1600+ Essential Greek Phrases: Easy to Intermediate - Pocket Size Phrase Book for Travel

By Fluency Pro

Struggling to speak Greek like a native?

This Greek phrasebook is an invaluable guide for learning and speaking Greek while traveling. Designed for both beginners and advanced learners, learn how to speak in real life conversations with this organized guide.

Our book provides useful phonetic transcriptions of Greek words and phrases to use in the most common situations including greetings, ordering food, booking hotels, emergency situations, small talk… and so much more!

The layout is straightforward, so you can easily move from chapter to chapter and look up words at your own pace. This phrasebook is comprehensive and easy to use, providing you with a quick reference to learn Greek fast and effectively.

Features include:

• 1600+ Conversational Words and Phrases Organized by Situation
• Includes Greek and English Translations
• Phonetic Descriptions for Each Entry, Providing Easy Reference for Pronunciation

• Language: English
• Publisher: CB Books
• Release date: Dec 31, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223975427

Book preview

HOW THIS BOOK IS ORGANIZED

More than 1600 frequently used Greek expressions are categorized according to their context of use. Each entry follows a standard template that gives you the original English sentence, its Greek translation, and a phonetic breakdown. The phonetic transcription is helpful if you're curious in the pronunciation of Greek terms you've seen in print but aren't fluent in the language. There are dashes between each word in every transliteration. Spaces separate the words. Capitalized syllables are stressed, but lowercase ones are not.

Pronunciation

Modern Greek phonetics govern how the words are pronounced. Vowels and consonants, along with accent marks to denote stress and tone, make up the modern Greek phonetic system.

Vowels in Greek are pronounced differently from those in English. Alpha (α) is pronounced like the English word father, while epsilon (ε) is pronounced like the English word pet. The Greek language features a number of diphthongs, which are combinations of vowels pronounced as a single syllable.

Consonants

The pronunciation of Greek consonants is quite close to that of English consonants, with a few exceptions. The Greek letter theta (θ) is pronounced like the English letter th in the word thought, while the Greek letter chi (χ) is pronounced like the English letter ch in the words loch or Bach.

Greek uses accents to emphasize certain sounds inside a word. The most prevalent type of accent mark is the acute accent ('), which emphasizes a single syllable, as in the word for love (agápi). Vowels, consonants, and accent marks are all pronounced according to the norms of modern Greek phonetics.

Each of the 24 letters in the Greek alphabet represents a different sound. The Greek alphabet consists of 22 letters (7 vowel letters and 17 consonant letters). Greek consonants and vowels are listed below.

Note that the Greek alphabet includes some letters that look like Latin letters but have different pronunciations. For example, the Greek letter Β (beta) is similar in appearance to the Latin letter B, but it is pronounced differently. Also, some Greek letters have multiple forms depending on their position in a word. The lowercase letter sigma, for example, has two forms: σ (final) and ς (non-final).

Greek Sentence Construction

A Greek sentence consists of a subject, verb, and object, just like an English sentence does. Word order and sentence structure are two areas where the two versions diverge.

In Greek, the subject can come before or after the verb. The most common word order is subject-verb-object (SVO), which is similar to English. For example, Ο άντρας αγόρασε ένα βιβλίο (O ántras agorase éna vivlio) means The man bought a book with Ο άντρας (O ántras) as the subject, αγόρασε (agorase) as the verb, and ένα βιβλίο (éna vivlio) as the object.

Yet, Greek's adaptable word order also permits the subject to precede the verb or the object to precede the subject. You can utilize this to emphasize a point or set the tone.

The form of a Greek noun, adjective, or verb can vary according to its grammatical role in a phrase thanks to the language's inflection system. For instance, the masculine noun καλός (kalós) for good might be morphed into the feminine καλή (kal) or the plural καλoί (kalo) depending on the gender of the subject.

Articles are a significant part of Greek sentence structure. For specificity or generality, you can use the definite article (the) or the indefinite article (a/an) before a noun or adjective in Greek. For instance, the cat is η γάτα (i gáta) while a cat is μία γάτα (ma gáta).

Though both languages use subjects, verbs, and objects in phrases, word order and overall organization are different in Greek. The usage of the definite and indefinite articles in Greek is crucial to conveying specificity and ambiguity.

1

ORDERING FOOD

Hi, table for two, please.

Γεια σας, τραπέζι για δύο παρακαλώ.

Yah sas, tra-PE-zi ya THEE-o pa-ra-KA-loh

Could we have a booth/table, please?

Θα μπορούσαμε να έχουμε ένα περίπτερο/τραπέζι, παρακαλώ;

Tha bo-ROUsa-me na Ehou-me EN-a pe-RIP-te-roh/tra-PE-zi, para-KA-loh?

Can we see the menu list, please?

