Lesson 7 of 20: My / Your / His stuff, Shopping & Prices, and the Genitive Case
After today, youโll be able to:
- say โmy brotherโ, โMariaโs carโ, โthe beach of Santoriniโ
- go shopping, ask prices, and bargain a tiny bit
- understand menus and signs that say โthe coffee of the houseโ
1. Possessive pronouns (super easy in Greek!)
| after vowel | after consonant | English | |
|---|---|---|---|
| my | ฮผฮฟฯ | ฮผฮฟฯ | mou |
| your (informal) | ฯฮฟฯ | ฯฮฟฯ | sou |
| his/her/its | ฯฮฟฯ / ฯฮทฯ | ฯฮฟฯ / ฯฮทฯ | tou / tis |
| our | ฮผฮฑฯ | ฮผฮฑฯ | mas |
| your (pl./formal) | ฯฮฑฯ | ฯฮฑฯ | sas |
| their | ฯฮฟฯ ฯ | ฯฮฟฯ ฯ | tous |
You just put them AFTER the noun (opposite of English!):
- ฮฟ ฮฑฮดฮตฯฯฯฯ ฮผฮฟฯ โ my brother
- ฮท ฯฮฏฮปฮท ฯฮฟฯ โ your friend
- ฯฮฟ ฯฯฮฏฯฮน ฯฮฟฯ ฯ โ their house
- ฯฮฟ ฮฑฯ ฯฮฟฮบฮฏฮฝฮทฯฮฟ ฯฮทฯ ฮฮฑฯฮฏฮฑฯ โ Mariaโs car
2. Genitive case โ โofโ (only the articles change)
| Nominative | Genitive | Use |
|---|---|---|
| ฮฟ | ฯฮฟฯ | of the (masc.) |
| ฮท | ฯฮทฯ | of the (fem.) |
| ฯฮฟ | ฯฮฟฯ | of the (neuter) |
| ฮฟฮน | ฯฯฮฝ | of the (plural) |
Examples:
- ฯฮฟ ฮฒฮนฮฒฮปฮฏฮฟ ฯฮฟฯ ฮฮนฮฌฮฝฮฝฮท โ Yiannisโs book
- ฮท ฯฮฑฯฮฑฮปฮฏฮฑ ฯฮทฯ ฮฃฮฑฮฝฯฮฟฯฮฏฮฝฮทฯ โ the beach of Santorini
- ฯฮฑ ฮบฮปฮตฮนฮดฮนฮฌ ฯฯฮฝ ฯฮฑฮนฮดฮนฯฮฝ โ the childrenโs keys
3. Shopping & prices โ the phrases youโll use 100 times
| Greek | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| ฮ ฯฯฮฟ ฮบฮฌฮฝฮตฮน; / ฮ ฯฯฮฟ ฮญฯฮตฮน; | PO-so KAH-nee? / PO-so EH-hee? | How much is it? |
| ฮ ฯฯฮฟ ฮบฮฌฮฝฮฟฯ ฮฝ ฮฑฯ ฯฮฌ; | PO-so KAH-noon af-TAH? | How much are these? |
| โฆฮตฯ ฯฯ ฯฮฟ ฮบฮนฮปฯ | โฆ ev-RO to kee-LO | โฆeuros per kilo |
| ฮฯฮตฮน ฮญฮบฯฯฯฯฮท; | EH-hee EHK-to-see? | Is there a discount? |
| ฮฯฮฟฯฯ ฮฝฮฑ ฯฮฟ ฮดฮฟฮบฮนฮผฮฌฯฯ; | bo-RO na to tho-kee-MA-so? | Can I try it on? |
| ฮฮฏฮฝฮฑฮน ฮปฮฏฮณฮฟ ฮฑฮบฯฮนฮฒฯโฆ | EE-neh LEE-gho a-kree-VO | Itโs a bit expensiveโฆ |
| ฮฯฮตฯฮต ฯฮนฮฟ ฯฯฮทฮฝฯ; | EH-heh-teh pyo ftee-NO? | Do you have something cheaper? |
| ฮคฮฟ ฯฮฑฮฏฯฮฝฯ! | to PER-no! | Iโll take it! |
| ฮฮต ฮบฮฌฯฯฮฑ ฮฎ ฮผฮตฯฯฮทฯฮฌ; | meh KAR-ta ee meh-tree-TAH? | Card or cash? |
| ฮฯฮฑฯฮฎฯฯฮต ฯฮฑ ฯฮญฯฯฮฑ | kra-TEE-steh ta RES-ta | Keep the change |
Real-life mini-dialogue in a shop: You: ฮฮฑฮปฮทฮผฮญฯฮฑ! ฮ ฯฯฮฟ ฮบฮฌฮฝฮตฮน ฮฑฯ ฯฯ ฯฮฟ ฮผฮฑฮณฮนฯ; Seller: ฮคฯฮนฮฌฮฝฯฮฑ ฯฮญฮฝฯฮต ฮตฯ ฯฯ. You: ฮฮผฮผโฆ ฮตฮฏฮฝฮฑฮน ฮปฮฏฮณฮฟ ฮฑฮบฯฮนฮฒฯ. ฮฯฮตฯฮต ฮบฮฌฯฮน ฯฮนฮฟ ฯฯฮทฮฝฯ; Seller: ฮฮฑฮน, ฮฑฯ ฯฯ ฮตฮดฯ ฮตฮฏฮฝฮฑฮน ฮตฮฏฮบฮฟฯฮน ฮฟฮบฯฯ. You: ฮฉฯฮฑฮฏฮฟ! ฮคฮฟ ฯฮฑฮฏฯฮฝฯ. ฮฮต ฮบฮฌฯฯฮฑ ฮณฮฏฮฝฮตฯฮฑฮน; Seller: ฮฮญฮฒฮฑฮนฮฑ!
