HSC Modern Greek Beginners cheat sheet

Family vocabulary: ο πατέρας (father), η μητέρα (mother), ο αδελφός (brother), η αδελφή (sister), ο παππούς (grandfather), η γιαγιά (grandmother), τα ξαδέλφια (cousins).

Possessives agree with the noun, not the owner: ο σκύλος μου (my dog, masc.), η τσάντα μου (my bag, fem.), το σπίτι μου (my house, neut.). Plural: οι φίλοι μου, τα βιβλία μου.

Daily-routine time expressions take the accusative without a preposition: το πρωί (in the morning), το μεσημέρι (at midday), το απόγευμα (in the afternoon), το βράδυ (in the evening), τη νύχτα (at night).

Clock time: «Τι ώρα είναι;» → «Είναι τρεις η ώρα» (3:00), «Είναι τρεις και τέταρτο» (3:15), «Είναι τρεις και μισή» (3:30), «Είναι τέσσερις παρά τέταρτο» (3:45).

Present-tense endings: -ω verbs → -ω, -εις, -ει, -ουμε, -ετε, -ουν (γράφω, γράφεις, γράφει...); -άω/-ώ verbs contract (μιλάω/μιλώ → μιλάς, μιλάει).

School subjects: τα μαθηματικά (maths), η γλώσσα (language), η ιστορία (history), η φυσική (physics), η γυμναστική (PE); school places: το σχολείο, η τάξη (class), η αυλή (yard).

Leisure verbs: μου αρέσει / μου αρέσουν (I like, singular/plural subject), παίζω (play), πηγαίνω (go), ακούω μουσική (listen to music), βλέπω τηλεόραση (watch TV), κάνω ποδήλατο (ride a bike).

Frequency adverbs: πάντα (always), συχνά (often), μερικές φορές (sometimes), σπάνια (rarely), ποτέ (never); «ποτέ» with a negative verb means «never» in Greek usage.

Major celebrations: η Πρωτοχρονιά (New Year), τα Θεοφάνεια (Epiphany, 6 Jan), η Αποκριά (Carnival before Lent), το Πάσχα (Easter, the most important Orthodox feast), η 25η Μαρτίου (Independence Day), η 28η Οκτωβρίου (Ochi Day).

Easter customs: νηστείες (Lent fasting), το βάψιμο των αυγών (dyeing red eggs), το τσούγκρισμα των αυγών (egg-tapping), η μαγειρίτσα (Easter soup), το αρνί στη σούβλα (spit-roasted lamb), το «Χριστός Ανέστη» greeting.

New Year customs: ο Αϊ-Βασίλης (Saint Basil, not Santa Claus), η βασιλόπιτα (Vasilopita cake with a hidden coin - το φλουρί); whoever finds it is «τυχερός».

Food staples: το ψωμί (bread), το τυρί (cheese), οι ελιές (olives), το ελαιόλαδο (olive oil), το γιαούρτι (yoghurt), οι φακές (lentils), τα φασολάκια (green beans), ο μουσακάς, τα ντολμαδάκια, ο χαλβάς.

Geography: Greece has mainland (η ηπειρωτική Ελλάδα) and islands (τα νησιά); the largest island is η Κρήτη, the capital is η Αθήνα, and the second city is η Θεσσαλονίκη.

Greek regions include η Μακεδονία, η Ήπειρος, η Θεσσαλία, η Πελοπόννησος, η Στερεά Ελλάδα, η Θράκη; island groups include οι Κυκλάδες, τα Δωδεκάνησα, τα Επτάνησα, το Αιγαίο and το Ιόνιο πέλαγος.

Community life: η γειτονιά (neighbourhood), η πλατεία (square), το καφενείο (café), η εκκλησία (church), το πανηγύρι (village festival), ο σύλλογος (association/club); Cyprus's capital is η Λευκωσία.

Name days (η γιορτή) are celebrated like birthdays in Greece; the greeting is «Χρόνια Πολλά» and the response is «Ευχαριστώ, επίσης».

Read the question before the audio plays; note whether it asks for a name, a number, a time, a place, or a reason - the answer type determines what detail to listen for.

Greek stress shifts meaning: πότε (when) vs ποτέ (never), πού (where) vs που (that/which), ή (or) vs η (the). Listen for the stressed syllable.

Numbers to recognise: μηδέν (0), ένα, δύο, τρία, τέσσερα, πέντε, έξι, επτά/εφτά, οκτώ/οχτώ, εννέα/εννιά, δέκα; teens end in -δεκα (έντεκα, δώδεκα...); tens: είκοσι, τριάντα, σαράντα, πενήντα, εξήντα, εβδομήντα, ογδόντα, ενενήντα, εκατό.

Dates: «Την πρώτη Μαΐου» (1 May), «Στις τρεις Μαρτίου» (3 March); months are η Ιανουαρίου, η Φεβρουαρίου... in date phrases (genitive after «στις»).

