50 Essential Words You Need to Know for Greek at the A1 Level

Two students write down language rules in library.

Learning a new language can be both exciting and challenging, especially when it’s as rich and historic as Greek. Whether you’re planning a trip to Greece, have Greek-speaking friends, or are simply interested in the language, mastering some essential vocabulary can greatly enhance your experience. In this article, we’ll cover 50 essential words you need to know for Greek at the A1 level. These words will form the foundation of your Greek language skills, helping you navigate basic conversations and everyday situations.

Greetings and Basic Phrases

1. **ฮ“ฮตฮนฮฑ (Yia)** – Hello
2. **ฮšฮฑฮปฮทฮผฮญฯฮฑ (Kalimรฉra)** – Good morning
3. **ฮšฮฑฮปฮทฯƒฯ€ฮญฯฮฑ (Kalispรฉra)** – Good evening
4. **ฮšฮฑฮปฮทฮฝฯฯ‡ฯ„ฮฑ (Kalinychta)** – Good night
5. **ฮ‘ฮฝฯ„ฮฏฮฟ (Adรญo)** – Goodbye
6. **ฮ ฮฑฯฮฑฮบฮฑฮปฯŽ (Parakalรณ)** – Please
7. **ฮ•ฯ…ฯ‡ฮฑฯฮนฯƒฯ„ฯŽ (Efcharistรณ)** – Thank you
8. **ฮฃฯ…ฮณฮณฮฝฯŽฮผฮท (Signรณmi)** – Sorry/Excuse me
9. **ฮฮฑฮน (Ne)** – Yes
10. **ฮŒฯ‡ฮน (ร“chi)** – No

These basic greetings and polite phrases will help you make a good impression and show respect to Greek speakers. Note that “ฮฮฑฮน” (Ne) means “yes,” which can be confusing for English speakers since it sounds like “no.”

Numbers

Knowing numbers is crucial for everyday activities such as shopping, dining, and navigating public transportation.

11. **ฮˆฮฝฮฑ (ร‰na)** – One
12. **ฮ”ฯฮฟ (Dรฝo)** – Two
13. **ฮคฯฮฏฮฑ (Trรญa)** – Three
14. **ฮคฮญฯƒฯƒฮตฯฮฑ (Tรฉssera)** – Four
15. **ฮ ฮญฮฝฯ„ฮต (Pรฉnte)** – Five
16. **ฮˆฮพฮน (ร‰xi)** – Six
17. **ฮ•ฯ€ฯ„ฮฌ (Eptรก)** – Seven
18. **ฮŸฮบฯ„ฯŽ (Oktรณ)** – Eight
19. **ฮ•ฮฝฮฝฮนฮฌ (Enniรก)** – Nine
20. **ฮ”ฮญฮบฮฑ (Dรฉka)** – Ten

Once you’re comfortable with these, try counting to 20, then 100. Understanding numbers will help you in almost any situation.

Common Questions

Being able to ask and understand basic questions is essential for communication.

21. **ฮ ฯŽฯ‚ ฯƒฮต ฮปฮญฮฝฮต; (Pรณs se lรฉne?)** – What is your name?
22. **ฮœฮต ฮปฮญฮฝฮต… (Me lรฉne…)** – My name is…
23. **ฮ ฯŒฯƒฮฟ ฮบฮฟฯƒฯ„ฮฏฮถฮตฮน; (Pรณso kostรญzei?)** – How much does it cost?
24. **ฮ ฮฟฯ ฮตฮฏฮฝฮฑฮน…; (Poรบ eรญnai…?)** – Where is…?
25. **ฮคฮน ฮบฮฌฮฝฮตฮนฯ‚; (Ti kรกneis?)** – How are you?
26. **ฮšฮฑฮปฮฌ, ฮตฯ…ฯ‡ฮฑฯฮนฯƒฯ„ฯŽ. (Kalรก, efcharistรณ.)** – Fine, thank you.
27. **ฮคฮน ฮตฮฏฮฝฮฑฮน ฮฑฯ…ฯ„ฯŒ; (Ti eรญnai aftรณ?)** – What is this?
28. **ฮœฮนฮปฮฌฯ‚ ฮ‘ฮณฮณฮปฮนฮบฮฌ; (Milรกs Anglikรก?)** – Do you speak English?
29. **ฮฮฑฮน, ฮปฮฏฮณฮฟ. (Ne, lรญgo.)** – Yes, a little.
30. **ฮ ฯŒฯƒฮฟ ฯ‡ฯฮฟฮฝฯŽฮฝ ฮตฮฏฯƒฮฑฮน; (Pรณso chronรณn eรญsai?)** – How old are you?

