Language/Modern-greek-1453/Grammar/Common-Mistakes-in-Learning-Greek

Common Mistakes in Learning Greek

The most common mistake in Greek pronunciation is stressing words incorrectly. You should pay attention to the accent marks, because they’ll help you pronounce Greek words correctly.

The problem of digraphs.

What are digraphs?

They’re a pair of vowels that are pronounced as one distinct sound. Here is gathered some of the most common Greek digraphs, including examples

1)    “Οι” / “οι” Sounds like: “i” as in the word “info” Often mistaken as: “o-i” Greek: Η οικονομία της Ελλάδας πέρασε κρίση I ikonomía tis Eládas pérase krísi. The economy of Greece has gone through a crisis

2 ) “Ει” / “ει” Sounds like: “i” as in the word “info” Often mistaken as: “e-i” Greek: Η παγκόσμια ειρήνη είναι πολύ σημαντική. I pangózmia iríni íne polí simandikí. Worldwide peace is very important

3 ) “Αι” / “αι Sounds like: “e” as in the word “error” Often mistaken as: “a-i” Greek: Οι άνθρωποι έχουν πέντε αισθήσεις. I ánthropi éhun pénde esthísis. Humans have five senses.

4 ) “Ευ” / “ευ” Sounds like: “ev” as in the word “everything” or “ef” as in the word effect Often mistaken as: “e-i” α) Greek: Σε ευχαριστώ πολύ! Se efharistó polí. Thank you very much β) Greek: Ο υπάλληλος ήταν πολύ ευγενικός. O ipálilos ítan polí evyenikós. The employee was very polite.

It’s pronounced as “ev” when the next syllable begins with a vowel sound or a voiced consonant sound: β, γ, δ, ζ, λ, μ, ν, ρ, τζ, μπ, ντ, γγ, and γκ. It’s pronounced as “ef” when the next syllable begins with the consonants ξ (x) and ψ (ps), an unvoiced consonant sound (κ, π, τ, χ, φ, θ, σ, and τσ) or when the combination is at the end of a word or by itself (ex. ευ αγωνίζεσθαι (ef agonízesthai), meaning “fair play”).

5 )“Αυ” / “αυ” Sounds like: “av” as in the word “average” or “af” as in the word “after” Often mistaken as “a-i” Greek: Αυτός είναι ο δάσκαλός μου. Aftós íne o dáskalós mu. This is my teacher. Greek: Θέλεις να πάμε αύριο για καφέ; Thélis na páme ávrio ya kafé ? Do you want to go for a coffee tomorrow?

Similarly to the last digraph, there’s a rule for deciding whether it should sound like “af” or “av.” It’s pronounced as “av” when the next syllable begins with a vowel sound or a voiced consonant sound: β, γ, δ, ζ, λ, μ, ν, ρ, τζ, μπ, ντ, γγ, and γκ. It’s pronounced as “af” when the next syllable begins with the consonants ξ (x) and ψ (ps), an unvoiced consonant sound (κ, π, τ, χ, φ, θ, σ, and τσ), or when the combination is at the end of a word (ex. ταυ, which is the letter “t” in Greek).