🇬🇷 Greek vocabulary
The 300 most common Greek words
Learn these first: they make up a big share of everything you'll read. Ranked by frequency, with meanings, romanization and examples for the top 50.
| # | Greek | Romanization | Meaning | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | να Θέλω να φάω. — I want to eat. | na | to; that (subjunctive particle) | particle |
| 2 | το Το σπίτι είναι μεγάλο. — The house is big. | to | the (neuter); it | determiner |
| 3 | δεν Δεν ξέρω. — I don't know. | den | not | particle |
| 4 | είναι Η Μαρία είναι δασκάλα. — Maria is a teacher. | einai | is, are | verb |
| 5 | θα Θα έρθω αύριο. — I'll come tomorrow. | tha | will (future particle) | particle |
| 6 | και Ψωμί και τυρί. — Bread and cheese. | kai | and; also, too | conjunction |
| 7 | μου Ο αδερφός μου μένει στην Κρήτη. — My brother lives in Crete. | mou | my; me, to me | pronoun |
| 8 | με Πάω με τον φίλο μου. — I'm going with my friend. | me | with; me | preposition |
| 9 | για Αυτό είναι για σένα. — This is for you. | gia | for, about | preposition |
| 10 | την Ξέρεις την Ελένη; — Do you know Eleni? | tin | the (fem. accusative); her | determiner |
| 11 | ο Ο καφές είναι ζεστός. — The coffee is hot. | o | the (masc.) | determiner |
| 12 | η Η πόρτα είναι ανοιχτή. — The door is open. | i | the (fem.) | determiner |
| 13 | τον Ξέρεις τον Γιώργο; — Do you know Giorgos? | ton | the (masc. accusative); him | determiner |
| 14 | τα Τα παιδιά παίζουν έξω. — The children are playing outside. | ta | the (neuter pl.); them | determiner |
| 15 | που Ο άντρας που μιλάει είναι ο πατέρας μου. — The man who's talking is my father. | pou | that, which, who; where | pronoun |
| 16 | σου Ποιο είναι το όνομά σου; — What's your name? | sou | your; you, to you | pronoun |
| 17 | σε Μένω σε ένα μικρό χωριό. — I live in a small village. | se | in, at, to; you | preposition |
| 18 | αυτό Τι είναι αυτό; — What is this? | afto | this, that, it | pronoun |
| 19 | του Το αυτοκίνητό του είναι κόκκινο. — His car is red. | tou | his; of the, the (genitive) | pronoun |
| 20 | τι Τι κάνεις; — How are you? (What are you doing?) | ti | what | pronoun |
| 21 | ότι Νομίζω ότι έχεις δίκιο. — I think that you're right. | oti | that (conj.) | conjunction |
| 22 | από Είμαι από την Ελλάδα. — I'm from Greece. | apo | from, than; by | preposition |
| 23 | στο Πάμε στο σινεμά. — Let's go to the cinema. | sto | to the, in the, at the (neuter/masc.) | preposition |
| 24 | της Η μητέρα της είναι γιατρός. — Her mother is a doctor. | tis | her; of the (fem.) | pronoun |
| 25 | όχι Όχι, ευχαριστώ. — No, thank you. | ochi | no, not | adverb |
| 26 | ναι Ναι, βέβαια. — Yes, of course. | nai | yes | adverb |
| 27 | ένα Θέλω ένα νερό. — I'd like a water. | ena | a, an (neuter); one | determiner |
| 28 | τη Δεν τη βλέπω πουθενά. — I can't see her anywhere. | ti | the (fem. accusative); her | determiner |
| 29 | αν Αν βρέξει, θα μείνω σπίτι. — If it rains, I'll stay home. | an | if | conjunction |
| 30 | αλλά Είναι ακριβό, αλλά καλό. — It's expensive, but good. | alla | but | conjunction |
| 31 | εδώ Έλα εδώ! — Come here! | edo | here | adverb |
| 32 | μια Έχω μια ερώτηση. — I have a question. | mia | a, an (fem.); one | determiner |
| 33 | σας Σας ευχαριστώ πολύ. — Thank you very much. | sas | your; you (formal or plural) | pronoun |
| 34 | τους Τους είδα χθες. — I saw them yesterday. | tous | them; their; the (masc. pl. accusative) | pronoun |
| 35 | ήταν Ήταν μια ωραία μέρα. — It was a lovely day. | itan | was, were | verb |
| 36 | μας Το σπίτι μας είναι κοντά. — Our house is nearby. | mas | our; us | pronoun |
| 37 | πρέπει Πρέπει να φύγω. — I have to leave. | prepei | must, have to | verb |
| 38 | είσαι Πού είσαι; — Where are you? | eisai | you are | verb |
| 39 | είμαι Είμαι κουρασμένος. — I'm tired. | eimai | I am | verb |
| 40 | οι Οι φίλοι μου έρχονται απόψε. — My friends are coming tonight. | oi | the (masc./fem. pl.) | determiner |