These questions and answers will help you start conversations and gather basic information.

Food and Drink

Greek cuisine is famous worldwide, and knowing some food-related vocabulary can enhance your dining experience.

31. **ฮจฯ‰ฮผฮฏ (Psomรญ)** – Bread
32. **ฮฮตฯฯŒ (Nerรณ)** – Water
33. **ฮšฮฑฯ†ฮญฯ‚ (Kafรฉs)** – Coffee
34. **ฮคฯƒฮฌฮน (Tsรกi)** – Tea
35. **ฮšฯฮฑฯƒฮฏ (Krasรญ)** – Wine
36. **ฮœฯ€ฯฯฮฑ (Bรฝra)** – Beer
37. **ฮ“ฮฌฮปฮฑ (Gรกla)** – Milk
38. **ฮฆฯฮฟฯฯ„ฮฑ (Froรบta)** – Fruit
39. **ฮ›ฮฑฯ‡ฮฑฮฝฮนฮบฮฌ (Lachanikรก)** – Vegetables
40. **ฮšฯฮญฮฑฯ‚ (Krรฉas)** – Meat

Knowing these words can help you order food and drinks, and understand menus in Greek restaurants.

Directions and Places

Understanding directions and place names is crucial for navigating a new environment.

41. **ฮ”ฯฯŒฮผฮฟฯ‚ (Drรณmos)** – Road
42. **ฮ ฮปฮฑฯ„ฮตฮฏฮฑ (Plateรญa)** – Square
43. **ฮ•ฮบฮบฮปฮทฯƒฮฏฮฑ (Ekklisรญa)** – Church
44. **ฮ‘ฮตฯฮฟฮดฯฯŒฮผฮนฮฟ (Aerodrรณmio)** – Airport
45. **ฮฃฯ„ฮฑฮธฮผฯŒฯ‚ (Stathmรณs)** – Station
46. **ฮžฮตฮฝฮฟฮดฮฟฯ‡ฮตฮฏฮฟ (Xenodochรญo)** – Hotel
47. **ฮ•ฯƒฯ„ฮนฮฑฯ„ฯŒฯฮนฮฟ (Estiatรณrio)** – Restaurant
48. **ฮฆฮฑฯฮผฮฑฮบฮตฮฏฮฟ (Farmakeรญo)** – Pharmacy
49. **ฮ‘ฮณฮฟฯฮฌ (Agorรก)** – Market
50. **ฮ ฮฑฯฮฑฮปฮฏฮฑ (Paralรญa)** – Beach

These words will be extremely useful when asking for directions or exploring your surroundings.

Conclusion

Mastering these 50 essential Greek words will provide you with a solid foundation for basic communication. As with any language, practice is key. Try to incorporate these words into your daily routine, whether by labeling items in your home with their Greek names, practicing conversations with a language partner, or using language learning apps. Remember, language learning is a journey, and every step you take brings you closer to fluency. ฮšฮฑฮปฮฎ ฯ„ฯฯ‡ฮท (Kalรญ tรฝchi) โ€“ good luck!

Talkpal is AI-powered language tutor. Learn 57+ languages 5x faster with revolutionary technology.

The Most Efficient Way to Learn a Language

THE TALKPAL DIFFERENCE

THE MOST ADVANCED AI

Immersive Conversations

Dive into captivating dialogues designed to optimize language retention and improve fluency.

Real-time Feedback

Receive immediate, personalized feedback and suggestions to accelerate your language mastery.

Personalization

Learn via methods tailored to your unique style and pace, ensuring a personalized and effective journey to fluency.

LEARN LANGUAGES FASTER
WITH AI

Learn 5x Faster