The Greek word for ‘vocabulary’ is λεξιλόγιο. It’s related to English words like ‘lexicographer’ (one who studies words) or ‘dyslexia’ (difficulty with words).
Around 5% of all English words come from Greek, and about 25% were borrowed from Greek indirectly (usually through Latin). Put together, almost a third of English words, like philosophy or physics come from Greek.
Modern Greek has also borrowed many words from English, such as χάμπουργκερ or μπαρ, making the overlap between Greek and English vocabulary even greater.
Then there are words which were borrowed into English from Ancient Greek (often via other languages), and then borrowed back into Modern Greek. Φωτογραφία is one example. Sir John Herschel coined the word ‘photography’ by combining the Ancient Greek words for light (φως) and (γραφή), which was then borrowed into French as ‘photographie’, and then made its way back to Greece, as φωτογραφία in Modern Greek.
Try reading the list of words on page 45 of Ελληνικά Τώρα (Greek Now) 1+1 and see just how many ‘new’ words you can understand already.
If you’re interested in the Greek origins of many English words, check out the Your Greek Word on a Sunday podcast.
All in all, it is extremely possible to use your existing knowledge of English to expand your vocabulary in Greek – and to use your growing understanding of Greek to enrich your knowledge of English.
Take a look at this Single Step English video about 15 of the most common Greek roots used in English words:
Note that, as useful as understanding these links is, it’s also important to remember that Ancient Greek sounded quite different to Modern Greek, and many words with Greek roots were borrowed into English from other languages like Latin, or were constructed by non-Greek speakers.
Take auto- as an example. Auto- in the English words ‘autobiography’ and ‘autonomous’ sounds quite different to how αυτό is pronounced in Modern Greek. Remember that αυ makes an ‘av‘ or ‘af‘ sound in Greek.
Following the rules outlined in section Ξ on page 15 of the Ελληνικά Τώρα (Greek Now) 1 workbook, try reading these words:
θαύμα, Ευρώπη, αυτό, ευχαριστώ
Note also the different ways that vowels sound in ‘psychology’ vs. ψυχολογία. While the first syllable of the English word is ‘sai‘, in Greek, it’s ‘psi‘.
One of the challenges with learning Modern Greek is knowing which vowel to use.
Sometimes, we can use other knowledge about the word to guess which vowel is correct. For example, η φίλη will end with an ήτα, because it’s a female friend, while το σπίτι will end with an γιώτα because it’s a neuter object.
Other times, you may need to ask someone – that’s why knowing the Greek names for especially the vowels is useful. Remember that the names for Greek letters used in English were also borrowed from Ancient Greek, and have undergone changes in pronunciation, so it’s important to familiarize yourself with the Modern Greek names.
If you need a refresher, turn back to page 14 in Ελληνικά Τώρα (Greek Now) 1+1, and watch this video:
Now, write the names of the vowels next to the correct letters in exercise O on page 15 of the Ελληνικά Τώρα (Greek Now) 1 workbook.
To test the vocabulary you’ve learned so far, try exercise 2 on page 9 of Λοιπόν, τι λες; (Well, what do you say?). Read the lists, and strike out whichever word does not fit with the others in terms of its meaning. Any of the activities marked with this blue dictionary are vocabulary (λεξιλόγιο) activities. You can look up any words you don’t know in a dictionary, or in the back of Ελληνικά Τώρα (Greek Now) 1+1 (pages 285-301).
Now, put together everything you’ve learned in this chapter, and listen to one last dialogue, then answer the questions in activity 3 and 3α (say out loud what you know about Peter and Stella from the dialogue).
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