Greetings and everyday words
| Ancient Greek | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| χαῖρε | hello / greetings (to one person) | KHAI-reh | Χαῖρε, ὦ φίλε.Hello, my friend. |
| χαίρετε | hello / greetings (to several people) | KHAI-reh-teh | Χαίρετε, ὦ φίλοι.Hello, friends. |
| εὐχαριστῶ | thank you | ef-kha-rees-TOH | Εὐχαριστῶ πολύ.Thank you very much. |
| ναί | yes | NAI | Ναί, ἀληθές ἐστιν.Yes, it is true. |
| οὔ | no | OO | Οὔ, οὐκ ἀληθές ἐστιν.No, it is not true. |
| φίλος | friend | PHEE-los | Ὁ φίλος ἀγαθός ἐστιν.The friend is good. |
| ὄνομα | name | OH-noh-mah | Τί ἐστιν τὸ ὄνομά σου;What is your name? |
| εἰρήνη | peace | ay-REH-neh | Ἡ εἰρήνη καλή ἐστιν.Peace is good. |
| χάρις | grace / favor | KHAH-rees | Ἡ χάρις μεγάλη ἐστίν.The grace is great. |
| ἀσπάζομαι | I greet / embrace | as-PAH-zoh-my | Ἀσπάζομαι τὸν φίλον.I greet my friend. |
| ὑγιαίνω | I am healthy (root of hygiene) | hy-gy-AI-noh | Ὑγιαίνω καὶ χαίρω.I am healthy and I rejoice. |
| καλῶς | well / rightly | kah-LOHS | Καλῶς λέγεις.You speak well. |
Numbers
| Ancient Greek | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| εἷς | one | HAYS | Εἷς θεός ἐστιν.There is one god. |
| δύο | two | DYOO-oh | Δύο ἀδελφοί εἰσιν.There are two brothers. |
| τρεῖς | three | TRAYS | Τρεῖς φίλοι ἔρχονται.Three friends are coming. |
| τέσσαρες | four | TES-sah-res | Τέσσαρες ἵπποι τρέχουσιν.Four horses are running. |
| πέντε | five | PEN-teh | Πέντε παῖδες παίζουσιν.Five children are playing. |
| ἕξ | six | HEX | Ἕξ ἡμέραι εἰσίν.There are six days. |
| ἑπτά | seven | hep-TAH | Ἑπτά ἀστέρες λάμπουσιν.Seven stars shine. |
| ὀκτώ | eight | ok-TOH | Ὀκτὼ βιβλία ἔχω.I have eight books. |
| ἐννέα | nine | en-NEH-ah | Ἐννέα μῆνες εἰσίν.There are nine months. |
| δέκα | ten | DEH-kah | Δέκα δοῦλοι ἦσαν.There were ten servants. |
| ἑκατόν | hundred | heh-kah-TON | Ἑκατὸν ἔτη ἔζησεν.He lived a hundred years. |
| χίλιοι | thousand | KHEE-lee-oy | Χίλιοι ἄνδρες ἐμάχοντο.A thousand men were fighting. |
Family and people
| Ancient Greek | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| ἄνθρωπος | human being / person (root of anthropology) | AN-throh-pos | Ὁ ἄνθρωπος θνητός ἐστιν.The human is mortal. |
| πατήρ | father | pah-TEER | Ὁ πατὴρ σοφός ἐστιν.The father is wise. |
| μήτηρ | mother | MEE-teer | Ἡ μήτηρ ἀγαθή ἐστιν.The mother is good. |
| ἀδελφός | brother | ah-del-FOS | Ὁ ἀδελφός μου ἔρχεται.My brother is coming. |
| ἀδελφή | sister | ah-del-FEE | Ἡ ἀδελφή μου γράφει.My sister is writing. |
| υἱός | son | hwee-OS | Ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ βασιλέως σοφός ἐστιν.The king's son is wise. |
| θυγάτηρ | daughter | thy-GAH-teer | Ἡ θυγάτηρ καλή ἐστιν.The daughter is beautiful. |
| γυνή | woman / wife | gy-NEE | Ἡ γυνὴ σοφή ἐστιν.The woman is wise. |
| ἀνήρ | man / husband | ah-NEER | Ὁ ἀνὴρ δίκαιος ἐστιν.The man is just. |
| παῖς | child | PICE | Ὁ παῖς παίζει.The child is playing. |
| βασιλεύς | king | bah-see-LEFS | Ὁ βασιλεὺς μέγας ἐστίν.The king is great. |
| δοῦλος | slave / servant | DOO-los | Ὁ δοῦλος πιστός ἐστιν.The servant is faithful. |
Nature and the world
