A collection of useful phrases in Ancient Greek, the form of Greek spoken in Greece and Greek colonies from about the 9th century BC to the 6th century AD.
Key to abbreviations: sg = said to one person, pl = said to more than one person, m = said by men, f = said by women.
See these phrases in any combination of two languages in the Phrase Finder. If you can provide recordings, corrections or additional translations, please contact me.
| English | Ἑλληνική (Ancient Greek) |
|---|---|
| Welcome | Ἀσπάζομαι! (Aspádzomai) |
| Hello (General greeting) | Χαῖρε! (Khaíre!) - sg Χαίρετε! (Khaírete!) - pl |
| How are you? | Τί πράττεις; (Ti prátteis?) - sg Τί πράττετε; (Ti práttete?) - pl |
| Reply to 'How are you?' | Πάντ' ἀγαθὰ πράττω, ὦ φίλε. (Pánt' agathá práttō, ō fíle.) 'Everything goes well, friend' |
| Long time no see | Καιρὸς δέ! (Kairós dé!) |
| What's your name? | Ὄνομα σοι τί ἐστιν; (Ónoma soi tí estin?) |
| My name is ... | Ὄνομα μοι… (Ónoma moi ...) |
| Where are you from? | Ποδαπὸς εἶ; (Podapós eí?) - sg Ποδαποί ἐστε; (Podapoí este?) - pl |
| I'm from ... | Ἐκ … ἔρχομαι. (Ek… érkhomai) |
| How old are you? | Πηλικὸς εἶ; (Pēlikós eí?) - m Πηλικὴ εἶ; (Pēlikē eí?) - f |
| I'm ... years old | Ἔτεα ... γεγονώς (Étea ... gegonōs) - m Ἔτεα ... γεγονυῖα (Étea ... gegonuía) - f |
| Pleased to meet you | Σε γιγνώσκων χαίρω (Se gignōskōn kaírō) |
| Good morning (Morning greeting) |
Ὑπίαινε! (Hypíaine!) - sg Ὑπιαίνετε! (Hypiaínete!) - pl |
| Good afternoon (Afternoon greeting) |
Χαῖρε! (Khaíre!) Χαίρετε! (Khaírete!) |
| Good evening (Evening greeting) |
Χαῖρε! (Khaíre!) Χαίρετε! (Khaírete!) |
| Good night | Ὑγίαινε! (Hygíaine!) - sg Ὑγιαίνετε! (Hygiaínete!) - pl |
| Goodbye (Parting phrases) |
Ὑπίαινε! (Hypíaine!) - sg Ὑπιαίνετε! (Hypiaínete!) - pl |
| Good luck! | ἴθι εὐτυχής! (íthi eutukhēs!) |
| Cheers! Good Health! (Toasts used when drinking) |
Χαῖρε πολλά! (Kaíre pollá!) |
| Have a nice day | Χαῖρε πολλά! (Kaíre pollá!) |
| Bon appetit / Have a nice meal |
Τὸ δεῖπνον ἐστ’ ἐπεσκευασμένον (Tó deípnon est' epeskeuasménon) |
| Bon voyage / Have a good journey |
ἴθι χαίρων! (íthi khaírōn!) |
| I understand | Ξυνίημι (Ksyníēmi) |
| I don't understand | Οὐ ξυνίημι (Ou ksyníēmi) |
| Please speak more slowly | Βούλει σχολαίτερον λέγειν; (Boúlei skholaíteron légein?) |
| Please say that again | Aὖθις ἐξ ἀρχῆς λέγε, ἀντιβολῶ (Aúthis eks arkhēs lége, antibolō) |
| Please write it down | Μεταγράφε αὐτὸ, ἀντιβολῶ (Metagráfe autó, antibolō) |
| Do you speak English? | Ἀγγλιστί λαλεῖς; (Anglistí laleís?) |
| Yes, a little (reply to 'Do you speak ...?') |
Ναί, ὀλίγον τι (Naí, olígon ti) |
| I'm learning Greek | μανθάνω τὴν Ἑλληνικὴν φωνήν (Manthánō tḕn Hellēnikḕn phōnḗn) μανθάνω τὴν Ἑλληνικὴν γλῶσσαν (Manthánō tḕn Hellēnikḕn glôssan) |
| How do you say ... in ...? | Πῶς λέγω ...? (Pōs légō ...?) |
| Excuse me | Συγγνωθί μοι (Syngnōthí moi) |
| How much is this? | Πόσον τι; (Póson ti?) |
| Sorry | Συγγνώμην ἔχε (Syngnōmēn ékhe) |
| Thank you | Ἐπαινῶ (Epainō) |
| Reply to thank you | Οὐδὲν διαφέρει (Oudén diaférei) |
| Would you like to dance with me? | Δὸς ὀρχεῖσθαι τοῦτο μετὰ σοί (Dós orkheísthai toúto metá soí) |
| I miss you | Ποθεινοτέρως ἔχω σοῦ (Potheinotérōs ékhō soú) |
| I love you | Σε φιλῶ (Se filō) |
| Get well soon | Τοὺς θεοὺς εὔχομαί σοι διδόναι ὑγίειαν (Toús theoús eúkhomaí soi didónai hygíeian) |
| Leave me alone! | Παῦε! (Paúe!) |
| Help! | Ζεῦ σῶσον! (Zdeú sōson!) |
| Fire! | Πῦρ! (Púr!) |
| Stop! | Παῦε! (Paúe!) |
| Congratulations! | Εὖγε! (Eúge!) |
| Christmas greetings | Καλὰ Χριστούγεννα! (Kalá Khristoúgenna!) |
| Easter greetings | Καλὸν Πάσχα! (Kalón Páskha!) |
| Birthday greetings | Πόλλ’ ἀγαθὰ γένοιτό σοι! (Póll' agathá génoitó soi!) |
| My hovercraft is full of eels | Τὸ ἐμὸν αερόστρωμνον ἐγχελείων πλῆρές ἐστιν (Tó emón aeròstromnon enkheleíōn plērés estin) |
| One language is never enough | Μία γλώττα οὐδεπώποτε ἱκανή (Mía glōtta oudepōpote hikanē) |
Greek translations and recordings provided by Phil Stamato
Download all the audio files (Zip format, 1MB)
If you would like to make any corrections or additions to this page, or if you can provide recordings, please contact me.
Information about Greek (Ancient and Modern) | Phrases | Numbers | Tower of Babel
Collections of Greek phrases (some with audio)
http://www.takisnet.org/Greek/
http://www.foundalis.com/lan/grkphra.htm
http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/other/greek/quickfix/
http://www.smartphrase.com/Greek/gr_general_words_phr.shtml
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