Μπορούμε να δούμε τη λίστα μενού, παρακαλώ;

Boro-UME na DOU-me ti LIS-ta me-NOU, para-KA-loh

Can we see the wine list, please?

Μπορούμε να δούμε τη λίστα κρασιών, παρακαλώ;

Bo-ROO-meh na DOO-meh tee LEE-sta kra-see-ON, para-KA-loh?

What do you recommend?

Τι μου προτείνετε;

Tee moo proh-TEH-neh-teh

Could we have some water, please?

Θα μπορούσαμε να έχουμε λίγο νερό, παρακαλώ;

Tha bo-ROO-sa-me na e-hou-me LEE-go ne-roh, para-KA-loh?

I'd like to order the salmon, please.

Θα ήθελα να παραγγείλω τον σολομό, παρακαλώ.

Tha e-THELA na para-YEILO ton solo-MO, para-KA-loh

Can I have the steak well-done, please?

Μπορώ να φτιάξω καλά τη μπριζόλα, παρακαλώ;

Mpo-ro na FTEE-akso ka-LA tee bree-ZO-la, para-KA-loh?

Could I get a side of fries with that?

Θα μπορούσα να πάρω μια πλευρά τις πατάτες με αυτό;

Tha mpo-ROU-sa na PA-ro mia PLE-fra tis pa-TA-tes me af-TO?

Could we have some more bread, please?

Θα μπορούσαμε να έχουμε λίγο ακόμα ψωμί, παρακαλώ;

Tha mpo-ROU-sa-me na E-hou-me LEE-go a-KO-ma PSO-mi, pa-ra-ka-LOH?

Is it possible to make some substitutions?

Είναι δυνατόν να γίνουν κάποιες αντικαταστάσεις;

E-ne DIN-a-ton na GIn-oun KA-pies an-TIKA-ta-STAs-es?

I'm allergic to nuts, is there any dish without them?

Είμαι αλλεργικός στους ξηρούς καρπούς, υπάρχει πιάτο χωρίς αυτούς;

EE-meh al-le-ree-KOS stous xee-ROUS kar-POUS, ee-PAHR-chee pee-A-to ho-REESS af-TOUS?

Could we have the check, please?

Θα μπορούσαμε να έχουμε τον έλεγχο, παρακαλώ;

Tha bo-ROO-sa-meh na E-hou-meh ton E-le-gho, pa-ra-KA-loh?

Can we pay separately, please?

Μπορούμε να πληρώσουμε χωριστά, παρακαλώ;

Bo-ROO-meh na plee-ROH-soo-meh hor-ee-STAH, pa-ra-KA-loh?

This was delicious!

Αυτό ήταν νόστιμο!

OW-to EE-tan NO-stee-moh!

Do you have any vegetarian options?

Έχετε επιλογές για χορτοφάγους;

EH-heh-TEH ehpee-LOH-yes ya hortoh-FA-ghoos?

How spicy is this dish?

Πόσο πικάντικο είναι αυτό το πιάτο;

Pόso pi-KAN-ti-ko Ene αf-TO to pi-A-to

Can I have a glass of red/white wine?

Μπορώ να πιω ένα ποτήρι κόκκινο/λευκό κρασί;

Mbo-RO na pio E-na po-TI-ri KO-kino/LE-fko kra-SI;

Could we have some more napkins, please?

Θα μπορούσαμε να έχουμε μερικές ακόμη χαρτοπετσέτες, παρακαλώ;

Tha bo-ROO-sehmeh na EH-hou-meh meh-REE-kes ah-KOH-mee hartoh-peh-TSEH-tes, para-KAH-loh;

This is not what I ordered.

Δεν είναι αυτό που παρήγγειλα.

Then EEN-eh afto poo par-EE-yeh-la

Can you please heat this up?

Μπορείτε παρακαλώ να το ζεστάνετε;

Bo-REI-te para-KAH-loH na to zesta-NE-te;

Can we have the leftovers to go, please?

Μπορούμε να έχουμε τα υπολείμματα για να πάμε, παρακαλώ;

Bo-ROU-me na E-HOU-me ta ipo-LEIM-mata ya na PA-me, para-KAH-loh;

Excuse me, is the service charge included?

Με συγχωρείτε, περιλαμβάνεται η χρέωση υπηρεσιών;

Me sinho-ree-teh, peri-lam-VAN-teh ee hre-o-SEE EEPE-ri-SE-on

Can we split the bill?

Μπορούμε να χωρίσουμε το λογαριασμό;

Bo-roo-meh na ho-REE-soo-meh to lo-ga-ree-AS-moh;

Can I get a to-go box for this?

Μπορώ να πάρω ένα κουτί για αυτό;

Bo-RO na PA-ro EN-a kou-TI ya af-TO;

Is service included?

Περιλαμβάνεται η υπηρεσία;

Pe-REE-la-MVA-NE-te ee EE-pee-re-SEE-a;

Can we have separate checks, please?

