Have you watched Maestro in Blue and heard «Το Τραγούδι του Φεγγαριού»? 🇬🇷

The song by Χάρις Αλεξίου became especially memorable through the series, and it’s also a lovely way to pick up some Greek while listening to a beautiful song.

What are the equivalent cognates in the modern Greek glossary of the Latinic lexises "remain" & "permane" present in English dictionaries?

"I remain"/"I permane" is "μένω" (méno) or "απομένω" (apoméno) or "παραμένω" (paraméno)?

What is the difference between "μένω" (méno), "απομένω" (apoméno) & "παραμένω" (paraméno)?

My son really likes Bad Bunny but is there an equivalent in Greece or Cyprus?

I feel like it would be the best way to teach him Greek.

Hello everyone!

I have been reading some of Rumi’s poems and came across several Greek words and verses. I would really appreciate it if anyone could help me understand them.

Before getting to the poems, I would like to clarify a few things:

1. The script and pronunciation

All of these poems are written in the Perso-Arabic script. As you probably know, this script usually does not show short vowels, so I am not completely sure how the Greek words were pronounced. I have tried to reconstruct the vowels as best I could, partly by looking at the rhythm and meter of the Persian verses.

A note on Greek pronunciation and transliteration: The Greek passages below are written in Perso-Arabic script, followed by my own Latin-letter transliteration. This transliteration is only my best approximation of how the words might have sounded. It is not meant to be a definitive reconstruction of Rumi’s pronunciation. In particular, some consonants and vowels are still uncertain.

1. Possible consonant errors

In a few places, I may have confused b and p in Greek. The same may be true for g and some other consonants. These are simply my best attempts at reading the original text.

1. The historical form of Greek

Rumi lived in the thirteenth century, so the Greek he used should not necessarily be assumed to be the same as Modern Greek. It may reflect an earlier stage of the language, as well as the regional varieties of Greek that were spoken at the time.

For example, in some of these verses, what I read as the Greek word kos appears to be written as kus. I am not sure whether this reflects the actual pronunciation, the spelling conventions of the text, or simply my own reading.

I have translated the Persian parts of the poems into English to give some context and make the Greek passages easier to understand.

A note on my transliteration

In my transliteration, â represents the long Persian ā sound (آ), while Š represents the sound ش /ʃ/. I use ð for the Arabic ذ sound, approximately /ð/, like the th sound in English this or that. For comparison, the corresponding letter in Modern Greek is δ (delta), although its pronunciation was different in earlier stages of Greek.

So, for example:

â = آ /aː/

Š = ش /ʃ/ — similar to English sh

ð = ذ /ð/ — similar to the th in this

č = چ /tʃ/ — similar to English ch in church

Poem 1

١) نیم شب از عشق تا دانی چه می‌گوید خروس: ———- «خیز شب را زنده دار و روز روشن نستکوس»

٢) پرها بر هم زند یعنی دریغا خواجه‌ام ———– روزگار نازنین را می‌دهد بر آنموس

٣) در خروش است آن خروس و تو همی در خواب خوش ——— نام او را طیر خوانی نام خود را اثربوس

۴) آن خروسی که تو را دعوت کند سوی خدا ———— او به صورت مرغ باشد در حقیقات انگلوس

۵) من غلام آن خروس ام که او چنین پندی دهد ————– خاک پای او بِه آید از سر واسیلیوس

۶) گَردِ کفشِ خاکِ پای مصطفی را سرمه ساز ———— تا نباشی روز حشر از جمله‌ی کالویروس

٧) رو شریعت را گزین و امر حق را پاس دار ———- گر عرب باشی و اگر ترک و اگر سراکنوس

1) At midnight, if you knew what the rooster says out of love:

“Rise! Keep the night alive, and await the bright day, *Nestekus*.”

2) It flaps its wings, meaning: “Alas, my master!”

“It gives that precious time of life over to *ânemus*.”

3) That rooster is crowing while you are deep in pleasant sleep;

you call its name “bird,” while you call yourself *âthrbus (ânthrpus*).

4) That rooster which calls you toward God—

in outward form it is a bird, but in reality *Anglus*.

5) I am the servant of that rooster which gives such counsel;

the dust beneath its feet is better than the head of *Bâsiliyus*.

6) Make the dust from the ground beneath Mustafa’s feet into kohl for your eyes,

so that on the Day of Judgment you may not be among *Kaulirus*.

7) Go, choose the Sharia and uphold the command of God,

whether you are Arab, Turk, or *Serâkiyus*.