| Ancient Greek | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| κόσμος | world / order (root of cosmos) | KOS-mos | Ὁ κόσμος καλός ἐστιν.The world is beautiful. |
| οὐρανός | sky / heaven | oo-rah-NOS | Ὁ οὐρανὸς καθαρός ἐστιν.The sky is clear. |
| γῆ | earth (root of geography) | GEE | Ἡ γῆ ἀγαθή ἐστιν.The earth is good. |
| ὕδωρ | water (root of hydrogen) | HY-dor | Τὸ ὕδωρ ψυχρόν ἐστιν.The water is cold. |
| πῦρ | fire (root of pyre) | PYR | Τὸ πῦρ καίει.The fire burns. |
| ἥλιος | sun | HEE-lee-os | Ὁ ἥλιος λάμπει.The sun shines. |
| σελήνη | moon | seh-LEE-neh | Ἡ σελήνη λάμπει τῇ νυκτί.The moon shines at night. |
| θάλασσα | sea | THAH-lahs-sah | Ἡ θάλασσα μεγάλη ἐστίν.The sea is great. |
| ἄστρον | star (root of astronomy) | AS-tron | Τὸ ἄστρον λάμπει.The star shines. |
| δένδρον | tree | DEN-dron | Τὸ δένδρον ὑψηλόν ἐστιν.The tree is tall. |
| ἄνεμος | wind | AH-neh-mos | Ὁ ἄνεμος μέγας ἐστίν.The wind is strong. |
| χρόνος | time (root of chronology) | KHROH-nos | Ὁ χρόνος ταχύς ἐστιν.Time is swift. |
Mythology and gods
| Ancient Greek | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ζεύς | Zeus, king of the gods | ZEFS | Ὁ Ζεὺς βασιλεὺς τῶν θεῶν ἐστιν.Zeus is king of the gods. |
| Ἥρα | Hera, queen of the gods | HEE-rah | Ἡ Ἥρα γυνὴ τοῦ Διός ἐστιν.Hera is the wife of Zeus. |
| Ἀθηνᾶ | Athena, goddess of wisdom | ah-thee-NAH | Ἡ Ἀθηνᾶ σοφή ἐστιν.Athena is wise. |
| Ἀπόλλων | Apollo, god of the sun and music | ah-POL-lohn | Ὁ Ἀπόλλων καλῶς ᾄδει.Apollo sings beautifully. |
| Ἄρτεμις | Artemis, goddess of the hunt | AR-teh-mees | Ἡ Ἄρτεμις ἐν τῇ ὕλῃ θηρεύει.Artemis hunts in the forest. |
| Ποσειδῶν | Poseidon, god of the sea | po-say-DOHN | Ὁ Ποσειδῶν τῆς θαλάσσης ἄρχει.Poseidon rules the sea. |
| Ἀφροδίτη | Aphrodite, goddess of love | ah-froh-DEE-teh | Ἡ Ἀφροδίτη καλή ἐστιν.Aphrodite is beautiful. |
| Ἑρμῆς | Hermes, messenger god | her-MEES | Ὁ Ἑρμῆς ταχύς ἐστιν.Hermes is swift. |
| Διόνυσος | Dionysus, god of wine | dee-OH-ny-sos | Ὁ Διόνυσος οἶνον φέρει.Dionysus brings wine. |
| μῦθος | myth / story | MY-thos | Ὁ μῦθος παλαιός ἐστιν.The myth is old. |
| ἥρως | hero | HEE-rohs | Ὁ ἥρως ἀνδρεῖος ἐστίν.The hero is brave. |
| Μοῦσα | Muse, goddess of the arts | MOO-sah | Ἡ Μοῦσα καλῶς ᾄδει.The Muse sings beautifully. |
Common verbs
| Ancient Greek | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| λέγω | I say / speak | LEH-goh | Ὁ διδάσκαλος λέγει.The teacher speaks. |
| γράφω | I write (root of graph) | GRAH-foh | Ὁ παῖς γράφει.The child writes. |
| ἀκούω | I hear (root of acoustic) | ah-KOO-oh | Ἀκούω τὸν λόγον.I hear the word. |
| βλέπω | I see | BLEH-poh | Βλέπω τὸν οὐρανόν.I see the sky. |
| ἔρχομαι | I come / go | ER-khoh-my | Ὁ φίλος ἔρχεται.The friend is coming. |
| ἔχω | I have | EH-khoh | Ἔχω βιβλίον.I have a book. |
| ποιέω | I do / make (root of poet) | poy-EH-oh | Ὁ θεὸς πάντα ποιεῖ.God makes all things. |
| γιγνώσκω | I know | gig-NOHS-koh | Γιγνώσκω τὴν ἀλήθειαν.I know the truth. |
| πιστεύω | I believe / trust | pis-TEV-oh | Πιστεύω τῷ θεῷ.I believe in God. |
| ἀγαπάω | I love | ah-gah-PAH-oh | Ἀγαπῶ τὸν φίλον μου.I love my friend. |
| μανθάνω | I learn (root of mathematics) | man-THAH-noh | Μανθάνω τὴν γλῶσσαν.I learn the language. |
