Modern Greek For Dummies

Eirini Argyrouli is a Greek language teacher and the founder of the Greek Learning Hub, an international, virtual Greek language school. She has many years of experience teaching students the Greek language.

• Introduction 1About This Book 1Conventions Used in This book 2Foolish Assumptions 2Icons Used in This Book 3Beyond the Book 4Where to Go from Here 4Part 1: Getting Started with Greek 5Chapter 1: Greek in a Nutshell 7Introducing the Basics 7The Greek alphabet 7Basic and not-so-basic grammar 8Useful expressions 8Numbers, dates, and measurements 9Greek at home 10Putting Greek into Action 10Going places 10Shopping 11Dining and entertainment 11Health 11Business 12Taking Greek on the Go 12Planning a trip 12Transportation 13Sightseeing 13Enjoying traditions 13Chapter 2: Checking Out the Greek Alphabet 15Meeting the Full Greek Alphabet (Some Letters Will Look Familiar!) 16I know you! Greek letters that look and sound like English letters 18Greek letters that look like English letters but sound different 19Sounding More Greek 19Vowels 19Double vowels 20Consonants 21Double consonants 22Getting the Accent Right 23Breaking the Combinations 24Knowing the Punctuation Marks 25Chapter 3: Tackling Basic Grammar 27Familiarizing Yourself with a Few Basic Nouns 28Understanding the Genders of Nouns 29Noun endings 29The articles 30Breaking Down the Cases 31Nominative case 32Accusative case 34Genitive case 37Putting it all together: An overview of the cases 40What’s Mine and What’s Yours: Possessive Pronouns 41Chapter 4: Grammar Beyond the Basics 45Introducing a Few Basic Greek Verbs 45Who Does What? The Persons of Greek Verbs 47The Verb “Είμαι” (To Be) 49Breaking Down Verb Types 49Type A verbs 50Type B1 and B2 verbs 51Type AB verbs 52Type Γ1 and Γ2 verbs 53Nouns and Verbs in the Mix: Forming Sentences 54Here Come the Adjectives 55Checking out some basic adjectives 56Conjugating adjectives 57Combining nouns and adjectives 58Talking About the Past 58Type A and AB verbs 59Type B1 and B2 verbs 61Type Γ1 and Γ2 verbs 63Some irregular verbs in the simple past tense 63Talking About the Future 65Type A and AB Verbs 65Type B1 and B2 Verbs 67Type Γ1 and Γ2 verbs 69Some irregular verbs in the simple future tense 69Using the Subjunctive 70Chapter 5: Getting Started with Basic Expressions 75Greeting People You Know 75Meeting New People 76Asking for each other’s names 76Getting acquainted 78Talking about Countries, Nationalities, and Languages 79Breaking down different places and languages 80Asking people about their nationalities and languages 82Speaking About Your Profession 84Noting common professions 84Asking and answering questions 85Chatting About Your Family 86Saying Goodbye 89Chapter 6: Figuring Out Numbers, Dates, and Times 91Counting Numbers 1 to 1,000 91From 0 to 10 92From 11 to 19 92From 20 to 99 93From 100 to 999 94Age is just a number 95Naming the Days of the Week 96Listing Months and Years 97Telling Time 97The basics 98Other helpful guidelines 98Talking About Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow 101The present 101The past 101The future 102Chapter 7: Speaking Greek at Home 105Talking About Your Daily Routines 105The morning 106The afternoon 106The evening 107Naming the Rooms of a House 107Chatting About Furniture and Fixtures 109The bedroom 109The living room 110The kitchen 112The bathroom 112Cleaning Your House 113Part 2: Greek in Action 117Chapter 8: Moving Around 119Asking for Directions 119Wondering where something is 120Understanding directions you hear 120Knowing other helpful words 121Talking About Means of Transportation 123Common means of transportation 124Special means of transportation 125Asking People Where They’re Going 127Chapter 9: Shopping Made Easy 131Retail Therapy: Shopping for Clothes 131Talking with the shop staff 132Finding the right size 132Looking for the right style 133Searching for sales 135Paying with ease 135Shopping for Groceries 137Discovering the supermarket sections 137Buying fruits and vegetables 138Meat and fish 139Other foods 140Nonfood items 141Visiting a Greek supermarket 142Chapter 10: Days and Nights Out 147Eating Out 147Knowing the best Greek recipes 148Looking at types of restaurants 148Making reservations 149Ordering food 150Trying useful phrases in a restaurant 151Ordering Coffee 153Enjoying Entertainment 156Cinema 156Clubbing 157Bouzoukia 157The Greek panigiri 158Making Plans with Friends 158Chapter 11: Your Body and Your Health 163Naming Body Parts 163Discussing Health 165Feeling sick 166Having pain 167Taking care when you’re sick 169Having an accident 170Visiting the Doctor’s Office 170Arranging your appointment 171Speaking with the doctor 172Going to the Hospital 174Eating Healthy 175Fitting in Exercise 178Chapter 12: Let’s Talk About Business 183Working in an Office 183Talking About Colleagues 184Discussing Responsibilities 185Going for an Interview 187Part 3: Greek on the Go 193Chapter 13: Planning a Trip 195A Tourist’s Dream: Traveling to Greece 195Preparing for Your Trip 196Booking Your Accommodations 197Speaking with Locals 200Using Money in Greece 201Chapter 14: Getting Around: Planes, Trains, Taxis, and More 205Flying to Greece 205Traveling by Train 208Taxi, Please! 209Taking the Ferry 211Chapter 15: Enjoying the Sights 215Appreciating Ancient Greece 215Visiting Historical Sites and Landmarks 216Discovering the Greek Orthodox Christian Tradition 217Greece for Art Lovers 218Visiting Museums 219Going Wine Tasting 220Chapter 16: Understanding Greek Traditions 225Having a Big Fat Greek Wedding 225The wedding day 227Wedding wishes 227The wedding reception 228Celebrating a Name Day 230Celebrating Greek Orthodox Easter 230Dancing Like a Greek 233Part 4: the Part of Tens 235Chapter 17: Ten Ways to Pick Up Greek Quickly 237Chapter 18: Ten Popular Greek Words 243Chapter 19: Ten Greek Expressions About Love 249Chapter 20: Ten Greek Words That Can’t Be Translated 255Chapter 21: Ten Greek Phrases That Will Make You Sound More Fluent 261Part 5: Appendixes 267Appendix A: Mini-Dictionaries 269Appendix B: Verb Tables 285Appendix C: Answer Key 289Index 295