Listen for discourse markers that signal the answer: «λοιπόν» (well), «δηλαδή» (that is), «όμως/αλλά» (but), «γιατί» (because), «επειδή» (because), «γι' αυτό» (that's why).

Negation traps: ούτε...ούτε (neither...nor), δεν...τίποτα (nothing), δεν...κανένας (nobody); a single «δεν» reverses the statement, so confirm polarity before answering.

In dialogues, identify the speech act: an invitation («Θέλεις να...;»), a request («Μπορείς να...;»), an apology («Συγγνώμη»), an offer («Να σου...;»); the reply format differs for each.

Listen twice: first pass for gist (topic, speakers, setting), second pass for the specific detail the question demands; write the answer in the language and length the question specifies.

Common distractors: the audio mentions two options but only one is chosen («Ήθελα να πάω, αλλά τελικά έμεινα σπίτι» → they stayed home).

Skim for text type first: πινακίδα (sign), αγγελία (advertisement/notice), πρόσκληση (invitation), email (ηλεκτρονικό μήνυμα), γράμμα (letter), άρθρο (article), μενού (menu), πρόγραμμα (timetable); each has recognisable layout cues.

Scan for cognates and international words: μουσική, τηλέφωνο, πάρκο, ξενοδοχείο, αεροπλάνο, πίτσα, σοκολάτα - meaning is often inferable without full grammar.

Use word-building to decode unknowns: prefixes like ξε- (undo), συν- (together), υπερ- (over); suffixes -είο (place: βιβλιοπωλείο), -τήριο (place/instrument), -ικός (adjective), -ότητα (abstract noun).

Case endings carry the sentence role: -ς/-ο/-η nominative subject; -ν/-α/-ο accusative object after verbs and prepositions (σε, με, από, για, χωρίς); -ου/-ης genitive for possession.

Prepositions fix meaning: σε (to/in/at), από (from), με (with), για (for), χωρίς (without), μετά (after), πριν (before), κοντά (near), μακριά (far).

Answer in the requested form: true/false (σωστό/λάθος), matching, gap-fill, or short Greek answer; a copied sentence is not a short answer - trim to the essential phrase.

Beware literal English transfer: «Κάνει κρύο» = it is cold (not «it makes cold»); «Μου αρέσει» = I like it (the thing is the subject).

When a question asks «Γιατί;» (why), locate «γιατί/επειδή» in the text and report the stated reason, not an inferred one.

Register rule: use «εσύ» forms for friends and peers, «εσείς» forms for adults, teachers, and formal letters; formal greeting «Αξιότιμε κύριε/Αξιότιμη κυρία», closing «Με εκτίμηση».

Informal letter/email frame: «Αγαπητέ/Αγαπητή + name,» ... «Πώς είσαι;» ... body ... «Φιλικά,/Με αγάπη,» + your name.

Invitation frame: «Θα ήθελα να σε προσκαλέσω...» / «Θέλεις να έρθεις...;» + what, when («την Κυριακή στις εφτά»), where («στο σπίτι μου»), and a request for reply («Πες μου αν μπορείς»).

Narrative writing uses past tenses: αόριστος for completed actions (πήγα, έφαγα, είδα) and παρατατικός for background/habitual past (πήγαινα, έτρωγα); time connectors: πρώτα, μετά, ύστερα, τελικά, ενώ.

Accents are compulsory and mark stress: «πότε» (when) vs «ποτε» (never, unaccented in negative phrases); place one accent per word, never on a capital-only word in running text except in all-caps headings.

Punctuation follows Greek norms: Greek question mark is «;» (same glyph as semicolon), and the ano teleia «·» acts as a colon/semicolon separator.

Word-count control: plan 4–5 content points before writing, then expand each into 2–3 sentences; check the task's required length and add or cut detail to match.

Accuracy checks before finishing: verb ending matches subject (εγώ γράφω / αυτοί γράφουν), noun article matches gender and case, και/ή/αλλά connect clauses, and every sentence has a finite verb.

Alphabet order and names: άλφα, βήτα, γάμα, δέλτα, έψιλον, ζήτα, ήτα, θήτα, γιώτα, κάπα, λάμδα, μι, νι, ξι, όμικρον, πι, ρο, σίγμα, ταυ, ύψιλον, φι, χι, ψι, ωμέγα.

Sound values that differ from English: β = v, η/ι/υ = i, θ = th as in 'think', χ = ch as in 'loch', γ before e/i = y, δ = th as in 'this', μπ = b, ντ = d, γκ/γγ = g.

Diphthongs: αι = e, ει/οι/υι = i, ου = u (as in 'food'), αυ = av/af, ευ = ev/ef; the choice of v or f depends on the following sound.

Final sigma is ς, used only at word end (κόσμος); σ appears elsewhere. Sigma before β, γ, δ, μ becomes voiced (ζ).

