Forming Basic Sentences in Greek

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Sure, you can memorize words and phrases when you are learning Greek. Doing so can help get you started doing basic tasks. However, at some point you’ll want to branch out and start expressing yourself by saying the things that you really want. Being able to do so will help you take your language learning to the next level.

In order to do this, you will need to be able to form sentences on your own. Here’s a look at some advice that will help you do that:

Learn the Greek Sentence Structure:

In the English language, sentences are composed with two basic components – a subject followed by the predicate. Here are some definitions, according to Wikipedia:

• Subject – “the person or thing about whom the statement (in the sentence) is made”
• Predicate – “complete(s) an idea about the subject, such as what it does or what it is like.”

Note that the subject usually contains a noun and the predicate always contains a verb. From there, the sentences can get pretty complex deepening on the situation, but they can also be incredibly simple. It all depends on what you want to say. In the Greek language, sentences are structured in the same way, and the subjects and predicates are also the same. However, there are also some grammatical rules  that go along with this structure, it is important to learn what they are so you can compose sentences properly.

Information About the Subject

As mentioned above, the subject is the person or thing that the the sentence is about. Here are some grammatical concepts that could be found in the subject:

• Noun or Pronoun – In the sentence “The dog barks – το σκυλί γαβγίζει – to skili gavizei”  – “the dog” is the noun and the subject. If you say “He barks”, “he” is the pronoun and also the subject.
• Adjective – These are the words that would describe the noun. In this sentence, “The black dog barks – το μαύρο σκυλί φλοιός – to mavro skili flios” – “black” is the adjective.

Information About the Predicate

As mentioned above, the predicate is an idea about the subject. Most of the time, the predicate follows the subject and it indicates an action taken by the subject.

• Verb – this is the action that the subject takes – In the sentence, “the dog barks – το σκυλί γαβγίζει – to skili gavizei”, “barks” is the verb.
• Adverb – this is a word that describes the verb. In the sentence,  “the cat meows impatiently – η γάτα μοιάζει ανυπόμονα – I gata miowazi anapomona”, “impatiently” is the adverb.

This information is by no means complete. There are more complex grammatical questions that could be part of a sentence in Greek. If you need some additional instruction, it is best to consult with a qualified teacher.

Sources:

Wikipedia – Subject (grammar)

Wikipedia – Predicate (grammar)

The Learn Greek section on GreekBoston.com was written by Greeks to help people understand the conversational basics of the Greek language. This article is not a substitute for a professional Greek learning program, but a helpful resource for people wanting to learn simple communication in Greek.

Categorized in: Learn How to Speak Basic Greek

This post was written by Greek Boston