Learning a new language is taunting, and sometimes sticking through the learning process can me more difficult than learning the actual language itself. Being one of the oldest languages to exist and a very beautiful language, Greek is often difficult for many to stick with. When asking many about what their most difficult part of learning Greek is, they say it is the grammar. In addition to the complex grammar I sometimes get responses saying that the words are difficult to pronounce. Well, I am here to change that. In fact, I wrote this article to demonstrate to you reading this how easy learning Greek will be once you follow these steps. Παμε! (Let’s go).
Listen to music. Greek music is very straightforward, the lyrics do not contain any metaphors or slang. This is important because many common words and useful sentences in everyday life can be found in the music. Repetition is key when learning a new language, and plugging in your headphones for an hour or two a day to listen to Greek music will improve your understanding and speaking skills drastically. Personally, I can recommend listening to certain songs and artists over others, due to their amazing voices, perfect pronunciation of words, and of course, use of helpful language. The songs are as follows:
- Φιλα με Ακομα – Πανος Μουζουρακης (Fila me Akoma Panos Mouzourakis). One of my favorite songs in general, this song uses words like “ακομα”, “Καλοκαιρι”, “Φως”, “Ζωη”, and plenty of other common words in the Greek language. Having purposely picked out the words above to mention, it is important one understands positive words and words pertaining to the country of Greece. Internationally known as the sunlight capital of the world and nation with the best beaches and summers, in Greece one must know the words “καλοκαιρι” and “φως”. The first word means summer (the season), the second word means light (i.e. sunlight). Aside from being a helpful song for learning vocabulary, the song moves very slowly and is easy to hear all the words from the singer. Once your Greek comprehension skills increase, the lyrics of this song are truly beautiful.
- Αθηνα μου – Κωνσταντινος Αργυρος. This song is featured due to its slow pace, which is helpful for improvement of your listening skills, and use of many beginner Greek words. For example, when learning Greek, many words like “ψαχνω”, “μηνα”, “κουκλα” are taught. Not only are these useful words, but Greeks use them frequently every day in daily life conversation. Although the song is not as happy and bright as Fila me Akoma, it is till worth a listen to those new to the language.
- Θα ‘μαι εδω – Κωνσταντινος Αργυρος. Another song by the previous artist, this song uses the future tense a lot (as seen in the song title). Tenses are mandatory when learning the Greek language. Another perk of this song is the simple words, many short and useful words are in the lyrics. It is easy to understand for native speakers and for those learning the language due to its simplicity and beautiful lyrics.
Watch the news and read online texts in Greek. Skai news is a popular station for news, and has articles on just about anything. Covering politics, sports, economy, arts & entertainment, skai is my go to news source for news in Greece. Although reading Greek at first will be tough, it will expose you to new words useful in language and conversation. Try using wordrefrence.com to translate words you do not know when glancing through the news everyday. Besides the news Greece has their own version of Survivor, a popular tv show in the USA. All Greek tv is good to watch just to familiarize yourself with the language, but to understand it I recommend starting out with easier reads and shows, like children’s shows, which use plenty of basic language and move at a much slower pace. Just type into youtube ‘Greek children’s shows and songs” and there will be plenty of resources for you. Do not be embarrassed to do this step, as it is perhaps the most effective and easy way to start up your Greek language learning.
Engage in basic conversation and work your way up. If you are living in a country that isn’t Greece, try visiting a Greek friend, restaurant, consulate, or church near you. Of course ordering food is a must know how in Greek, but the Greek consulate and church near you could offer better resources than youtube alone. Whether it is classes in the Greek language, or meeting Greek people to practice with, those two locations will understand your needs. Greeks abroad are very well connected, so once you meet one Greek, you will meet many more. This could mean you can have multiple resources for practicing your Greek with, or maybe even company for taking a trip to Greece. You do not know until you try.
Creating a list of what I believe to be the best, most effective ways to practice and learn Greek, do not hesitate to reach out and share your questions or ideas. What has been written is what I have been told and what non Greeks who have learned Greek the best have told me their learning strategies are. Αντιο, or Goodbye, for now.
SKG.7 