Language/Modern-greek-1453/Grammar/Syllabification

🇬🇷 Syllabification in Greek

In Greek, spelling is not done letter by letter (unlike in English) but syllable by syllable.

If you want to pronounce a Greek word you have to break it down into its syllables.

This is called "syllabification".

• Example: πα–τέ-ρας (the father)

Syllabification Rules

A vowel is a syllable

A vowel may be just a syllable in a word:

• ά-νε- μος (wind) 
• γρα-φεί-ο (office)

Two consecutive vowels

Two consecutive vowels are separated:

• α-ε-τός (eagle)  
• ή-ρω-ας (heros)

A consonant between two vowels

A consonant being between two vowels goes with the second vowel:

• α-γά-πη (love)
• έ-χω (to have )

Two identical consonants

Two identical consonants are separated:

• κόκ-κι-νο (red)
• μέ-λισ-σα (bee)

Two consonants are not separated if...

Two consonants are not separated if they begin with a Greek word:

• έ-πι-πλο (furniture)
• ά-στε-ρι (star)

Two consonants are separated if...

If two consonants do not begin with a Greek word then they are separated:

• πόρ- τα, (door)
• στιγ-μή (dot)

3 consonants in a sequence

The same happens when we have 3 consonants in a sequence. They are not separated when a Greek word begins from the first two.

• α- στρα-πή (thunder)
• ε-χθρός (enemy)

• στρα-τός (army)    
• χθ εσινός (previous)   

No Greek word starts from the first two consonants

But if no Greek word starts from the first two consonants, they are separated

• άν-θρω-πος
• Νο-έμ-βρι-ος

Diphthong, conjonctions, double consonants...

The diphthongs (αι, ει, οι, ου, υι), the conjonctions (αυ και ευ), the double consonants (μπ, ντ, γκ, τσ, τζ), the double vowels (αη, οη, άι, όι) and the abused diphthongs (ια, ιο, ιου, ειος, εια, ειο, οιος, οια, οιο, υα, υου) are not separated.

• παι-δεί-α, ναυ-τι-κό,  τα-μπέ-λα,  κε-λαη-δά,  κά-ποιος, λα-λιά, γυά-λα, στα-χυού

Compound words

Compound words are divided into its elements:

• κα-τέ-χω, ε-πί-λο-γος 

Name of words (depending on the number of syllables)

monosyllables (1 syllable)

• και, με, ναι

dissyllables (2 syllables)

• ό-χι,(no)  μέ-σα, (in) πι-κρός (bitter)

trisyllables (3 syllables)

• κα-ρέ-κλα,  (chair) γρα-φεί-ο (office)

polysyllabes (more than syllables)

• πο-δή-λα- το (bike) φω-το-γρα-φεί-ο (photograph)

Syllables names

Last syllable of a word

The last syllable of a word is called an ending:

• τι-μή (honor)

Penultimate syllable

The penultimate syllable is said to be conceding

• με – λέ – τη (study)

Third syllable from the end

The third syllable from the end is said to be a prelude:

• άν-θρω- πος (man)

First syllable of a word

The first syllable of a word is called the original syllable:

• κα-ρα-μέ-λα

Not emphasized: where?

No multi-word word is emphasized above the foreword!

• οι-κό-πε-δο (field)