Greek lessons near you: at home, at work, or online
Many people that visit the wonderful Greek islands fall in love with its beautiful language. If this is you, there’s no point in waiting any longer to become bilingual, as there are plenty of benefits to mastering this fascinating language. To begin with, having these language skills will allow you to apply for better-paid positions in the UK, and, if you’re interested in working in tourism or teaching, you could even land a summer job in Greece. On top of that, you’ll be able to connect more deeply with some of the 13 million people that speak Greek worldwide and discover the interesting Greek traditions and customs in a brand-new way, so if you’re looking for a fun way of expanding your social life and exploring other cultures, becoming a proficient speaker is definitely the way to go.
To help you get started, here’s a short guide on how to learn Greek that offers some useful tips and recommendations that will allow you to learn this language in a more efficient way.
Tips to Learn Greek More Effectively
If you’re a complete beginner and don’t know how to start learning Greek, here are some easy things you can do to develop the language skills you need to communicate quickly and effectively.
Sign Up for Greek Lessons
The first thing you need to do if you want to be able to speak Greek fast is to find a native tutor that can teach you the basics of Greek grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation. If you do this, you’ll be able to build a solid foundation in the language, and you’ll be able to overcome any stumbling blocks you find along the way. On top of this, because the Greek alphabet is so different from the Roman one we’re used to using in English, having someone that can answer all your questions on the matter can be really helpful to get used to these new letters and symbols.
Find Language Partners
In addition to attending language lessons, you should look for other people in your area who are also learning Greek. This will ensure you actually put everything you learn into practice, boost your conversational skills, and have someone to compare notes with. If you’re finding it hard to meet other leaners, you can try attending a language exchange event, or joining one of the many free online communities of language enthusiasts out there, like Polyglot Club, Meetup, or Interpals.
Listen to Natives Every Day
If you struggle to understand native speakers when they talk, chances are you probably need to improve your listening skills. To do this, you should make it a habit to listen to podcasts, radio shows, or music in Greek every day, so you can get used to the sounds of the language and the particular intonation native speakers use when talking at a natural rhythm. You can also use these recordings to improve your pronunciation by doing things like shadowing, just make sure the speaker you’re listening to is actually from Greece, so as to make sure you’re not trying to imitate someone who might be making mistakes or using words and expressions that sound unnatural to natives.
Free Resources to Learn Greek
Want to keep improving your Greek skills when you’re at home? Then check out some of these useful free resources you can start using right now to work on your reading and writing skills, improve your grammar, and have a more extensive vocabulary that is sure to impress any native speaker you meet.
Language Apps to Learn Greek
Although Greek is not as popular as other languages like French or Spanish, there are plenty of free apps you can use in your free time to learn new words, do some exercises, and compete with other learners from all around the world. One of the best known ones is Duolingo, but you can also try others like Memrise, Drops, or LingQ and see which one you like the best.
Best YouTube Channels to Master Greek
Another useful thing you can do whenever you want to work on your skills is watch YouTube videos. Fortunately, there are many great content creators that happen to love teaching Greek online for free, so you’ll find plenty of useful videos on Greek grammar rules, the Greek alphabet, and many other interesting aspects of the language. In case you don’t know any, here are some that you cannot miss.
Useful Links to Read the News in Greek
Reading the news in Greek is one of the most efficient ways of improving your reading skills, and learning about what is going on in the country, so If you’re already an intermediate learner, check out some of the following websites of the most popular newspapers in Greece.
Survival Greek Phrases
Memorising common words and phrases is a great way to start building your vocabulary, and it can be very useful if you’re planning to visit Greece anytime soon, or if you want to have your first conversation in the language with your teacher. To help you do just this, here are some essential expressions and greetings in Greek that you should know.
| English Version | Greek Version | Guide to Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Hello | Γειά | yee-a |
| How are you? | Τι κάνεις? | tee ka-nees |
| I’m fine, and you? | Είμαι καλά, εσύ? | ee-me ka-la, e-see |
| Please | Παρακαλώ | pa-ra-ka-lo |
| Thank you | Ευχαριστώ | ef-ha-rees-to |
| Excuse me | Με συγχωρείτε | me see-ho-ree-te |
| Help! | Βοήθεια | vo-ee-thee-a |
| Call the police! | Καλέστε την αστυνομία | ka-le-ste tin asti-no-mia |
| I need a doctor | Χρειάζομαι ένα γιατρό | hree-a-zo-me nas yee-atro |
| May I please have…? | Θα μπορούσα να έχω…? | tha bo-roo-sa na e-ho |
| The bill, please | Τον λογαριασμό παρακαλώ | ton lo-ga-ria-smo pa-ra-ka-lo |
| Turn left | Στρίψτε αριστερά | stree-pste a-ree-ste-ra |
| Turn right | Στρίψτε δεξιά | stree-pste dek-sia |
| Straight ahead | Όλο ευθεία | o-lo ef-thee-a |
| Do you speak English? | Μιλάτε Αγγλικά? | mee-la-te ang-lee-ka |
| I don’t understand | Δεν καταλαβαίνω | den ka-ta-la-ve-no |
| Where is…? | Που είναι…? | pwee-neh |
As useful as these phrases are, just learning these won’t take you very far in your journey to fluency. In fact, if you’re truly committed to mastering Greek, the smartest thing you can do is to sign-up for one of our personalised languages courses at Listen & Learn. Whether you’re interested in individual lessons that help you speak like a native, or engaging group lessons you can enjoy with friends and family, all you need to do to start learning with us is send us a quick enquiry now, and one of our team members will contact you within one working day to help you find a Greek course that fits all of your requirements.