Greek Reference

Some notes on modern greek.

1. Phonology

Greek script is usally phonetic: you can say it like you see it once you know the rules.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_Greek_phonology

1.1. Vowels

The greek vowel letters are 'α', 'ε', 'η', 'ι', 'ο', 'υ' and 'ω'. These are nontrivially mapped to five vowel sounds roughly like 'a', 'e', 'i', 'o', 'u' in english.

• α → a

• ε, η, ι → e

• ει → i

• ο, ω → o

• υ, ου → u

1.2. Consonants

• "β" is a humming "veeta" sound. Not a 'b', so 'βιο' is pronounced "veo"

• "γ" is a rolling y/g sound.

• "δ" "th" in "father" (humming th ) {IPA ð}. Not a 'd' sound!

• "ζ" → "z"

• "θ" "th" in "thing" (no humming) {IPA θ}

• "κ" is the "k"

• "λ" → "l"

• "μ" → "m"

• "ν" → "n"

• "ξ" → "x"

• "π" → "p"

• "ρ" → "r"

• "σ", "ς" → "s"

• "τ" → "t"

• "φ" → "f"

• "χ" → rolling 'ch', like 'buch' in German or scottish 'loch'.

• "ψ" → "ps" like in "lapse" or "psychic"

Some dipthongs to know:

• "ευ" → "ef"

• "αυ" → "af"

• "γκ" → "g"

• "μπ" → "b"

• "ντ" → "d"

All greek words have a 'stressed' vowel which is decorated with an accent.

2. Grammar

2.1. Nouns

https://foundalis.com/lan/grknouns.htm

Each noun changes its ending based on

• gender :

  • masculine (m) ending in "-ος", "-ης", "-ας"

  • feminine (f) ending in "-α", "-η", "-ις"

  • neutral (n) ending in "-ο", "-ι"

• case :

  • nominative (n) for subjects of sentences: "H γυναίκα είναι μόνη" - the woman is alone

  • genitive (g) for possession. Genitive can either be used after a noun as an adjective-like construct: "Η μέρα της γυναίκας" | "woman's day". Or it can be used with a verb as the "to" argument: [TODO] example.

    This is also true for genitive pronouns.

  • accusative (a) for objects: "Φιλάς τη γυναίκα" - you kiss the woman

  • vocative (v) when calling: "Γυναίκα, έλα" - woman, come!

• number :

  • singular (s)

  • plural (p)

In addition, the article changes depending on all of these things too:

All nouns have a gender. Νouns have different 'conjugations' depending on their relation to the verb.

Feminine adjectives always end in "ι".

2.2. Verbs

In greek, there are many many conjugations and forms for each verb. But there are only two stems to know and then the formula is the same.

There are stems for each verb in greek. Eg for to loosen / solve, we have the stems "-λυν-" and "-λυσ-" and "-λυθ-".

The prefix and suffix of the verb change depending on

• The number:

  • singular

  • plural

• The person:

  • first (1) "I am"

  • second (2) "you are"

  • third (3) "he is"

• The tense.

  • present "I help"/"I am helping"

  • imperfect "I used to help"/"I was helping"

  • past "I helped"

  • perfect "I have helped". An action that is done in relation to the present time. The action is finished.

  • pluperfect "I had helped". You use this if you have some event in the past and you want to relate it to another event in the past, eg, "I had eaten breakfast when my brother walked in". Or "I had eaten breakfast before noon"

  • future "I will help"

  • future perfect "I will have helped"

  • conditional "would have helped"

• The mood:

  • indicative default mood

  • imperative used when ordering or requesting.

  • {ancient} subjunctive ("I must have helped")?

  • {ancient} optative ("I wish I could help")

  • {ancient} infinitive ??

• The voice:

  • active "I loosen"

  • passive "I am being loosened"

  • {ancient} middle "I am loosening myself".

So for a fixed verb you have a 5D conjugation table. Luckily it is basically the same for all verbs and there are few irregulars.

2.3. Pronouns

The cases are used in the same way as they are used for nouns. However in most cases, the pronoun is dropped from statements because you can usually infer the pronoun from the conjugation of the verb.

3. Vocab

Some of this is ancient greek.

3.1. Verbs.

3.2. Αριτθμός / Νούμερο

3.3. Countries

• 🇬🇷 Ελλάδα

• 🇩🇪 Γερμανίας

• 🇫🇷 Γαλλία

• 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Αγγλιά

3.4. Sciency words

Basically any word which sounds technical and fancy is just the word in greek or ancient greek (and sometimes latin).

