I've been asking about learning the language and had some very good replies over on OTL, however now that HT is back, those posts have gone
So I thought I'd start again on here...
So far I've managed to get the numbers 1 to 10
(phonetically)
1 -ena
2 -theo (the th is sounded halfway between the start of "then" and almost a "d")
3 - tree'a
4 - tess-a-ra (think tessalation)
5 - pen-de (pen-day)
6 - exi (like sexy with the s missing)
7 - eftA (like the letter F with t on and a hard A at the end like Appendix)
8 - octo (like octopus.. easy one to remember)
9 - enyA (like saying the letter "N" an yA like the start of yam
10 - thecka - th like the start of then and eck'a
not sure what zero is though.... ?
Thankyou - Eff K(h)A risto you say the KA like start of CAT but a bit breathy making almost an H sound on the K
Please - Pa rack a low (this is also used as a reply to thankyou, in in that use means "you're welcome".... so if someone served you a meal you might say effkaristo (thankyou) and they would reply parakalo (you're welcome)...
is that being pronounced MY then ? like a yorkshire man ? mythen mythen whats going on here ?
Its a bit more like
I've got an app on my phone (cost £7) that runs through bits and pieces but only given the numbers 1 to 10... handy for ordering lager but no good if there is someone with me... ... and I was dissapointed to find beer is female... well if I'm correct about the change of the number 1... Ena (1) become Mia (which I think is for female words ??) when addressing beer... mia beera (1 beer or a beer) parakalo...
I've got an app on my phone (cost £7) that runs through bits and pieces but only given the numbers 1 to 10... handy for ordering lager but no good if there is someone with me... ... and I was dissapointed to find beer is female... well if I'm correct about the change of the number 1... Ena (1) become Mia (which I think is for female words ??) when addressing beer... mia beera (1 beer or a beer) parakalo...
Correct, beer is feminine. Well, we have to have control over the men somehow
Here's the stuff I posted from OTL for you Steve...
Letter Pronunciation
Î' α Alpha (ah - short sound)
Î' β Beeta (b)
Γ γ Gamma (g - soft gh)
Άδ Delta (d)
Ε ε Epsilon (eh - short sound)
Ζ ζ Zeeta (z)
Î η Eeta (ee)
Θ θ Theeta (th - soft th sound)
Ι ι Iota (Eeohtah) pronounced (i as in the word "in")
Κ κ Kappa (k - soft k sound)
Λ λ Lambda (L as in letter)
Μ μ Mee (m)
Πν Nee (n)
Ξ ξ Ksee (a "ks" sound as when you pronounce the letter "x" in English)
Ο ο Omicron (oh - John)
ΠÀ Pee (p)
Ρ Ã Rho (like Ro as in Robert)
Σ ÃÂÆ’ Â Sigma (S as in sugar) First is the Capital, Second is for use in middle of a word, Last is ending of a word.
Τ Ã„ Taf (t)
ÃŽÂ¥ ÃÂ! Ipsilon (another "ee" sound)
Φ Ã†Fee (f)
Χ Ã‡ Hee (like the one above Xee)
Ψ ÃˆPsee (ps sound as in the ps in "lips")
Ω Ã‰ Omega (Owmehgah)
That's the best I can do..... There are some odd two letters (dipthongs) that get put together which also have different sounds.
However, this little video may help with those: http://youtu.be/GNbkI2kb1NE
Shell
Limassol, Cyprus
all comes in handy, the more people ask and share the better we become....
I'm finding from the apps and such that I'm picking bits up but realising I can do something like ask your name, say my name is....(poo-suss laney and May laney Steve)... but if someone said "oh you speak Greek" I'd have no idea what they said... I couldn't even say "only a little" or "I'm just learning" if I did understand the question...
Great thread effkaristo .
signomi me-lay mono lega elenika [sorry i only speak a little greek]
then katalava [i dont understand]
endaxi [ok]
Brian
thats going to take some remembering.... ! efkaristO
in the taverna signomi poo eene e'toiletta [excuse me where is the toilets]
in the street signomi poo ekki e'toiletta [excuse me where has {are} the toilets]
this is specially for the pafos taxi drivers association....
signomi posi-kahni ena taxi ya theo yar ston pafos parakalo [excuse me what cost a taxi for 2 people to pafos please]
thelooo peninda evro ya ston pafos... ackrivo... ohki polly ackrivo
signomi like many other words in greek has several meaning depending on context as dose parakalo [please, can i help you, yes whos calling are all common usage]
something else I'm pondering... the app is two people talking one "English" man and the other a Greek woman who says very good a lot when he gets it right... the words she uses seem to be POLI KALI which I'm thinking "kali" like Kalimera is the GOOD bit so POLI is VERY... however she doesn't say POLEE KALL A she seems to re-shape it into POH LICKALA ? as it the spacing in the word has moved....?
is the greek speaker a cypriot they tend to shift partitions thats why although they can understand me i have problems with them
beer is female...now I know why men spend so much time in the pub...
posted so I can follow ...same greek in cyprus as rhodes ?
Will be pasting copying and sending to myself ...only way I know to save the bits I can cope with...to print and take with me...tweetie
I got this from last time...when we were having a go with wizard
yasus has several meanings.. its both a greeting and a good bye to freinds and family [close friends and close family and to children Yasoo will often be used] so to expand
Kali mera good day [to strangers and aquaintances]
Kali mera sas a very formal good day [to say the bank manager the consulate etc]
Kali spera good evening
kali spers sas [formal]
yasus / yasoo both hallo and good buy to frinds/family
kali nighter good night
Kali nighter sas [formal]
An dio good bye [to aquaintances]
An dio sas [formal]
oria mera... loverly day
Then katalaveno - I don't understand
or
Then meelow polei kala elinikas - I don't speak greek very well
before asking a question always say excuse me [signomi] and when you get your answer say thank toy very much [efharisto Polly]
a true greek toast is stini yasus to which all reply yamas [note yamas is the reply to a toast not the toast itself]
so not only do I have to learn it all, I've also got to be able to understand it spaced and pronounced differently....
they also use a word "lee bam'me" for sorry on the app
and "Mi see ho ree tay" for excuse me.... which I thought should be signomi....
dont recognise that.. it not lee palme me' is it that means lets go or lets get on"lee bam'me"
cant guess the other one
very much [efharisto Polly] - wouldn't it be efhkaristo poli "SOMETHING" ? as efkaristo is thank you and Poli as we have found is "very" so the word "much" is missing ?
this is specially for the pafos taxi drivers association
I wondered where that one was going !
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