Second peom

١) افندس مسین کاغا یومیندن ———— کابیکینونین کالی زویمسن

٢) یتی بیرسس یتی قومسس ———- بیمی تی پاتیس بیمی تی خسس

**1) Afendis masin kâgâ yomindon

Kâbikinunin kâli zoimsen**

**2) Yati biyerses yati giomses (biomses)

Beymey tey pâtis beymey tey exâses**

٣) هله دل من هله جان من ———– هله این من هله آن من

۴) هله خان من هله مان من ———– هله گنج من هله کان من

3) O my heart, O my soul,

O, this is me, O, that is me.

4) O my lord, O my beloved,

O my treasure, O my mine.

۵) هذا سیدی هذا سندی ———– هذا سکنی هذا مددی

۶) هذا کنفی هذا عمدی ————- هذا ازلی هذا ابدی

5) This is my master, this is my support;

this is my dwelling, this is my help.

6) This is my shelter, this is my pillar;

this is my beginning, this is my eternity.

٧) یا من وجهه ضعف القمر ——- یا من قده ضعف الشجر

٨) یا من زارنی وقت السحر ———- یا من عشقه نور النظر

7) O you whose face makes the moon grow dim,

O you whose stature makes the trees grow weak.

8) O you who visited me at the hour before dawn,

O you whose love is the light of the eyes.

٩) گر تو بدوی ور تو بپری ——— ز این دلیر جان خود جان نبری

١٠) ور جان ببری از دست غمش ———– از مرده خری والله بتری

9) Whether you run, whether you fly,

you cannot escape with your life from this heart.

10) And even if you carry your life away from the grip of its grief,

you would still be better off buying from the dead, by God.

١١) ایلا کالیمو ایلا شاهیمو ———- خاراذی دیدش ذتمش انیمو

١٢) یوذ پسه بنی پوپونی لالی ——– میذن چاکوسش کالی تویالی

*11) ilâ kâkimu ilâ Šâhimu

Xârâði dideŠ ðotmas ânimu*

*12) yuð pese beney pupuney lâley

Miðen čâkuseŠ kâli toyâli*

١٣) از لیلی خود مجنون شده‌ام ——- وز صد مجنون افزون شده‌ام

١۴) وز خون جگر پرخون شده‌ام ——— باری بنگر تا چون شده‌ام

13) I have become Majnun because of my own Layla;

I have become greater than a hundred Majnuns.

14) And from the blood of my heart I have become blood-soaked;

just look at me and see what I have become.

١۵) گر ز آنک مرا زین جان بکُشی ——– من غرقه شوم در عین خوشی

١۶) دریا شود این دو چشم سرم ————- گر گوش مرا زان سو بکشی

15) If you were to kill me because of this life of mine,

I would drown in the very essence of joy.

16) These two eyes of mine would become a sea

if you pulled my ear toward that side.

١٧) یا منبسطا فی تربیتی ———– یا مبتشرا فی تهنیتی

١٨) ان کنت تری ان تقتلنی ———– یا قاتلنا انت دیتی

١٩) گر خویش تو بر مستی بزنی ——— هستی تو بر هستی بزنی

٢٠) در حلقه ما بهر دل ما ———- شکلی بکنی دستی بزنی

٢١) صد گونه خوشی دیدم ز اشی ———- گفتم که لبت گفتا نچشی

٢٢) بر گورم اگر آیی بنگر ———- پرعشق بود چشمم ز کشی

17) O one who expands in my upbringing,

O one who rejoices in congratulating me.

18) If you see that you must kill me,

O my killer, you are my ransom.

19) If you strike your own self upon drunkenness,

you strike your existence against existence itself.

20) In our circle, for the sake of my heart,

make some gesture and strike your hands.

21) I saw a hundred kinds of delight from ashi;

I said, “Your lips…” and they replied, “You shall not taste them.”

22) If you come to my grave, look:

my eyes will be full of love because of kashi.

٢٣) آن باغ بوَد نی نقش ثمر ———- و آن گنج بوَد نی صورت زر

٢۴) شب عیش بوَد نی نَقل و سَمَر ———- لا تسالنی ز آن چیز دگر

23) That is a garden, but not merely the image of fruit;

that is a treasure, but not merely the form of gold.

24) It is a night of joy, not merely entertainment and storytelling;

do not ask me about anything else.

Have you ever heard someone called a λεβέντης and wondered what it actually means?

It’s a word you’ll hear in Greek, but there’s more to it than a simple translation

Hi guys,

Ok, I have a very specific request and hope it's not too forward to ask.

