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ssherie_

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I am sooo curious...are there any languages that have similarities to Greek? I know that Greece doesn't derive from another language, but does anyone who speaks another language have an easier time learning Greek?
 
Spanish is similar with the conjugation of verbs, so Spanish speakers can pickup on it a bit quicker than others... Greek is a difficult language because there isn't a specific place in a sentence where you need to place objects. As a simple example, I can say - "είσαι καλά;" which means "are you well?" Or I can say "καλά εισαι;" and it will have the same meaning. Not many languages allow you to change the position of words in a sentence and allow it to have the same meaning - i.e. there is no strict order in which you have to put your words in Greek.

Greek - mila(o) - i speak
Spanish - habl(o) - i speak
Greek - mil(as) - you speak
Spanish- habl(as) - you speak...
Greek - mil(am)e - we speak
Spanish - habl(am)os - we speak
Greek - mil(an)e - they speak
Spanish - habl(an) - they speak

Spanish is easier than Greek though because it only has 2 genders whereas Greek has 3, and Spanish doesn't have 9 declensions of words.
 
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Spanish is similar with the conjugation of verbs, so Spanish speakers can pickup on it a bit quicker than others... Greek is a difficult language because there isn't a specific place in a sentence where you need to place objects. As a simple example, I can say - "είσαι καλά;" which means "are you well?" Or I can say "καλά εισαι;" and it will have the same meaning. Not many languages allow you to change the position of words in a sentence and allow it to have the same meaning - i.e. there is no strict order in which you have to put your words in Greek.

Greek - mila(o) - i speak
Spanish - habl(o) - i speak
Greek - mil(as) - you speak
Spanish- habl(as) - you speak...
Greek - mil(am)e - we speak
Spanish - habl(am)os - we speak
Greek - mil(an)e - they speak
Spanish - habl(an) - they speak

Spanish is easier than Greek though because it only has 2 genders whereas Greek has 3, and Spanish doesn't have 9 declensions of words.
This is an excellent analysis :) I also always wondered why Spanish and Greek sound a little similar. Do you have a background in languages/linguistics??
 
This is an excellent analysis :) I also always wondered why Spanish and Greek sound a little similar. Do you have a background in languages/linguistics??
I'm trilingual (English, Greek, and Spanish)
 
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Spanish is similar with the conjugation of verbs, so Spanish speakers can pickup on it a bit quicker than others... Greek is a difficult language because there isn't a specific place in a sentence where you need to place objects. As a simple example, I can say - "είσαι καλά;" which means "are you well?" Or I can say "καλά εισαι;" and it will have the same meaning. Not many languages allow you to change the position of words in a sentence and allow it to have the same meaning - i.e. there is no strict order in which you have to put your words in Greek.

Greek - mila(o) - i speak
Spanish - habl(o) - i speak
Greek - mil(as) - you speak
Spanish- habl(as) - you speak...
Greek - mil(am)e - we speak
Spanish - habl(am)os - we speak
Greek - mil(an)e - they speak
Spanish - habl(an) - they speak

Spanish is easier than Greek though because it only has 2 genders whereas Greek has 3, and Spanish doesn't have 9 declensions of words.
I also picked up Spanish pretty quick when I was learning it in high school. The accent is very similar too
 
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The root of a word expresses the meaning of the word, whereas your grammatical endings express only Mood, Tense, and Persons. To understand or to speak Greek, one needs, above all, to understand roots. I see no affinity between MILA- and HABL-.. Hence, without the English translations, a Spaniard will not understand what "Milao" means. Sorry.
As for the order of words, inflected languages (like classical Greek or Latin, Middle English, etc., ) present no semantic problems. No problem here: Him she called but received no reply ana Zeu.
 
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I am sooo curious...are there any languages that have similarities to Greek? I know that Greece doesn't derive from another language, but does anyone who speaks another language have an easier time learning Greek?

I am sooo curious...are there any languages that have similarities to Greek? I know that Greece doesn't derive from another language, but does anyone who speaks another language have an easier time learning Greek?
The similarities (and, hence, dissimilarities) can be of various types, wherefore there can be different difficulties in learning [understanding, speaking, and even writing] a language or Greek in particular. SIMILARITIES in grammatical endings [morphology];
in words [lexikon] or word-roots; in syntax [formation of compound words, or of sentences into a discourse/Logos]; and in peculiar/ethnic idiomatic expressions; in diction or pronunciation [phonetics]; and in orthography. // Lexical study: If two words from two languages are similar in sound and in meaning, they are said to be affine (kindred) or cognate, and most likely, one of the words derives from the other. My manuscript, still unpublished, "Indo-European and Its Speakers" presents the etymology of many words from Greek (Proto-Greek) -- words of Latin, Akkadian, Etruscan, Basque, Anglo-Saxon, Eblaite (Canaanite), etc.
 
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The root of a word expresses the meaning of the word, whereas your grammatical endings express only Mood and Persons. To understand or to speak Greek, one needs, above all, to understand roots. I see no affinity between MILA- and HABL-.. Hence, without the English translations, a Spaniard will not understand what "Milao" means. Sorry.
As for the order of words, inflected languages (like classical Greek or Latin, Middle English, etc., ) present no semantic problems. No problem here: Him she called but received no reply ana Zeu.
Hmmm maybe its different grammatically but just familiar or sounds similar? I don't know too much about languages, I'm jus guessing here
 
Hmmm maybe its different grammatically but just familiar or sounds similar? I don't know too much about languages, I'm jus guessing here
I just read your next comment, makes sense now with the kindred words, thanks! :)
 
The root of a word expresses the meaning of the word, whereas your grammatical endings express only Mood and Persons. To understand or to speak Greek, one needs, above all, to understand roots. I see no affinity between MILA- and HABL-.. Hence, without the English translations, a Spaniard will not understand what "Milao" means. Sorry.
As for the order of words, inflected languages (like classical Greek or Latin, Middle English, etc., ) present no semantic problems. No problem here: Him she called but received no reply ana Zeu.
No, a Spaniard won't understand it, and I was not trying to show that the root of the words are similar but if I were then I would have picked a verb like goustaro (γουστάρω) and gustar which have the same roots - both of these words mean "to like". What I was showing was that the conjugations are similar in the present tense, which is why emphasized the ending.
 
