exactly like omicron. (Once again, the reason for the redundancy is to be found in Classic Greek.) Long open mid-back [o], as in "law".

[morbius]

Is it possible that you do not have a vocal "u" in your language?
Your alphabet is in many ways similar to Serbian, which is not surprising considering that a Greek invented our letters.
BTW, should your nick be read as "nin"?

[Spartacus]

ΑλΦάΒηΤοΣ/ALpHaBeT

http://www.members.tripod.com/dehpfk/id46.htm

try this link (it's from my site)