The Greek alphabet

Learning to read Greek takes most English speakers a few days, helped by the letters you already know from maths and science (α, β, π, Σ, Ω). The tricky parts are letters that look Latin but sound different (Η = i, Ρ = r, Υ = i, Χ = kh, Β = v, lowercase ν = n), the fact that five different spellings all sound like 'ee' (η, ι, υ, ει, οι), and common letter pairs such as ου (u), αι (e), μπ (b) and ντ (d). Always note the accent mark: it shows which syllable is stressed.

How to learn it fast

• Start from what you know: α, β, γ, δ, π, Σ, Ω and others from maths and science. Then learn their modern sounds (β = v, γ = soft g/y, δ = th as in 'this').
• Learn the 'ee' family as a set: η, ι, υ, ει and οι are all pronounced i. Spelling differs, sound does not.
• Treat common pairs as single units: ου = u, αι = e, ει/οι = i, μπ = b, ντ = d, γκ = g, τσ = ts, τζ = dz.
• Always stress the syllable with the accent mark (τόνος): πότε (pote, when) and ποτέ (pote, never) differ only by stress.
• Remember the final sigma: σ inside a word, ς at the end, Σ as a capital. It is the same letter.
• Read shop signs and product labels: Greek capitals are often used on signs, so practise recognising words in both CAPITALS and lowercase.

Did you know?

• The word 'alphabet' comes from the names of the first two Greek letters, alpha and beta.
• The Greek question mark is ; (which looks like an English semicolon); the Greek semicolon is a raised dot (·).
• In 1982 Greece officially replaced the traditional polytonic system of accents and breathings with the monotonic system, which uses a single accent mark.
• The Latin, Cyrillic, Coptic and Gothic alphabets all descend, directly or indirectly, from the Greek alphabet.
• Greek letters were also used as numbers: α = 1, β = 2, ι = 10, ρ = 100, and so on, a system still used for numbering chapters and in royal names.