Lesson 1
Overview
Daily Dose of Greek overview:
Lark Kelsey overview:
Ted Hildebrandt for another perspective:
Memory
Alphabet
Learn to sing the Greek Alphabet Song by Daily Dose of Greek. It shouldn't take more than a few days to learn the basic alphabet. The upper case letters are a bit more challenging, but you should know the lower case letters especially well. I found it helpful to remember the letters in groups of fours and then remembering which letter starts the next group of four.
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 | Column 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpha (Α α) | Beta (Β β) | Gamma (Γ γ) | Delta (Δ δ) |
| Epsilon (Ε ε) | Zeta (Ζ ζ) | Eta (Η η) | Theta (Θ θ) |
| Iota (Ι ι) | Kappa (Κ κ) | Lambda (Λ λ) | Mu (Μ μ) |
| Nu (Ν ν) | Xi (Ξ ξ) | Omicron (Ο ο) | Pi (Π π) |
| Rho (Ρ ρ) | Sigma (Σ σ/ς) | Tau (Τ τ) | Upsilon (Υ υ) |
| Phi (Φ φ) | Chi (Χ χ) | Psi (Ψ ψ) | Omega (Ω ω) |
Diphthongs
| Diphthong | Pronunciation | English Equivalent | Greek Word Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| αι | “eye” | as in aisle | παῖς |
| αυ | “ow” | as in kraut | αὐτός |
| ει | “ay” | as in freight | εἰρήνη |
| ευ | “yew” | as in feud | εὐαγγέλιον |
| οι | “oi” | as in oil | οἶκος |
| ου | “oo” | as in soup | οὐρανός |
| υι | “we” | as in suite | υἱός |
| ηυ | “ay-oo” (rare) | “ay-OO-lo-geh-sen” | ηὐλόγησεν |
| ωυ | “ō-oo” | sounded out | Μωϋσῆς |
| ιη | “ee-ay” → “yea” | as in yeast | Ἰησοῦς |
Reading
Read 1 John along with 1 John 1 -- Greek Bible Speaker (Erasmian/Seminary) to compare and practice pronunciation. It will help with memory, reading speed, and comprehension over time if you nail down being able to read the text well.
Vocabulary
Textbook vocabulary video which goes along with material in the next chapter: Vocab 1.