| διδάσκω | I teach (root of didactic) | dee-DAHS-koh | Ὁ διδάσκαλος διδάσκει.The teacher teaches. |
Common adjectives
| Ancient Greek | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| ἀγαθός | good | ah-gah-THOS | Ὁ ἀνὴρ ἀγαθός ἐστιν.The man is good. |
| κακός | bad | kah-KOS | Ὁ δρόμος κακός ἐστιν.The road is bad. |
| καλός | beautiful / fine | kah-LOS | Τὸ δένδρον καλόν ἐστιν.The tree is beautiful. |
| μέγας | great / big (root of mega-) | MEH-gahs | Ὁ οἶκος μέγας ἐστίν.The house is big. |
| μικρός | small (root of micro-) | meek-ROS | Ὁ παῖς μικρός ἐστιν.The child is small. |
| σοφός | wise (root of philosophy) | soh-FOS | Ὁ γέρων σοφός ἐστιν.The old man is wise. |
| δίκαιος | just / righteous | DEE-kai-os | Ὁ κριτὴς δίκαιος ἐστιν.The judge is just. |
| νέος | young / new | NEH-os | Ὁ φοιτητὴς νέος ἐστίν.The student is young. |
| παλαιός | old / ancient | pah-lai-OS | Ὁ ναὸς παλαιός ἐστιν.The temple is ancient. |
| ταχύς | fast | tah-KHUS | Ὁ ἵππος ταχύς ἐστιν.The horse is fast. |
| ἰσχυρός | strong | is-khy-ROS | Ὁ ἥρως ἰσχυρός ἐστιν.The hero is strong. |
| πιστός | faithful | pis-TOS | Ὁ φίλος πιστός ἐστιν.The friend is faithful. |
Question words and connectives
| Ancient Greek | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| τίς | who | TEES | Τίς ἐστιν οὗτος;Who is this? |
| τί | what | TEE | Τί ἐστιν τοῦτο;What is this? |
| ποῦ | where | POO | Ποῦ ἐστιν ὁ οἶκος;Where is the house? |
| πότε | when | POH-teh | Πότε ἔρχῃ;When are you coming? |
| πῶς | how | POHS | Πῶς ἔχεις;How are you? |
| διὰ τί | why | dee-AH TEE | Διὰ τί κλαίεις;Why are you crying? |
| καί | and | KAI | Ὁ πατὴρ καὶ ἡ μήτηρ ἔρχονται.The father and mother are coming. |
| ἀλλά | but | ahl-LAH | Μικρός ἐστιν, ἀλλὰ ἰσχυρός.He is small, but strong. |
| γάρ | for / because | GAHR | Χαίρω, καλὸς γάρ ἐστιν ὁ κόσμος.I rejoice, for the world is good. |
| οὖν | therefore | OON | Σοφός ἐστιν· ἄρχει οὖν.He is wise; therefore he rules. |
| εἰ | if | AY | Εἰ σοφός εἶ, γίγνωσκε σεαυτόν.If you are wise, know yourself. |
| οὐδέ | nor / not even | oo-DEH | Οὐκ ἔρχεται οὐδὲ γράφει.He neither comes nor writes. |
Greek roots in English
| Ancient Greek | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| φιλία | love / friendship (root of philosophy, philology) | fee-LEE-ah | Ἡ φιλία μεγάλη ἐστίν.Friendship is great. |
| λόγος | word / reason (root of -logy words like biology) | LOH-gos | Ὁ λόγος ἀληθής ἐστιν.The word is true. |
| γραφή | writing (root of -graphy words like photography) | grah-FEE | Ἡ γραφὴ καλή ἐστιν.The writing is good. |
| σκοπός | watcher / aim (root of -scope words like telescope) | skoh-POS | Ὁ σκοπὸς μακρὰν βλέπει.The watcher sees far. |
| τῆλε | far off (root of tele- words like television) | TEE-leh | Τῆλε ἐστιν ἡ πόλις.The city is far off. |
| αὐτός | self / same (root of auto- words like automatic) | af-TOS | Αὐτὸς ὁ βασιλεύς ἔρχεται.The king himself is coming. |
| βίος | life (root of bio- words like biology) | BEE-os | Ὁ βίος βραχύς ἐστιν.Life is short. |
| δῆμος | the people (root of democracy) | DEE-mos | Ὁ δῆμος μέγας ἐστίν.The community is great. |
| ψυχή | soul / mind (root of psycho- words like psychology) | psy-KHEE | Ἡ ψυχὴ ἀθάνατός ἐστιν.The soul is immortal. |
