Count to Ten in Greek

Count to 10 in Greek

Image by deTraci Regula; licensed to About.om

Knowing your numbers in Greek can help you figure out directions, possibly understand what room you were just assigned (if you find the rare hotel desk clerk who doesn't speak English - I've heard there is one), and understand what time it is.

Here's How to Count to Ten in Greek

1. Ena - EN-a : Think "EN-a ONE" as in the phrase "An' a one, an' a two..." used to count into a piece of music.

2. Dio - THEE-oh : Try remembering "duo" for "dio" - again, like in a musical duo.

3. Tria - TREE-a : Again, music makes this one easy - think of a trio of musicians.

4. Tessera - TESS-air-uh : This one is harder, but there are four letters in the name "TESS" .

5. Pente - PEN-day : The PENTagon is a five-sided shape - and also an important building for Americans.

6. Exi - EX-ee : This one, it may help to think about being s-exi... which sounds closer to "six".

7. Epta - EP-TA (about equal stress) : If only the Romans hadn't messed with the calendar, S-eptember would still be the seventh month of the year. Try thinking of a seventy-seven year-old S-eptagenarian for this one.

8. Octo - oc-TOH : Want some eight-legged octopus for dinner tonight?

9. Ennea - en-NAY-a : Ennea has two "ns" in it - just like our own number nine.

10. Deka - THEK-a : Easy - remember a decade is a group of ten years.

There you are - you can now count to ten in Greek!

Here are some other resources to help you learn traveler's Greek:

Learn the Greek Alphabet in Eight Three-Minute Lessons

Go through these fun lessons, or sign up for my daily e-course on learning the Greek alphabet.

Practice The Greek Alphabet with Greek Roadsigns
Already know the Greek alphabet? See how you do on these roadsigns.