Greek and latin words commonly used in systematic names and English words of greek origin.

• χεμος juice (_chem_istry!)

• αμβλύς blunt, dull

• αντρασ man (anthropology)

• αμφι- of all kinds, of all sides (ambivalent)

• ανθος {ancient?} flower

• αρχαίος ancient (archaeology)

• αρωματικός aromatic

• αστέρι star (astronomy)

• ζώο animal

• βιος {ancient} life (biology)

• κεφάλι head (encephalisation)

• κερατο hord (keratin)

• χλορος {ancient} pale green (chlorine, chlorophyl)

• χρωμα colour

• κρυπτος {ancient} hidden

• δερμα {ancient} skin (dermatology)

• δεινός terrible, difficult (dinosaur)

• σαῦρος lizard, reptile (dinosaur)

• διπλος double (diploid)

• δισκος disk

• μονοι alone (mono-)

• στεθοσ? breast (_stetho_scope)

• ήλεκτρο amber (because static electricity was first discovered by rubbing amber)

• ἐρυθρός {ancient} red

• γη earth (geo-)

• γλυκυς sweet (glucose)

• έδρα surface or (seat/position at an organisation) (same root as eg polyhedron)

• εντα? insect (_ento_mology)

• απο- = on top of

• επι- = over, upon

• σχεμα = schema, diagram, figure

• τοπος = place, (_topo_logy)

• λόγος = word, discourse or reason (-ology, logic)

• ὁμός = same (_homo_genous)

• ἑτερο = other, another, different (hetero-)

• γένος = kind (homo_geneous_)

• τῆλε = far, distant (telephone etc)

• γιγας = giant (gigabyte)

• αιμα = blood (heamoglobin)

• ἁπλόος = simple, single (haploid)

• ὕδωρ? = water (hydropower, hydrogen)

• ὑπέρ = over, above (hyper-)

• ὑπό = under, beneath (hypo-)

• λεπτός = light (leptons?)

• λευκός = white (leukocyte)

• μελανός = black (melanin)

• μικρός = small (micro-)

• πέτρα = rock or stone (petrify)

• ὀλίγοι = few (oligarchy)

• ὀχι = sharp (oxygen)

• ?????

• Gyros = turn (gyroscope)

• selene = moon (selenium)

• fagito = food (phage)

• meteorology?

• physics?

• psyco-?

• philosophy?

• arithmos?

• numeros?

• ecology? oikos?

• botany?

• anatomy?

3.5. Pleasantries

• παρακαλώ please

• ευχαριστώ thankyou

• Όλα καλά ok

3.6. Φρούτα

• 🍒κεράσια

• 🍍ανανάς

• 🍐αχλάδι

• 🍌μπανάνα

• 🍋Λεμόνι

• 🍓φράουλα

• 🥑Αβοκαντο

3.7. Food

• 🍦παγωτό

• 🍺μπύρα

• 🍫σοκολάτα

• coffee ☕ καφές

• 🍇σταφύλια

• 🍪μπισκότο

• 🍳Αυγό

• tea 🍵 τσάι

3.8. Animal ↦ Ζώο

• 🐈γάτα

• 🐊κροκόδειλος

• 🐯τίγρη

• 🐶σκύλος

• 👻φάντασμα

3.9. Misc.

• 🌏γη (pronounce yee) (gaia, geo-)

• ☀ήλιος (heliocentric)

• 🌙σελήνη / φεγγάρι

• ⛄ χιονάνθρωπος

• snow ❄ χιόνι

• 🔥πυρ (pyrotechnics)

• ⭐ αστέρι

• ⭐⭐⭐αστέρια

• ❤️καρδιά (cardiology)

• 🐝μέλισσα

• seashell 🐚 κοχύλι (cochlear implant)

• 🐟ψάρι

• ☁σύννεφο

• 🎈μπαλόνι

• 📱Κινητο

• ☎τηλέφωνο

• 📚βιβλία (bibliography, bible)

• 🍴μαχαιροπήρουνα

• 🚗Αυτοκίνητο

• ✏ μολύβι

• ✂️ ψαλίδια

• 🖊στυλό (stylus, stylographic)

• 🎼🎶μουσική (moozikee)

• 🚲Ποδήλατο

• 🚽τουαλέτα

• 🚿ντους

• 🔑κλειδί

• 🚪πόρτα (portal)

• 🛏κρεβάτι

• home / house 🏠 σπίτι (same root as the 'spit' in hospital?)

• City 🌆 πόλη (metropolis)

• aeroplane ✈ αεροπλάνο

• Present 🎁 Δώρο