Double consonants are pronounced singly but shorten the preceding vowel sound in practice: θάλασσα, γλώσσα, Ελλάδα.

The article is the best gender clue: ο (masc.), η (fem.), το (neut.); most neuter nouns end in -ο, -ι, -μα; most feminine in -η, -α; masculine in -ος, -ης, -ας.

Accent marks (τόνος) show stress and are written on the stressed vowel of every polysyllabic word; they do not change vowel quality in Greek.

Transliteration trap: Greek «χ» is not English 'ks' and «ψ» is 'ps'; read letter by letter when a word looks unfamiliar.

Definite article by case: nom. ο/η/το, gen. του/της/του, acc. τον/την/το; plural nom. οι/οι/τα, gen. των/των/των, acc. τους/τις/τα.

Indefinite article: ένας (masc.), μία/μια (fem.), ένα (neut.), nominative only; there is no plural indefinite article - use bare nouns or «μερικοί/μερικές/μερικά».

Adjectives agree with the noun in gender, number, and case: ένας καλός φίλος, μια καλή φίλη, ένα καλό παιδί; plural: καλοί φίλοι, καλές φίλες, καλά παιδιά.

Two verb conjugations: A (-ω: γράφω) and B (-άω/-ώ: μιλάω/μιλώ, αγαπάω/αγαπώ). Both take the same personal endings in the present.

Past formation: αόριστος adds -σ- and shifts stress (γράφω → έγραψα, μένω → έμεινα); παρατατικός uses the imperfect endings (έγραφα, έμενα).

Future and subjunctive use the particle θα/να + present or aorist stem: «θα πάω» (I will go), «θέλω να πάω» (I want to go), «να πας» (you should go).

Object pronouns: με, σε, τον/την/το, μας, σας, τους/τις/τα; they precede the verb in neutral order («τον βλέπω»), and weak forms attach after imperatives («δες το»).

Negation: «δεν» before verbs starting with a consonant or vowel in most cases, «μην» before subjunctive/imperative forms («μην πας»); double negation is grammatical in Greek («δεν βλέπω τίποτα»).

Listening/reading multiple-choice: eliminate options that repeat a word from the text but contradict the relation (e.g., wrong person, wrong time); the correct option paraphrases.

Gap-fill: the missing word must agree grammatically with its surroundings - check article, ending, and accent before writing; one word per gap unless stated otherwise.

Short-answer in Greek: use the minimum complete phrase; a noun phrase is acceptable when the question asks «Πού;» or «Πότε;», but «Γιατί;» needs a clause with γιατί/επειδή.

Matching tasks: match by function, not by shared vocabulary - a menu item matches a food category, a sign matches a place, an invitation matches a reply.

True/false with justification: when justification is required, quote or paraphrase the specific line that proves the answer; an unjustified guess earns no mark.

Writing tasks specify audience, purpose, and length; address all three explicitly (e.g., informal email to a friend, 60–80 words) and count words at the end.

Transfer of information tasks (table or form completion) require the exact detail from the text in the correct cell - names capitalised, numbers in digits or words consistently.

If a word is unknown, use context and morphology: a word ending in -είο is likely a place, one ending in -ικός describes something; answer from the surrounding sentence rather than leaving a blank.

Greetings: «Γεια σου» (informal, one person), «Γεια σας» (formal/plural), «Καλημέρα» (good morning), «Καλησπέρα» (good evening), «Καληνύχτα» (good night, on parting).

Politeness formulas: «Παρακαλώ» (please/you're welcome), «Ευχαριστώ» / «Ευχαριστώ πολύ», «Συγγνώμη» (sorry/excuse me), «Με συγχωρείτε» (formal excuse me), «Ορίστε» (here you are).

Asking for things: «Θα ήθελα...» (I would like), «Μπορώ να έχω...;» (may I have), «Πόσο κάνει;» (how much is it), «Έχετε...;» (do you have).

Directions: «Πού είναι...;» → «Πηγαίνετε ευθεία» (go straight), «στρίψτε δεξιά/αριστερά» (turn right/left), «είναι δίπλα/απέναντι/κοντά/μακριά» (next to/opposite/near/far).

At a café or taverna: «Τι θα πάρετε;» (what will you have), «Τον λογαριασμό, παρακαλώ» (the bill, please), «Με νερό/χωρίς πάγο» (with water/no ice).

Shopping: «Τι μέγεθος;» (what size), «Πόσο κοστίζει;» (how much does it cost), «Μου αρέσει αυτό» (I like this one), «Θα το πάρω» (I'll take it).

Telephone and messages: «Εμπρός;» (hello on the phone), «Ποιος μιλάει;» (who is speaking), «Λείπει» (he/she is out), «Θα του πω» (I'll tell him).

Invitations and replies: «Θέλεις να έρθεις;» → accept «Με χαρά!» / «Ευχαριστώ, θα έρθω»; decline «Λυπάμαι, δεν μπορώ» + a reason.