| The ABCs of Greece | |
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Time after time, being able to read the Greek alphabet saves travelers detours, wrong turns, and much time and frustration.
It's quick to learn enough letters to tell Athens from Piraeus, to tell "New Epidaurus" from "Ancient Epidaurus" from the "Port of Epidaurus". You may never need to if you're on an organized tour - but if you're the independent type, you owe it to yourself to "pack" this knowledge in your braincase.
In Crucial Tips for the Independent Traveler, you saw how handy it is to be able to at least read the letters of the Greek alphabet. Even if you don't learn Greek, some words are similar to English and once you have the alphabet down, it can help you get around more smoothly.
These are given in the order of the Greek alphabet...which starts with alpha and beta, giving us the word "alphabet"! Pronunciations are approximate - check links below for audio files.
epsilon - "eh"
lambda - "l"
taf - "t"
upsilon - "u"
fee - "ph or f"
alpha "a"
beta - "b" but pronounce
it as a "v".
gamma - "g" Hard g.
delta - "d"
zeta - "z"
eta - "ay" NOT "H"!
theta - "th"
iota - "i" short i sound, "ih"
kappa - "k"
mee - "m"
nee - "n" note two forms
ksee - "ks" sound, like "x" in "fox"
omicron - "o"
pee - "p" math class "Pi"
rho - "r"
sigma - "s"
kee - hard kh sound
psee - "ps or s"
omega - "oh"
Here are some other resources to help you learn traveler's Greek:
Greek Alphabet
From Little Greek 101, this is a great quick introduction to reading and writing the Greek alphabet. Pronunciations are Erasmian rather than Modern, but it's a place to start.
Quick Greek
Very quick and basic words and phrases, including the best explanation of numbers (handy for shopping!). Pronunciations are approximate. From Rodos.com.
Greek Lessons
Very basic lessons, including audio files.