Μπορούμε να κάνουμε ξεχωριστούς ελέγχους, παρακαλώ;

Mpo-ROO-meh na KA-nou-MEH kse-ho-RI-stus e-LE-ghus, pa-ra-KA-loh?

Can we see the dessert menu, please?

Μπορούμε να δούμε το μενού του γλυκού, παρακαλώ;

Mpo-ROO-meh na DOU-meh to me-NU tou glee-KOU, pa-ra-KA-loh?

This dish is too salty.

Αυτό το πιάτο είναι πολύ αλμυρό.

Af-to to py-A-to E-nee po-LEE al-MEE-ro.

Do you have any vegetarian options?

Έχετε επιλογές για χορτοφάγους;

EH-heh-teh EPEE-lo-GES ya HOR-to-FA-GHOOS?

Thank you, the meal was great.

Ευχαριστώ, το γεύμα ήταν υπέροχο.

EFHA-rees-TO, to GHEE-ma EE-tan ee-PE-ro-kho

I would like to order(Selected).

Θα ήθελα να παραγγείλω (Επιλεγμένο).

Tha íth-ELA na paran-GEILO (Epilegméno).

Could you please recommend something?

Θα μπορούσατε να προτείνετε κάτι;

Tha boro-USATE na pro-TEINE-te káti?

Can I have a glass/bottle of...?

Μπορώ να έχω ένα ποτήρι/μπουκάλι...;

Boró NA é-CHO ena po-TIRI/bou-KALI...?

Can we have the bill, please?

Μπορούμε να έχουμε το λογαριασμό παρακαλώ?

Boro-UME na ECHO-ume to LOG-aria-SMO para-KALO?

Can we pay separately/together?

Μπορούμε να πληρώσουμε χωριστά/μαζί;

Boro-UME na pliró-SOUME CHOTI-stá/mazí?

Do you accept credit cards?

Δέχεστε πιστωτικές κάρτες?

Déc-HESTE PIS-to-tikés KAR-tes?

How much is it?

Δέχεστε πιστωτικές κάρτες?

Póso kos-TIZ-ei?

Could we have some more water, please?

Θα μπορούσαμε να έχουμε λίγο περισσότερο νερό, παρακαλώ;

Tha boro-USA-me na ECH-ou-me lígo peri-SSO-tero neró, para-KAH-LOH?

Can we pay separately?

Μπορούμε να πληρώσουμε χωριστά;

Boro-UME na pli-ROSO-ume CHORI-stá?

2

BUYING TICKETS FOR TRAVEL

*Insert the destination where applicable

Hi, I'd like to buy a ticket to [destination], please.

Γεια, θα ήθελα να αγοράσω ένα εισιτήριο για [προορισμό], παρακαλώ.

GHEE-a, tha EE-the-la na a-gho-RA-so EN-a ee-see-TEER-io ya [pro-o-RI-smo], pa-ra-KA-loh

How much is a one-way ticket to [destination]?

Πόσο κοστίζει ένα εισιτήριο απλής μετάβασης προς [προορισμός];

PO-so kost-EE-zee EN-a ee-see-TEER-io ap-LEES me-TA-va-sis pros [pro-o-RI-smos]

Do you have any discounts for students/seniors/military?

Έχετε εκπτώσεις για φοιτητές/πρεσβύτερους/στρατιωτικούς;

E-khe-te ekp-TOS-ees ya fit-EE-tes/pres-VE-te-rous/stra-tio-TI-kous

Can I buy a round-trip ticket to [destination]?

Μπορώ να αγοράσω εισιτήριο μετ' επιστροφής στον [προορισμό];

Mpo-RO na a-GHO-RA-so e-see-TEE-reeo met e-PEEA-TRO-fis ston [pro-o-reez-MO];

Are there any direct flights to [destination]?

Υπάρχουν απευθείας πτήσεις προς [προορισμός];

Ypa-RHOUN a-pef-THE-as pros [pro-o-RIS-mos]

Can I reserve a seat on this flight/train?

Μπορώ να κάνω κράτηση θέσης σε αυτήν την πτήση/τρένο;

Mpo-RO na KA-no kra-TEE-see THE-sis se af-TEEN teene ptee-SEE/ tre-no;

What's the next available flight/train to [destination]?

Ποια είναι η επόμενη διαθέσιμη πτήση/τρένο προς [προορισμό];

Pe-a een-ai ee E-po-ME-nee thee-ah-VEE-mee ptee-SEE/ tre-no pros [pro-or-eez-MO];

Is there a layover on this flight?

Υπάρχει καθυστέρηση σε αυτήν την πτήση;

YpaR-KHEI ka-thys-TERE-si se aftin tin PTI-si?

How long is the layover?

Πόσο διαρκεί η αναμονή;

POSO diar-kí EE ana-moní?

Can I choose my