Modern Greek for Indian Students (Second Lesson)

Lesson 2 of 20: “I am, I have, I want, I like” + First verbs and questions

Tanmoy Bhattacharyya

Second Lesson

Recheck First Lession

Goal: By the end of this lesson, you’ll be able to introduce yourself properly, say what you like, what you want, and ask basic questions.

1. The two most important verbs right now

| Έχω | EH-ho | I have | | Έχεις | EH-hees | You have | | Έχει | EH-hee | He/She has | | Έχουμε | EH-hoo-meh | We have | | Έχετε | EH-heh-teh | You have (pl.) | | Έχουν | EH-hoon | They have |

Quick examples:

• Είμαι από την Αμερική. → I’m from America.
• Έχω δύο αδέρφια. → I have two siblings.
• Είσαι καλά; → Are you well?

2. “I want” and “I like” (super useful!)

| Θέλω | THEH-loh | I want | | Θέλεις | THEH-lees | You want | | Θέλει | THEH-lee | He/She wants |

| Μου αρέσει | Moo aREH-see | I like (literally: “it pleases me”) | | Σου αρέσει | Soo aREH-see | You like | | Του/Της αρέσει | Too/Tees aREH-see | He/She likes | | Μας αρέσει | Mas aREH-see | We like | | Σας αρέσει | Sas aREH-see | You (pl.) like | | Τους αρέσει | Toos aREH-see | They like |

Examples:

• Θέλω καφέ. → I want coffee.
• Μου αρέσει η Ελλάδα! → I like Greece!
• Σου αρέσει το σουβλάκι; → Do you like souvlaki?

3. Yes/No Questions – just raise your voice at the end!

Greek doesn’t change word order for questions. Just intonation ↑

Είσαι από την Αγγλία; → Are you from England? Θέλεις μπύρα; → Do you want a beer? Σας αρέσει το φαγητό; → Do you (pl.) like the food?

4. Basic question words

| Τι | tee | What | | Πού | poo | Where | | Πώς | pos | How | | Πότε | POH-teh | When | | Γιατί | yah-TEE | Why / Because | | Ποιος/Ποια/Ποιο | PYOS/PYA/PYO | Who / Which (m/f/n) | | Πόσος/Πόση/Πόσο | POH-sos/POH-see/POH-so | How much / How many |

Examples:

• Τι είναι αυτό; → What is this?
• Πού είσαι; → Where are you?
• Πώς σε λένε; → What’s your name? (lit. “How are they calling you?”)

5. Mini dialogue to practice everything

A: Γεια σου! Πώς σε λένε; B: Γεια! Με λένε Μαρία. Εσένα; A: Είμαι ο Alex. Χαίρομαι Μαρία! Από πού είσαι; B: Είμαι από τον Καναδά. Εσύ; A: Είμαι από την Αμερική. Θέλεις καφέ; B: Ναι, θέλω! Μου αρέσει ο ελληνικός καφές. A: Και εμένα! Πάμε;

6. Vocabulary to memorize (15 words – takes 4–5 minutes)

1. από ah-POH from
2. εδώ eh-THOH here
3. εκεί eh-KEE there
4. καλά ka-LAH well/fine
5. πολύ po-LEE very
6. λίγο LEE-ghoh a little
7. σήμερα SEE-meh-ra today
8. αύριο AV-ree-oh tomorrow
9. φίλος/φίλη FEE-los/FEE-lee friend (m/f)
10. οικογένεια ee-ko-YEH-neh-ya family
11. νερό neh-ROH water
12. ψωμί pso-MEE bread
13. σπίτι SPEE-tee home/house
14. δουλειά doo-LYA work/job
15. ευχαριστώ ef-hah-rees-TOH thank you

7. Homework (do today – 10–12 minutes total)

1. Say the forms of είμαι and έχω out loud 3 times
2. Make 10 sentences using Θέλω … or Μου αρέσει … Example: Θέλω νερό. / Μου αρέσει η θάλασσα.
3. Record yourself doing the mini dialogue above (even 20 seconds on your phone)
4. Write in Greek: “My name is ___. I am from ___. I like ___ and I want ___.”

When you finish, just say “Lesson 3” and we’ll learn:

• Numbers 1–100
• The articles (ο, η, το)
• How to order food and drinks like a local

Πώς τα πήγες? (How did you do?) Ready for Lesson 3 or want to practice this one more?