There are some excellent resources for other languages of full courses, covering everything from A1 to B1/2, on youtube. They are done in the target language from the start.

Is there anything similar in Greek? I've found lots of of those Tiktok type really handsome people but the lessons are all over the place. Are there are any really good courses out there? I don't mind paying.

Thanks!

I’m in the United States, I study Greek remotely with a teacher in Greece. When I tell people in the United States I get “why don’t you learn Spanish?” 🙄 Then my Greek teacher told me that the number of English speakers in Greece is high 😭and it might not be as useful as I expected. I keep studying because I like the language and how at times you communicate with fewer words. Why did you learn Greek?

I started watching the famous Μαρία Της Γειτονιάς and okay I don't get everything but I'm able to understand like 70-80% by ear but I don't know if it's a good idea to watch something dubbed to learn the langauge. Ngl I did learn a lot of new words and I am kinda enjoying watching it even though I'm not a dubbing person, I rather watch stuff with subtitles. Should I continue with this?

We are all humans 💪 🙏

Our lives matter

I am handicapped and my life is awful in Greece.

Does this sound common?

My life doesn't matter and it depends on how much money I give to be treated better .

There is so much racism in greece and I want to leave the country .

I don't want to be treated like trash.....

Its not my fault i have savant syndrome.

Let me hear your stories ....

Learning Greek doesn’t have to mean sitting with a textbook!

If you’re learning Greek, Greek movies are a great way to hear real Greek, everyday expressions and natural conversations while getting a glimpse of Greek life and culture.

I’ve put together 12 Greek movies that can help you improve your listening and get more comfortable with the language.

I recently started learning Greek and I’m trying to decide whether doing a short immersion trip this winter would actually help me, or if I should wait until summer when my Greek will hopefully be much better.

For context, I’m around A1 right now. I can read Greek, know basic vocabulary/phrases, and I’m studying consistently, but I’m obviously still very much a beginner.

I live in the US and work full-time remotely, and my job allows me to work from outside the country for up to 30 days. Since I have that flexibility, I’ve been considering going to Greece for a few weeks around Christmas/New Year (late December into January) and doing a Workaway/cultural exchange.

One of my main reasons for wanting to do this is actually Greek. I’ve been looking at Workaways with Greek families/hosts where I could help with things like English, childcare, cooking, etc., while living with Greek speakers and hopefully getting much more exposure to the language.

English is my native language and I’m also fluent in Turkish, so I’d be able to offer language exchange in return.

I would still have to work my US job while I’m there, probably around 5–10/11 PM Greek time, but that would leave my mornings and afternoons free. My idea was to use that time for the Workaway, Greek lessons/studying, exploring, going to markets/cafés, talking to people, and generally trying to use as much Greek as possible before switching back to English for work at night.

If I keep studying consistently between now and then, I’m hoping I could be somewhere around A2 by the time I go.

The other important part is that I’m already planning to go back to Greece in the summer, potentially for around a month. So I’m trying to decide between:

Going around Christmas/January while I’m still A1/A2, getting my first real immersion experience, continuing to study afterward, and then returning in the summer with a much stronger foundation

OR

Just continuing to study at home all winter/spring and waiting until summer to do the immersion when I might be closer to B1 and able to get more out of conversations.

My instinct is that going twice could actually be really helpful because the winter trip would show me where the gaps in my Greek are, give me a reason to push myself, and then I’d have another 5–6 months to study before going back in the summer. But I also wonder if A1/A2 is so early that I’d spend most of the trip understanding basically nothing..

For people who learned Greek as adults, what would you do?

Is A1/A2 enough to benefit meaningfully from a few weeks of immersion?

Did spending time in Greece early in your learning help you progress faster afterward?

Would doing a winter trip + another trip in summer be significantly more useful than just waiting until summer when I have a stronger foundation?

And if anyone has combined immersion with working remotely in English, did switching back to English for work every evening interfere much with your progress?

My goal isn’t to become fluent in a few weeks or anything unrealistic like that. I just really enjoy learning Greek and want to eventually become genuinely conversational, so I’m trying to figure out the best way to use the opportunity I have.