4. Put everything together โ describing possessions
- ฮคฮฟ ฯฯฮฏฯฮน ฮผฮฟฯ ฮตฮฏฮฝฮฑฮน ฮผฮนฮบฯฯ ฮฑฮปฮปฮฌ ฯฮฟฮปฯ ฯฯฮฑฮฏฮฟ.
- ฮ ฯฯฮฌฮฝฯฮฑ ฯฮทฯ ฮฮปฮญฮฝฮทฯ ฮตฮฏฮฝฮฑฮน ฮบฮฑฮนฮฝฮฟฯฯฮณฮนฮฑ ฮบฮฑฮน ฮฑฮบฯฮนฮฒฮฎ.
- ฮคฮฑ ฯฮฑฯฮฟฯฯฯฮนฮฑ ฯฮฟฯ ฮฌฮฝฯฯฮฑ ฮผฮฟฯ ฮตฮฏฮฝฮฑฮน ฯฮฌฮฝฯฮฑ ฮฒฯฯฮผฮนฮบฮฑ!
- ฮ ฮบฮฑฯฮญฯ ฯฮฟฯ ฮบฮฑฯฮตฮฝฮตฮฏฮฟฯ ฮตฮฏฮฝฮฑฮน ฮฟ ฮบฮฑฮปฯฯฮตฯฮฟฯ ฯฮทฯ ฯฯฮปฮทฯ.
5. Vocabulary (15 shopping & possession words)
- ฯฮฑ ฮปฮตฯฯฮฌ ta lef-TAH money
- ฮท ฯฮนฮผฮฎ ee tee-MEE price
- ฮท ฮญฮบฯฯฯฯฮท ee EHK-to-see discount/sale
- ฯฮฟ ฮผฮญฮณฮตฮธฮฟฯ to MEH-geh-thos size
- ฯฮฟ ฯฯฯฮผฮฑ to KHRO-ma colour
- ฮผฮฑฯฯฮฟ MAV-ro black
- ฮฌฯฯฯฮฟ AS-pro white
- ฮบฯฮบฮบฮนฮฝฮฟ KO-kee-no red
- ฮผฯฮปฮต BLEH blue
- ฮบฮฏฯฯฮนฮฝฮฟ KEE-tree-no yellow
- ฯฮฟ ฮบฮฑฯฮฌฯฯฮทฮผฮฑ to ka-TAS-tee-ma shop
- ฮท ฮฑฮณฮฟฯฮฌ ee a-gho-RA market
- ฯฯฮทฮฝฯฯ ftee-NOS cheap
- ฮฑฮบฯฮนฮฒฯฯ a-kree-VOS expensive
- ฮดฮนฮบฯ ฮผฮฟฯ thee-KO moo mine (literally โmy ownโ)
6. Homework (10โ12 minutes)
- Write/say 8 sentences using possessive + genitive: Example: ยซฮคฮฟ ฯฮทฮปฮญฯฯฮฝฮฟ ฯฮทฯ ฯฮฏฮปฮทฯ ฮผฮฟฯ ฮตฮฏฮฝฮฑฮน ฮบฮฑฮนฮฝฮฟฯฯฮณฮนฮฟ.ยป
- Pretend youโre in 3 different shops. Ask the price of 3 things and decide to buy one (in Greek).
- Record yourself: ยซฮฯฯ ฮดฯฮฟ ฮฑฮดฮญฯฯฮนฮฑ. ฮ ฮฑฮดฮตฯฯฯฯ ฮผฮฟฯ ฮผฮญฮฝฮตฮน ฯฯฮทฮฝ ฮฮธฮฎฮฝฮฑ, ฯฮฟ ฯฯฮฏฯฮน ฯฮฟฯ ฮตฮฏฮฝฮฑฮน ฮผฮตฮณฮฌฮปฮฟ ฮบฮฑฮน ฯฯฮฑฮฏฮฟ. ฮ ฮฑฮดฮตฯฯฮฎ ฮผฮฟฯ ฮผฮญฮฝฮตฮน ฮผฮต ฯฮฟฯ ฯ ฮณฮฟฮฝฮตฮฏฯ ฮผฮฑฯ. ฮคฮฟ ฮดฯฮผฮฌฯฮนฯ ฯฮทฯ ฮตฮฏฮฝฮฑฮน ฯฮฌฮฝฯฮฑ ฯฮฑฮบฯฮฟฯฮฟฮนฮทฮผฮญฮฝฮฟ.ยป
When youโre ready, say โLesson 8โ and weโll learn:
- Past tense (I went, I ate, I sawโฆ)
- How to talk about yesterday / last weekend / your last trip to Greece
- The most common irregular past verbs
ฮฮฏฯฮฑฮน ฮฎฮดฮท ฮตฯฮนฮบฮฏฮฝฮดฯ ฮฝฮฑ ฮบฮฑฮปฯฯ/ฮบฮฑฮปฮฎ! 35% ฯฮฟฯ ฮผฮฑฯฮฑฮธฯฮฝฮฏฮฟฯ ฮบฮฑฮน ฮผฮนฮปฮฌฯ ฮตฮปฮปฮทฮฝฮนฮบฮฌ ฯฮฑฮฝ ฯฮฟฯ ฯฮฏฯฯฮฑฯ ฯฮฟฯ ฮผฮญฮฝฮตฮน ฯฯฯฮฝฮนฮฑ.
Ready for Lesson 8?