Greek is the language primarily spoken in Greece. Since ancient times this has been one of the greatest sources of literature and philosophy in the world. It constitutes its own independent branch within the Indo-European language family and has no other related languages that survive today. That is why it is interesting to know Greek words, expressions and a little of their interesting history.
Characteristics of Greek words
Greek is part of the Indo-European languages from which the Indo-Iranian, Italic, Celtic, Slavic Germanic and Greek groups come. This constitutes a group without derived or related languages today.
It is characterized by having:
An alphabet of 24 letters in total. Includes 17 consonants. It has 7 vowels. It uses 3 double consonants. Use various types of accents. It also makes use of signs called spirits. It has a classification of diphthongs.
These are some of the particularities through which Greek words are formed. Now it remains to know terms and expressions that characterize this language.
Greek expressions and words
It is time to learn words and expressions in Greek, an ancient and very interesting language. Below you will be able to know the following:
Aftó ine nostimo: It’s delicious.
Antio!: bye bye!
Apó pou eísai?: from which country do you come from?
Apo pou íse?: where are you from?
Áse me na se ankaliáso: let me hug you.
Ávrio eínai ta genethliá mou: tomorrow is my birthday.
Ávrio eínai Tetárti: tomorrow is Wednesday.
Ávrio thélo na synantíso ton bampá mou: Tomorrow I want to meet my dad.
Boreís na mou demandíseis ti simaínei aftí i léxi: Can you explain this word to me please?
Boréis parakaló na epanaláveis tin protasi?: Can you repeat this phrase please?
Borés parakaló na milas lígo pio argá?: Can you speak a little slower, please?
Boréis se parakaló na syllavíseis tin lexi?: can you spell that word please?
Boreis parakaló na to grapseis?: can you write it to me, please?
Boréis se parakaló na to xanapeís?: Can you say it again, please?
Boro na pao: I can go.
Charika gia tin gnorimía: I’m happy to meet you.
Chrónia kai zamánia!: it’s been ages since I last saw you!
Chrónia chick!: Happy Birthday!
Deka: ten.
Den aisthánomoi kalá: I don’t feel well.
Den boró na pao: I can not go.
Den katalavaino aftí tin ekfrasi: I don’t understand this expression.
Den katalavaíno: I don’t understand it (in terms of meaning).
Den katala-veno: I don’t understand.
Den mou arései aftó: I don’t like.
Den to ákousa: I didn’t understand (or hear) it.
Den’s agapó: I do not like you.
Doulévo sto nosokomeío: I work at a hospital.
Écho pollés stenachóries: I have many worries.
Efcharistó!: Thank you!
Eímai 25 (eíkos pénte) chronón: I’m 25 years old.
Eímai foititís (m)/ foitítria (f): I am a student.
Eímai Gállos (m)/Gallída (f): I am French.
Eímai Germanós (m)/Germanaída (f): I am German/German.
Eímai Ispanós (m)/Ispanída: I am Spanish/Spanish.
Eímai kalá: I’m very well.
Eímai Mexikanós (m)/Mexikána (f): I am Mexican/Mexican.
Eímai polý anísychos (m)/anísychi (f): I am very worried.
Eímai polý charoúmenos (m)/charoumeni (f): I’m very happy.
Eímai polý kourasménos (m)/kourasméni (f): I’m very sleepy.
Eímai polý stenachoreménos (m)/stenachoreméni (f): I’m sad.
Eínai tesseris to apógevna: Now it’s four in the afternoon.
Eísai katapliktikós/katapliktikí: You are wonderful!
Eísai polý astáis/astéia: You are very funny.
Eísai polý ómorfi: you’re beautiful.
Eísai polý órmorphos: you’re very good-looking.
Ena: one.
Enéa: nine.
In taxi: OK.
Epta: seven.
Exi: six.
Fétos den thélo na giortáso ta genethleia mou: This year I don’t want to celebrate my birthday.
Fotiá!: fire!
Fysika: of course.
Géía sas!: hello everyone!
Geía sou!: hello!
Giati?: because?
Harumena yenethia!: Happy Birthday!
Ime haromenos: I’m happy.
Ime inas tourists: I am a tourist.
Ime iypiménoyes: I’m sad.
Ime kalá: I’m fine.
Ime kurasménos: I’m tired.
Ime mathitis: I am a student.
Íme por…: I’m from…
Ime spíti: am at home.
Ine akrivó: It is expensive.
Ine anichto: It’s open.
Ine dikó mou: it’s mine.
Ine do: is here.
Iné dyskolo: it’s hard.
Ine efkolo: It is easy.
Ine irgá: it’s late.
Ine klisto: is closed.
ine megalo: is big.
Ine micro: it is small.
Ine noris: it’s early.
omorphous ine: it’s lovely.
Ine syndoma: it will be soon.
Ine to agapi-méno mou: It’s my favorite.
Ine ya eména: is for me.
Ine ya know: is for you.
Ine-fthino: it is cheap.
Ineiki: is there.
Isos: Maybe.
Kálese tin astynomía: call the police.
Kali sas méra: Have a good day!
Kali tihYo: good luck!
Kalimera: good morning.
Kaló apóyevma: Good afternoon.
Kaló Savvatokýriako: I wish you a good weekend!
Kalo taxidi!: have a good trip!
Kalo taxidi: I wish you a good trip.
Kalynichta: good night.
Kani poly kryo: It is very cold.
Kani poly zésti: it’s really hot.
Kátala-venis?: understands?
Katala-veno: I understand.
Kryosa: I’ve got a cold.
