HSC Modern Greek Continuers cheat sheet

Greek nouns carry three genders (masculine, feminine, neuter) and four cases (ονομαστική, γενική, αιτιατική, κλητική); the article must agree with the noun in gender, number and case.

The genitive singular of masculine -ος nouns is -ου (ο δάσκαλος → του δασκάλου); feminine -η nouns take -ης (η τιμή → της τιμής); neuter -ο nouns take -ου (το βιβλίο → του βιβλίου).

Verbs conjugate for person and number; present endings for active voice: -ω, -εις, -ει, -ουμε, -ετε, -ουν(ε). Example: γράφω, γράφεις, γράφει, γράφουμε, γράφετε, γράφουν.

The aorist stem differs from the present stem (γράφω → έγραψα; βλέπω → είδα); the future is formed with θα + aorist or present subjunctive (θα γράψω, θα βλέπω).

Subjunctive is marked by να + verb; after να the negative is μην (να μην πάμε), while the negative of the indicative is δεν (δεν πάμε).

The imperfect is formed from the present stem with past endings and usually an augment: έγραφα, έγραφες, έγραφε, γράφαμε, γράφατε, έγραφαν.

Passive voice endings in the present: -ομαι, -εσαι, -εται, -όμαστε, -εστε, -ονται (πλένομαι, πλένεσαι, πλένεται).

Personal pronouns have weak (clitic) and strong forms; weak object pronouns precede the verb in the indicative (μου το έδωσε) but follow the imperative (δώσε μου το).

Task verbs in listening questions signal what is required: Ποιος/Ποια asks for a person, Πού for place, Πότε for time, Γιατί for reason, Πώς for manner.

Numbers and times are frequent answer targets; Greek times use η ώρα + number, and half hours are expressed with και μισή (τρεις και μισή = 3:30).

Dates use η + ordinal in the accusative: την πρώτη Μαΐου, στις δέκα Μαρτίου; months are masculine and take the genitive after στις.

Register cues: use of εσείς/σας signals formal address; use of εσύ/σου signals informal address - the answer must respect the same register.

Intonation distinguishes statement from question; a rising final contour typically marks a yes/no question, so the response is ναι or όχι plus a reason.

Discourse markers organise the recording: λοιπόν (so/then), δηλαδή (that is), όμως/αλλά (but), επομένως (therefore), πρώτα/έπειτα (first/then).

Negation in answers must match the audio: δεν + indicative for facts, μην + subjunctive for prohibitions or wishes (μην ανησυχείς).

Note-taking should record numbers, names, places and the speaker's attitude (θετικός/αρνητικός) because questions often ask for the speaker's opinion, not a fact.

Text types carry predictable structures: αγγελία (short, contact details), επιστολή (greeting, body, closing), άρθρο (headline, lead, detail), πρόσκληση (event, date, place, RSVP).

Skimming for gist uses the title, first sentence and repeated key words; scanning for detail uses numbers, capitalised names and dates.

Cognate inference: many formal words share roots with English (δημοκρατία, τηλέφωνο, μουσική); meaning can be inferred without full parsing.

Connectors signal logical relations: επειδή/γιατί (cause), ώστε (result), αν (condition), ενώ (contrast), παρόλο που (concession).

Verb tense in the text indicates time frame: ενεστώτας (now/habitual), αόριστος (completed past), παρατατικός (ongoing past), μέλλοντας with θα (future).

Pronouns and articles create cohesion; a weak pronoun like το or τους usually refers back to a previously mentioned noun, so track the referent.

Instructions specify response language and length; a question in Greek asking Να αναφέρετε δύο λόγους requires exactly two reasons, not a summary.

Unknown words can be resolved from context by identifying the part of speech (article + noun, subject + verb) and the sentence's topic-comment structure.

Formal letter structure: Αξιότιμε κύριε/Αξιότιμη κυρία + surname, body in plural address (σας, εσείς), closing Με εκτίμηση + name.

Informal letter or email: Αγαπητέ/Αγαπητή + first name, body in singular (σου, εσύ), closing Με αγάπη/Φιλικά + name.

Opinion texts require a thesis, two or three supporting arguments with connectors (καταρχάς, επιπλέον, τέλος) and a concluding sentence (Συμπερασματικά...).

Narrative texts use past tenses: παρατατικός for background and description, αόριστος for sequenced events, marked by χθες, τότε, μετά, τελικά.

Persuasive register uses imperatives and subjunctives (Πρέπει να..., Θα ήταν καλό να..., Σας παρακαλώ να...) plus evaluative adjectives.

Word-count control: count only content words you can verify; each paragraph of 3-4 sentences typically yields 40-60 Greek words.

Cohesion is scored via connectors and pronoun reference; repeating the same noun instead of using a clitic pronoun weakens the text.

Text-type conventions matter: αγγελία omits greetings, πρόσκληση states ημερομηνία, τόπος and ζητείται απάντηση, ημερολόγιο uses first person and dates.

The speaking assessment typically involves a conversation and/or a short monologue on a studied topic; both require sustained, connected speech rather than single-word answers.

Turn-taking markers: Λοιπόν..., Ναι, βέβαια..., Α, κατάλαβα..., Και κάτι άλλο... keep the interaction flowing.

Requesting clarification uses Ξαναλέτε το, παρακαλώ; Τι εννοείτε με...; Μπορείτε να το επαναλάβετε; - a repair strategy, not a failure.

Expressing opinion: Κατά τη γνώμη μου..., Νομίζω ότι..., Από ό,τι ξέρω..., Προσωπικά πιστεύω πως... followed by a reason with γιατί/επειδή.

Agreeing and disagreeing: Συμφωνώ απόλυτα, Έχεις δίκιο, Δεν είμαι σίγουρος/η, Από την άλλη πλευρά... - disagreement should be hedged.

Hedging and fillers that sound natural: μάλλον, ίσως, κάπως, δηλαδή, ας πούμε, ξέρεις - used sparingly.

Formal vs informal address must be held consistently: εσείς/σας with a teacher or interviewer; εσύ/σου with a peer.

Pronunciation targets: stress placement changes meaning (πότε vs ποτέ, νόμος vs νομός), and the gamma γ is a voiced fricative, not a hard English g.

Greek national holidays: 25 Μαρτίου (Independence Day and Evangelismós) and 28 Οκτωβρίου (Ohi Day, commemorating the 1940 refusal of the Italian ultimatum).

Easter (Πάσχα) is the major religious and social festival; Orthodox Easter usually falls on a different date from Western Easter, and the Saturday-night liturgy and the midnight greeting Χριστός Ανέστη are central.

Name days (γιορτή) are widely celebrated in Greece, often more prominently than birthdays; greetings use Χρόνια Πολλά.

The Greek diaspora is centred in Australia (Melbourne and Sydney), the United States, Canada and Germany; community organisations, Greek schools and parishes maintain language transmission.

Greek is the official language of Greece and Cyprus; Cyprus also recognises Turkish, and regional varieties include Cypriot Greek and Cretan Greek.

The Greek alphabet has 24 letters; the digraphs ου, αι, ει, οι and the letters η, υ, ω represent the same phoneme /i/ (iotacism), which drives spelling errors.

Cultural conventions: φιλοξενία (hospitality), naming children after grandparents, and the significance of the καφές as a social ritual.

Modern Greek has been influenced by loanwords from Turkish, Italian, French and English (ντομάτα, σπίτι, πάρκο), reflecting historical contact.