Learning Greek can be an incredibly rewarding experience. As a language with a rich history and a significant cultural impact, Greek offers unique challenges and fascinating insights. If you’re at the B1 level, you already have a foundation and are ready to expand your vocabulary. This article will provide you with 50 essential words that will help you communicate more effectively and understand Greek texts better.

Nouns

1. **Βιβλίο (Vivlío)** – *Book*: A fundamental word for anyone who loves reading or is involved in education.
2. **Πόλη (Póli)** – *City*: Useful for conversations about travel and geography.
3. **Σπίτι (Spíti)** – *House*: An essential term for discussing living arrangements and real estate.
4. **Χρόνος (Chrónos)** – *Time*: Critical for managing schedules and appointments.
5. **Εργασία (Ergasía)** – *Work*: Important for discussing your job or tasks you need to complete.
6. **Οικογένεια (Oikogéneia)** – *Family*: Vital for talking about personal life and relationships.
7. **Φίλος (Fílos)** – *Friend*: A key term for social interactions.
8. **Σχολείο (Scholéio)** – *School*: Essential for educational contexts.
9. **Φαγητό (Fagitó)** – *Food*: Indispensable for dining and culinary discussions.
10. **Καφές (Kafés)** – *Coffee*: A word you’ll often use in social settings and cafés.

Verbs

11. **Πηγαίνω (Pigaíno)** – *To go*: A basic verb for movement and travel.
12. **Τρώω (Tróo)** – *To eat*: Fundamental for discussing meals and dining.
13. **Πίνω (Píno)** – *To drink*: Essential for discussing beverages and social drinking.
14. **Δουλεύω (Doulévo)** – *To work*: Crucial for talking about your job and daily activities.
15. **Μιλάω (Miláo)** – *To speak*: Important for all forms of communication.
16. **Καταλαβαίνω (Katalavaíno)** – *To understand*: Key for comprehending conversations and instructions.
17. **Γράφω (Gráfo)** – *To write*: Necessary for any written communication.
18. **Διαβάζω (Diavázo)** – *To read*: Essential for studying and leisure reading.
19. **Βλέπω (Vlého)** – *To see*: Critical for visual perception and observations.
20. **Ακούω (Akoúo)** – *To hear*: Important for listening and auditory comprehension.

Adjectives

21. **Μεγάλος (Megálos)** – *Big*: Useful for describing size and scale.
22. **Μικρός (Mikrós)** – *Small*: Another essential term for size descriptions.
23. **Καλός (Kalós)** – *Good*: A versatile word for positive attributes.
24. **Κακός (Kakós)** – *Bad*: Useful for negative descriptions and critiques.
25. **Ωραίος (Oréos)** – *Beautiful*: An important word for aesthetic appreciation.
26. **Άσχημος (Áschimos)** – *Ugly*: Useful for less favorable descriptions.
27. **Κοντός (Kontós)** – *Short*: Important for describing height and length.
28. **Μακρύς (Makrýs)** – *Long*: Another term for length and duration.
29. **Γρήγορος (Grígoros)** – *Fast*: Useful for describing speed and efficiency.
30. **Αργός (Argós)** – *Slow*: Important for indicating pace and speed.

Adverbs

31. **Πάντα (Pánta)** – *Always*: Useful for expressing frequency.
32. **Ποτέ (Poté)** – *Never*: Important for negating frequency.
33. **Συχνά (Sychná)** – *Often*: Useful for discussing regular activities.
34. **Σπάνια (Spánia)** – *Rarely*: Important for indicating infrequency.
35. **Κάποτε (Kápote)** – *Sometimes*: Useful for occasional activities.
36. **Αργά (Argá)** – *Slowly*: Important for indicating pace.
37. **Γρήγορα (Grígora)** – *Quickly*: Useful for expressing speed.
38. **Εδώ (Edó)** – *Here*: Crucial for indicating location.
39. **Εκεί (Ekeí)** – *There*: Another term for location.
40. **Τώρα (Tóra)** – *Now*: Important for indicating time.

Prepositions

41. **Σε (Se)** – *In/At*: A versatile preposition for location and time.
42. **Με (Me)** – *With*: Useful for indicating accompaniment.
43. **Χωρίς (Chorís)** – *Without*: Important for indicating absence.
44. **Για (Gia)** – *For*: Essential for purpose and intention.
45. **Από (Apó)** – *From*: Useful for indicating origin.
46. **Προς (Pros)** – *Towards*: Important for direction.
47. **Κοντά (Kontá)** – *Near*: Useful for proximity.
48. **Μακριά (Makriá)** – *Far*: Important for distance.
49. **Πάνω (Páno)** – *On/Above*: Useful for vertical position.
50. **Κάτω (Káto)** – *Under/Below*: Important for vertical position.