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No, a Spaniard won't understand it, and I was not trying to show that the root of the words are similar but if I were then I would have picked a verb like goustaro (γουρστάρω) and gustar which have the same roots - both of these words mean "to like". What I was showing was that the conjugations are similar in the present tense, which is why emphasized the ending.
That makes a lot of sense to me. The languages may not come from the same root, but it isn't like Greek and Mandarin for example
 
Found this today

 
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Found this today

Makes total sense, finally someone is putting it into words with perfect examples!! Phonology is the idea everyone was looking for I guess :) Thanks for sharing
 
Spanish is similar with the conjugation of verbs, so Spanish speakers can pickup on it a bit quicker than others... Greek is a difficult language because there isn't a specific place in a sentence where you need to place objects. As a simple example, I can say - "είσαι καλά;" which means "are you well?" Or I can say "καλά εισαι;" and it will have the same meaning. Not many languages allow you to change the position of words in a sentence and allow it to have the same meaning - i.e. there is no strict order in which you have to put your words in Greek.

Greek - mila(o) - i speak
Spanish - habl(o) - i speak
Greek - mil(as) - you speak
Spanish- habl(as) - you speak...
Greek - mil(am)e - we speak
Spanish - habl(am)os - we speak
Greek - mil(an)e - they speak
Spanish - habl(an) - they speak

Spanish is easier than Greek though because it only has 2 genders whereas Greek has 3, and Spanish doesn't have 9 declensions of words.
This is very cool! Spanish and Greek are both part of the Indo-European language group so it makes sense that there are similarities. Each language off shooting from Indo-European has its own family branch. Greek is in a branch by itself, and this would include Ancient Greek, Koine Greek, etc. The branch that has Spanish has its root from Latin, and that is an offshoot from the original Indo-European. Here's a fun chart:

 
It seems to me that because all of these languages are tied together by the same, ancient root language, whether Spanish, Italian, Greek, even German, we are bound to find similarities. I think of the word mother. Mother (English). Mutter (German). Mitera μητέρα (Greek), Madre (Spanish), Madre (Italian) ... they are all similar. I don't know about you, but I can just kind of tell that they all mean "mother".
 
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It seems to me that because all of these languages are tied together by the same, ancient root language, whether Spanish, Italian, Greek, even German, we are bound to find similarities. I think of the word mother. Mother (English). Mutter (German). Mitera μητέρα (Greek), Madre (Spanish), Madre (Italian) ... they are all similar. I don't know about you, but I can just kind of tell that they all mean "mother".
Yes true, they all sound very similar to me...not sure how or why though 😂
 

Thinking about the Greek way of hospitality...

I thought I would ask your thoughts oh Philoxenia - or the Greek way, or art, of hospitality. I noticed this when I travel in Greece. People are so kind, they often go out of the way for us, when I feel that they don't have to! How can one describe this to someone?

From what I understand, Philoxenia is not merely a practice but a deeply ingrained value within Greek culture that extends far beyond the simple act of hosting. It reflects a genuine, heartfelt welcome to strangers, treating them with the same respect and generosity one would show to a dearly beloved friend. This beautiful tradition, passed down through generations, turns the act of hosting into an art form, embodying warmth, respect, and a profound sense of human compassion. There have been so many stories I can think of...

This thought process was triggered because we were watching My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 - someone in the village had taken on a Syrian refugee. Is this a Greek hospitality thing? Philoxenia?

Netflix Show about Alexander the Great

I just noticed there was a show about Alexander the Great on Netflix. How is it?

I have been noticing some buzz that it's fairly controversial, but those who are unhappy about it ... I can't tell if they actually know about him, or if they are just upset about how he was depicted.

I am trying to figure out if I want to watch it so your honest reviews are welcome.

I have studied Alexander the Great a little bit and no a bit about his life, so I am sincerely hoping it's worth my time. I am between shows at the moment.

Greek Easter Family Traditions

I am curious what your family traditions are for Greek Easter. I know lent hasn't even started yet, but I've started doing some planning to make sure my family has all of its traditions all set. Sometimes it takes me a while to find ingredients for some of the foods I serve, etc.

Of course we spend Holy Week in church. We do our best to fast during Lent, and once Easter comes, it's all about serving our traditional dishes. This year I might spend part of lent in Greece to visit some religious sites.

What do you guys all do?

Greek Name Days Celebrations

I have been encouraging my family and friends to let me know when their name days are. I know for my immediate family, of course, but I want to start honoring name days in addition to birthdays like they do in Greece.

But aside from wishing someone Chronia Polla, or happy name day, what else can we do? How do people in Greece celebrate? Is it much like a birthday?

When does Orthodox lent start this year?

I noticed our Easter is late - May 5th - but Western Easter is at the end of March. Has Lent already started for them? When does our Lent start?

This year, I plan to do a stricter Lenten fast, so I want to plan some things out in advance.

Lent is a time for introspection, repentance, and spiritual growth. Through the dedicated practice of fasting, prayer, and charity, believers seek not only to grow closer to God but also to better understand themselves in relation to God’s will.
Share and discuss Greek traditions related to Greek weddings, christenings, dance & holidays!

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