Reading rules
By the end you can sound out any Greek word and read Greek punctuation.
About 8 minutes. 8 rules and the punctuation marks.
Reading rules
Greek is regular to read. Once you know these rules, you can sound out any word.
- Find the accent mark. It shows the stressed syllable, as in Σοφία. Words with two or more syllables have one, and short words often have none. Always write it.
- Read pairs as one sound. αι, ει, ου and the other pairs above are never two separate sounds.
- Two dots split a pair. In καΐκι (ka-EE-kee, small boat) the dots on ΐ mean you read α and ι separately.
- γ and χ change with the next sound. Before ε, η, ι, υ, αι, ει, οι they are soft: γεια ya, χαίρω HE-ro. Before α, ο, ω, ου or a consonant they are harder: γάτα GHA-ta, χαρά kha-RA (like ch in the Scottish "loch").
- αυ and ευ sound like av/ev or af/ef. Say v before a vowel or before β γ δ ζ λ μ ν ρ. Say f before κ ξ π σ τ φ χ ψ θ.
- Double consonants sound like one. θάλασσα has a single s sound.
- σ becomes ς at the end of a word. Νίκος ends with ς.
- A semicolon is a question mark. Τι είναι αυτό; means "What is this?" The table below shows the other marks.
Punctuation
Most marks work as in English. Two surprise English speakers: the question mark looks like a semicolon, and the raised dot is a new mark.
| Mark | What it does | Example |
|---|---|---|
| . τελεία | Ends a sentence, as in English. | Είμαι η Σοφία. |
| , κόμμα | A short pause, and it separates a name you speak to. | Γεια σου, Σαμ! |
| ; ερωτηματικό | The question mark. It looks like an English semicolon. | Τι είναι αυτό; |
| ! θαυμαστικό | Greetings and surprise, as in English. | Καλησπέρα! |
| · άνω τελεία | The raised dot: a pause stronger than a comma, like an English semicolon or colon. You will see it in longer texts. | Είμαι εδώ· εσύ; |
| « » εισαγωγικά | Quotation marks, shaped like « » and not like " ". | «Καλησπέρα!» |
| — παύλα | In some books, a dash starts each new speaker's line, instead of quotation marks. | — Καλησπέρα! |
The colon (:) and the ellipsis (…) work as in English. Greek has no upside-down marks like the Spanish ¿ and ¡.
Read it
Sound each phrase out, then tap to check.