| φωνή | sound / voice (root of phone words like telephone) | foh-NEE | Ἡ φωνὴ καλή ἐστιν.The voice is beautiful. |
| μέτρον | measure (root of meter words like thermometer) | MEH-tron | Τὸ μέτρον καλόν ἐστιν.Moderation is good. |
| πάθος | suffering / feeling (root of -pathy words like sympathy) | PAH-thos | Τὸ πάθος μέγα ἐστίν.The suffering is great. |
Koine and biblical Greek
| Ancient Greek | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| ἀγάπη | selfless love / charity | ah-GAH-peh | Ὁ θεὸς ἀγάπη ἐστίν.God is love. |
| ἐκκλησία | assembly / church | ek-klee-SEE-ah | Ἡ ἐκκλησία μεγάλη ἐστίν.The assembly is large. |
| εὐαγγέλιον | good news / gospel | ev-an-GEH-lee-on | Τὸ εὐαγγέλιον καλόν ἐστιν.The good news is good. |
| πίστις | faith / trust | PEES-tees | Ἡ πίστις μεγάλη ἐστίν.The faith is great. |
| ἐλπίς | hope | el-PEES | Ἡ ἐλπὶς ἀγαθή ἐστιν.The hope is good. |
| ἁμαρτία | sin / missing the mark | hah-mar-TEE-ah | Ἡ ἁμαρτία κακή ἐστιν.Sin is bad. |
| σωτήρ | savior | soh-TEER | Ὁ σωτὴρ ἀγαθός ἐστιν.The savior is good. |
| βασιλεία | kingdom | bah-see-LAY-ah | Ἡ βασιλεία μεγάλη ἐστίν.The kingdom is great. |
| ἀπόστολος | apostle / messenger | ah-POS-toh-los | Ὁ ἀπόστολος πιστός ἐστιν.The apostle is faithful. |
| μαθητής | disciple / student | mah-thee-TEES | Ὁ μαθητὴς μανθάνει.The disciple learns. |
| προσευχή | prayer | pros-ev-KHEE | Ἡ προσευχὴ ἀγαθή ἐστιν.Prayer is good. |
| δόξα | glory | DOK-sah | Ἡ δόξα μεγάλη ἐστίν.The glory is great. |
Study tips for Ancient Greek
- Learn the Greek alphabet first: recognizing letters like theta, phi, chi and psi makes every word on this page much easier to sound out.
- Ancient Greek nouns change their ending by grammatical case, so focus on recognizing the nominative form shown here before tackling case endings.
- Many Greek roots keep their meaning in English, so spotting phil-, log- and graph- inside a word will help you guess what unfamiliar terms mean.
- Koine Greek, the dialect of the New Testament, uses simpler grammar than Classical Attic Greek, so start there if biblical or religious texts are your goal.
- Practice reading each example aloud using the transliteration until the Greek letters themselves start to feel familiar.
Frequently asked questions
Is Ancient Greek the same as modern Greek?
No. Ancient Greek is the historical language of classical Athens and the New Testament, while modern Greek descended from it but has different grammar, pronunciation and much changed vocabulary after more than two thousand years.
What is Koine Greek?
Koine, meaning common, is the simplified form of Greek that spread across the Mediterranean after Alexander the Great, and it is the dialect the New Testament and many other historical texts were written in.
Why do so many English words come from Greek roots?
Scholars borrowed Greek words for science, medicine and philosophy for centuries, so roots like bio-, psych- and -logy appear throughout English vocabulary, especially in academic and technical terms.
What does agape mean in Greek?
Agape refers to a selfless, unconditional love, distinct from romantic love or friendship, and it appears often in Koine Greek and the New Testament.