Lipame: I’m sorry.
Do you hate me?: you love Me?
I synhorite: excuse me.
Méno-eki: I live here.
Milás anglika?: speak English?
Min anisycheís!: Don’t worry!
Mou aresi aftó: I like it.
Mou aresis: I like you.
Mou lepeis polý: I miss you/miss you a lot.
Mou lipis: I miss you.
Ne, link: yes a bit.
Neh: Yeah.
O-hee: No.
Okto: eight.
Parakalo: Your welcome, please.
Hang: five.
Perastika: get well soon.
Poiá eínai i simasia tou (m)…/tis (f)…?: what does it mean?
Poiós (m)/Poiá (f) eísai?: who are you?
Pos se léne?: what is your name?
Pos se léne?: What’s your name?
Pos?: as?
Póso chronó eísai?: how old are you?
Póso kostízi?: how much does it cost?
Poté?: when?
Pou ime?: where I am?
Poú ine i exoduses?: where is the exit?
What are the isodes?: where is the entrance?
Pou íne i toualéta?: where are the bathrooms?
Pou ise?: where are you?
Poú menis?: Where do you live?
Pou?: Where?
Prepei na fýgo: I need to go.
S’agapó polý: He loves you very much.
Are you sick?: do you like it?
Is turned off: I love you.
Simera den écho chróno na…: Today I don’t have time to…
Símera eímai polý apascholimenos/apascholimeni: Today I am very busy.
Símera eínai 9 (enniá) Septemvríou: Today is the ninth of September:
Simera eínai Tríti: Today is Tuesday.
Stamata!: for!
That’s argótera!: see you later!
This is what I said: see you tomorrow!
Ta leme sydoma!: see you soon!
Ta leme?: see you?
Tessera: four.
Thee-o: two.
Thelo mia býra: I want a beer.
Thelo nero: I want water.
Ti ékanes chthes?: what have you/did you do yesterday?
Ti ékanes simera?: you’ve done today?
You would hurt yourself: what do you need?
You kaneis?: how are you?
You kanet?: how are you?
Ti méra eínai simera?: What day is today?
You line?: what’s new?
Ti óra eínai?: what time is it?
Do you pray iné?: what time is it?
Ti thas káneis ávrio?: what are you doing tomorrow?
Ti théleis na káneis ávrio?: what do you want to do tomorrow?
To onomá mou eínai…: my name is…
Tria: three.
Voíthia: aid!
Vréhi: it’s raining.
You already know: hello.
History of Greek words
The initial writings in Greek were not on papyrus or parchment as might be expected. The first Greek words were on clay tiles. The first writing system found was Linear B similar to Linear A.
The latter was a form of Chalk writing that has not yet been deciphered. That’s not what happened to him Linear B either mycenaean that it was interpreted. Those who achieved it were the researchers Michael Ventris, an architect, and John Chadwick who was a professor in Greek linguistics, after the Second World War. This type of clay writing became extinct between 1450 and 1150 BC.
A new system
This type of writing fell into disuse and until the appearance of alphabetic writing, which was an adaptation to the system of Phoenician writing At the end of the 9th century BC, there are no written testimonies about the Greek words.
The oldest known Greek writer, Homer, the author of The Iliad and of The Odysseto, captured his works with this system in the s. VIII BC
Origins of the Greeks
Greeks are not the indigenous population of Greece. Research carried out considers that they are not the direct descendants of the Neolithic inhabitants. On the contrary, they would have penetrated at some point, displacing the natives of the region, approximately 1900 BC.
So until the s. III BC there was no unified language, for geographical or historical reasons. Yes, there were a series of dialects with common elements, which came from the conservation of an original or shared heritage. There were four dialects known as wind, ionic, penthouse and Doric.
The Attic dialect
The speech that has prevailed to give rise to the Greek words is the Attic dialect. It was the one spoken in Athens and its surroundings. As a language it surpassed the rest of the dialects in the 5th century (the century of Pericles), and in the 4th BC, due to the political, social and cultural superiority of this city.
Authors such as Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes, and the historians Thucydides, Xenophon, as well as the philosopher Plato, and the orators Lysias, Demosthenes and Aeschines.
Homer’s dialect
A special case within Greek Literature is the Homeric dialect. This author composed his works in an artificial language, never before spoken. It was formed from ionic, with wind elements and traditional archaic forms.
Thus it became the language of epic poetry until the imperial era. However, the Attic was the one that displaced all others during the 5th BC due to the quality of its literature.
The koine or common language
It arose from the fusion of the Attic with the languages of the conquered peoples. Thus was born the koine or common Greek of the Greek empire. It was the official speech in times of Alexander the Great at the end of the 4th century BC It remained a lingua franca and cultural language from the borders of India to Egypt.
It also extended to southern Italy when Alexander’s empire fragmented into various kingdoms. The capital of culture was now cities like Pergamon, Alexandria or Ephesus and not Athens.
Koine was used by the philosopher Aristotle, the historian Publius and the moralist Plutarch. It was the basis of biblical Greek, since the Septuagint (LXX) was translated into this language. And the New Testament was written in it.
In the Roman era it was the language of culture. Marcus Aurelius, who had no relationship with Greece, wrote intimate notes and Soliloquies in Greek words of this language. It was later the language of the Byzantine Empire from the 5th to the 15th centuries.
Byzantine Greek
From the transfer of the capital of the Roman Empire to Constantinople in 330 until the conquest by the Turks in 1453, the city known as Byzantium, Constantinople or Istanbul, was the Hellenic political and cultural center. Their language was medieval Greek or…