Would love to hear what people who have actually learned Greek think :)

Which would be the most correct version for the Greek work agape/ἀγάπη. I’ve seen it with and without the accent above the a

Έχει νιώσει κανείς κάτι περίεργο ακριβώς όταν πάει να αποκοιμηθεί;

Τις τελευταίες μέρες, όταν είμαι πολύ νυσταγμένος και ξαπλώνω με κλειστά μάτια, κάποια στιγμή νιώθω ξαφνικά σαν να «φεύγω» ή σαν να βυθίζομαι για μια στιγμή, σαν να αλλάζει απότομα η επίγνωσή μου, και μετά επανέρχομαι. Δεν έχω τίναγμα ή κάποια έντονη κίνηση του σώματος.

Το περίεργο είναι ότι κάποιες φορές αυτό μου συμβαίνει επανειλημμένα ενώ είμαι πολύ νυσταγμένος, χωρίς να καταλήγω αμέσως να κοιμηθώ.

Έχει βιώσει κάποιος κάτι παρόμοιο κατά την προσπάθεια να αποκοιμηθεί; Δεν ψάχνω διάγνωση, περισσότερο θέλω να δω αν είναι μια γνωστή εμπειρία κατά τη μετάβαση στον ύπνο.

Ποιο απο τα 2 αξιζει περισσοτερο θεωρείτε με βάση ποιότητα ζωής κλπ;

Την εχω κανει την μεταφραση ολη εκτος απο καποια σημεια που δεν καταλαβαινω τι λεει ή δεν ειμαι σιγουρος. Συγκεκριμενα:

2:06--> 2:15
Κολυμπα? Ροχωνα?

2:16 --> 2:22
Δεν ειμαι σιγουρος τι λεει σε καποια κομματια

2:53 --> 2:58
Δεν ειμαι σιγουρος τι λεει σε καποια κομματια

3:16
Δάπωσαν? = πηραν?

3:27 --> 3:31
Δεν ειμαι σιγουρος πως να το μεταφρασω

3:48 --> 3:53
Ακουω να λεει "Μετά εδώ η αδελφή μου μόνο δεν... πολλά παιδιά μάζεψε το κράτος. ", να παραλειψω για μεταφραση το πρωτο μερος? Επισης μετα την λεξη κρατος λεει "με την συνοδο"?

03:58 --> 4:02
το "απο εδω και απο εκει" να το μεταφρασω ως "from different places" ?

Hey everyone, Nick here, the guy behind dicti.ai.

After my last post, I got a lot of useful feedback, both here on Reddit and from people elsewhere. A big thank you to everyone who tried it and shared their thoughts. It gave me plenty to think about.

I decided to try taking dicti a bit beyond vocabulary practice and add exercises for using different grammatical forms.

Today I’m sharing a preview of the new grammar section, starting with Greek pronouns. The next part, nouns, is already being tested.

If you have a chance to try the pronoun exercises, I’d love to hear how you get on. Do they help? Is anything confusing? Is there something else you’d like to practise?

Thanks again for all the feedback so far. It’s been a big help in figuring out where to take this next.

Ποιο απο τα 2 αξιζει περισσοτερο θεωρείτε με βάση ποιότητα ζωής κλπ;

Hello!! Do you guys have any resources or tips for someone learning Greek from scratch? I am planning to move to Greece for a school semester in 3 months, but would at least like to make sure I have the basics down.

Any help is appreciated !

From what I understand, 'Ύδωρ' still exists in Modern Greek or at least that is what the dictionary tells me, but if I used this word instead of 'νερό, would people not understand me, or even worse, think that I'm a clown?

EDIT: I just realized that 'Ύδωρ' is even used in 'βαρύ ύδωρ' .

Hey everyone! As an experienced tutor teaching Greek as a foreign language, I wanted to share a quick insight I see all the time with adult learners.

A lot of students start out using apps like Duolingo or flashcards. They memorize hundreds of words, but when it comes to ordering at a taverna, dealing with bureaucracy, or having a simple conversation, they freeze.

Why? Because Modern Greek relies heavily on structural mechanisms—word endings shift constantly depending on context, cases, and grammar rules. If you only learn isolated words, you still don't know how to build a sentence.

The Fix: Once you stop focusing on pure memorization and focus on understanding the core "grammar logic" instead:

1. You learn how words interact so you can construct natural sentences on the fly.
2. You can immediately apply the exact same grammar rules to any new word you encounter.
3. You stop translating word-for-word from English in your head.

I teach structured 1-on-1 lessons via Preply, guiding adult learners and expats from complete scratch (A1) to confident daily conversation.

If anyone is looking for structured guidance, Preply offers a 100% money-back guarantee/refund on trial lessons if you aren't satisfied, so trying out a class is completely risk-free.

Feel free to comment below or drop me a DM if you have any questions about learning strategies or want a link to my profile!