Letter pairs
By the end you can read the vowel and consonant pairs as single sounds.
About 7 minutes. 7 vowel pairs, 7 consonant pairs.
Two letters, one sound
Some pairs of letters make one sound. Read each pair as a unit.
Vowel pairs
| Pair | Sounds like | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| αι | e as in "bed" | χαίρω HE-ro, I am glad |
| ει | ee | είμαι EE-me, I am |
| οι | ee | οικογένεια ee-ko-YE-nee-a, family |
| υι | ee (rare) | υιός ee-OS, son |
| ου | oo | σου soo, as in γεια σου |
| αυ | av or af | αυτό af-TO, this · αύριο AV-ree-o, tomorrow |
| ευ | ev or ef | ευχαριστώ ef-kha-ree-STO, thank you · Ευρώπη ev-RO-pee, Europe |
Greek has five ways to write the ee sound: η, ι, υ, ει, οι. Reading them is easy. Knowing which one to write comes from seeing words.
Consonant pairs
| Pair | Sounds like | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| μπ | b at the start of a word, mb in the middle | μπαμπάς ba-BAS, dad · λάμπα LAM-ba, lamp |
| ντ | d at the start, nd in the middle | ντομάτα do-MA-ta, tomato · πάντα PAN-da, always |
| γκ | g at the start, ng in the middle | γκρι gree, grey · αγκαλιά an-ga-LYA, hug |
| γγ | ng as in "finger" | αγγούρι an-GOO-ree, cucumber |
| τσ | ts | τσάι TSA-ee, tea |
| τζ | dz | τζάμι DZA-mee, glass |
| κκ λλ μμ νν ππ ρρ σσ ττ | one sound, as if single | θάλασσα THA-la-sa, sea · Ελλάδα e-LA-tha, Greece |
Read it
Read each pair as one sound, then tap to check.
Quick check
Next
Next, you will learn the rules for reading any Greek word.
Lesson 3: Reading rules