Contextual Usage and Practice

Understanding these words in isolation is only the first step. To truly master them, you should practice using them in sentences and real-life contexts. Here are a few examples:

1. **Βιβλίο**: “Διαβάζω ένα ενδιαφέρον βιβλίο.” – “I am reading an interesting book.”
2. **Πόλη**: “Η πόλη αυτή είναι πολύ όμορφη.” – “This city is very beautiful.”
3. **Σπίτι**: “Το σπίτι μου είναι κοντά στη θάλασσα.” – “My house is near the sea.”
4. **Χρόνος**: “Δεν έχω αρκετό χρόνο.” – “I don’t have enough time.”
5. **Εργασία**: “Η εργασία μου είναι πολύ απαιτητική.” – “My work is very demanding.”
6. **Οικογένεια**: “Η οικογένειά μου είναι πολύ σημαντική για μένα.” – “My family is very important to me.”
7. **Φίλος**: “Ο φίλος μου έρχεται αύριο.” – “My friend is coming tomorrow.”
8. **Σχολείο**: “Το σχολείο αρχίζει στις οκτώ.” – “School starts at eight.”
9. **Φαγητό**: “Το αγαπημένο μου φαγητό είναι τα μακαρόνια.” – “My favorite food is pasta.”
10. **Καφές**: “Θέλεις να πάμε για καφέ;” – “Do you want to go for coffee?”

Verbs in Action

1. **Πηγαίνω**: “Πηγαίνω στο γραφείο κάθε μέρα.” – “I go to the office every day.”
2. **Τρώω**: “Τρώω πρωινό στις επτά.” – “I eat breakfast at seven.”
3. **Πίνω**: “Πίνω καφέ το πρωί.” – “I drink coffee in the morning.”
4. **Δουλεύω**: “Δουλεύω σκληρά για να πετύχω.” – “I work hard to succeed.”
5. **Μιλάω**: “Μιλάω αγγλικά και ελληνικά.” – “I speak English and Greek.”
6. **Καταλαβαίνω**: “Καταλαβαίνω τι λες.” – “I understand what you are saying.”
7. **Γράφω**: “Γράφω ένα γράμμα στη φίλη μου.” – “I am writing a letter to my friend.”
8. **Διαβάζω**: “Διαβάζω κάθε βράδυ πριν κοιμηθώ.” – “I read every night before I sleep.”
9. **Βλέπω**: “Βλέπω τηλεόραση το βράδυ.” – “I watch TV in the evening.”
10. **Ακούω**: “Ακούω μουσική στο αυτοκίνητο.” – “I listen to music in the car.”

Adjectives in Context

1. **Μεγάλος**: “Έχω έναν μεγάλο κήπο.” – “I have a big garden.”
2. **Μικρός**: “Το δωμάτιο είναι πολύ μικρό.” – “The room is very small.”
3. **Καλός**: “Αυτός είναι ένας καλός άνθρωπος.” – “He is a good person.”
4. **Κακός**: “Είχα μια κακή μέρα.” – “I had a bad day.”
5. **Ωραίος**: “Τι ωραίος καιρός!” – “What beautiful weather!”
6. **Άσχημος**: “Η ταινία ήταν άσχημη.” – “The movie was ugly.”
7. **Κοντός**: “Ο αδερφός μου είναι κοντός.” – “My brother is short.”
8. **Μακρύς**: “Η διαδρομή ήταν μακριά.” – “The journey was long.”
9. **Γρήγορος**: “Είναι πολύ γρήγορος δρομέας.” – “He is a very fast runner.”
10. **Αργός**: “Ο υπολογιστής μου είναι αργός.” – “My computer is slow.”

Adverbs in Sentences

1. **Πάντα**: “Πάντα πηγαίνω για τρέξιμο το πρωί.” – “I always go for a run in the morning.”
2. **Ποτέ**: “Δεν έχω πάει ποτέ στην Αφρική.” – “I have never been to Africa.”
3. **Συχνά**: “Συχνά πηγαίνω σινεμά.” – “I often go to the cinema.”
4. **Σπάνια**: “Σπάνια τρώω γλυκά.” – “I rarely eat sweets.”
5. **Κάποτε**: “Κάποτε ζούσα στην Ιταλία.” – “I used to live in Italy.”
6. **Αργά**: “Οδηγώ αργά στη βροχή.” – “I drive slowly in the rain.”
7. **Γρήγορα**: “Πρέπει να τελειώσω γρήγορα.” – “I need to finish quickly.”
8. **Εδώ**: “Εδώ είναι το βιβλίο σου.” – “Here is your book.”
9. **Εκεί**: “Εκεί είναι το σπίτι μου.” – “There is my house.”
10. **Τώρα**: “Πρέπει να φύγω τώρα.” – “I have to leave now.”

Prepositions in Use

1. **Σε**: “Είμαι σε ένα εστιατόριο.” – “I am in a restaurant.”
2. **Με**: “Θα πάω με το αυτοκίνητο.” – “I will go by car.”
3. **Χωρίς**: “Δεν μπορώ χωρίς τον καφέ μου.” – “I can’t do without my coffee.”
4. **Για**: “Αυτό είναι για σένα.” – “This is for you.”
5. **Από**: “Είμαι από την Ελλάδα.” – “I am from Greece.”
6. **Προς**: “Πηγαίνω προς το κέντρο.” – “I am heading towards the center.”
7. **Κοντά**: “Το σχολείο είναι κοντά.” – “The school is nearby.”
8. **Μακριά**: “Το χωριό είναι μακριά.” – “The village is far.”
9. **Πάνω**: “Το βιβλίο είναι πάνω στο τραπέζι.” – “The book is on the table.”
10. **Κάτω**: “Η γάτα είναι κάτω από το κρεβάτι.” – “The cat is under the bed.”

Conclusion

Mastering these 50 essential words will significantly enhance your ability to communicate in Greek at the B1 level. Remember, language learning is a gradual process, and consistent practice is key. Incorporate these words into your daily conversations, write them in sentences, and try to use them as much as possible. Happy learning!