| 41 | στην Μένω στην Αθήνα. — I live in Athens. | stin | to the, in the, at the (fem.) | preposition |
| 42 | πολύ Σ' ευχαριστώ πολύ. — Thank you very much. | poly | very, much, a lot | adverb |
| 43 | κι Κι εγώ το ίδιο. — Me too. | ki | and (before vowels) | conjunction |
| 44 | γιατί Γιατί κλαις; — Why are you crying? | giati | why; because | adverb |
| 45 | πως Μου είπε πως θα αργήσει. — He told me he'd be late. | pos | that (conj.) | conjunction |
| 46 | τώρα Τώρα δεν μπορώ. — I can't right now. | tora | now | adverb |
| 47 | εγώ Εγώ είμαι ο Νίκος. — I'm Nikos. | ego | I | pronoun |
| 48 | εντάξει Εντάξει, τα λέμε αύριο. — OK, see you tomorrow. | entaxei | OK, all right | adverb |
| 49 | κάτι Θέλεις κάτι να πιεις; — Do you want something to drink? | kati | something | pronoun |
| 50 | έχει Έχει πολύ κόσμο εδώ. — There are a lot of people here. | echei | has; there is | verb |
| 51 | ξέρω | xero | I know | verb |
| 52 | τις | tis | the (fem. pl. accusative); them | determiner |
| 53 | έχω | echo | I have | verb |
| 54 | μην | min | don't, not (with subjunctive) | particle |
| 55 | έτσι | etsi | so, like this | adverb |
| 56 | εσύ | esy | you (informal) | pronoun |
| 57 | καλά | kala | well, fine | adverb |
| 58 | αυτή | afti | she; this (fem.) | pronoun |
| 59 | θέλω | thelo | I want | verb |
| 60 | όταν | otan | when | conjunction |
| 61 | στον | ston | to the, in the (masc.) | preposition |
| 62 | στη | sti | to the, in the (fem.) | preposition |
| 63 | μπορώ | boro | I can | verb |
| 64 | ξέρεις | xereis | you know | verb |
| 65 | έχεις | echeis | you have | verb |
| 66 | κάνεις | kaneis | you do, you make | verb |
| 67 | μόνο | mono | only, just | adverb |
| 68 | μαζί | mazi | together | adverb |
| 69 | εκεί | ekei | there | adverb |
| 70 | σαν | san | like, as | preposition |
| 71 | όλα | ola | everything, all | pronoun |
| 72 | τίποτα | tipota | nothing; anything; you're welcome | pronoun |
| 73 | ευχαριστώ | efcharisto | thank you | interjection |
| 74 | ή | i | or | conjunction |
| 75 | πώς | pos | how | adverb |
| 76 | κάνω | kano | I do, I make | verb |
| 77 | τόσο | toso | so, so much | adverb |
| 78 | μπορεί | borei | can, may; maybe | verb |
| 79 | κάνει | kanei | does, makes; costs | verb |
| 80 | ποτέ | pote | never, ever | adverb |
| 81 | απλά | apla | simply, just | adverb |
| 82 | αυτά | afta | these, those | pronoun |
| 83 | των | ton | of the (genitive pl.) | determiner |
| 84 | έλα | ela | come (command); come on | verb |
| 85 | λοιπόν | loipon | so, well | adverb |
| 86 | στα | sta | to the, in the (neuter pl.) | preposition |
| 87 | υπάρχει | yparchei | there is, exists | verb |
| 88 | ακόμα | akoma | still, yet; even | adverb |
| 89 | μπορείς | boreis | you can | verb |
| 90 | μέσα | mesa | inside, in | adverb |
| 91 | πάμε | pame | let's go; we go | verb |
| 92 | σπίτι | spiti | house, home | noun |
| 93 | αυτός | aftos | he; this (masc.) | pronoun |
| 94 | τότε | tote | then | adverb |
| 95 | ίσως | isos | maybe, perhaps | adverb |
| 96 | έχουμε | echoume | we have | verb |
| 97 | πιο | pio | more | adverb |
| 98 | παρακαλώ | parakalo | please; you're welcome | interjection |
| 99 | ένας | enas | a, an (masc.); one | determiner |
| 100 | κύριε | kyrie | sir, Mr. (vocative) | noun |
| 101 | πού | pou | where | adverb |
| 102 | μετά | meta | after, later | adverb |
| 103 | νομίζω | nomizo | I think | verb |
| 104 | είμαστε | eimaste | we are | verb |
| 105 | πριν | prin | before, ago | adverb |
| 106 | πάντα | panta | always | adverb |
| 107 | πίσω | piso | back, behind | adverb |
| 108 | γεια | geia | hi; bye (γεια σου) | interjection |
| 109 | λίγο | ligo | a little | adverb |
| 110 | όπως | opos | as, like | conjunction |
| 111 | δουλειά | douleia | work, job | noun |
| 112 | αλήθεια | alitheia | truth; really | noun |
| 113 | ποιος | poios | who, which | pronoun |
| 114 | δύο | dyo | two | number |
| 115 | είπε | eipe | said | verb |
| 116 | όλοι | oloi | all, everyone | pronoun |
| 117 | είχε | eiche | had | verb |
| 118 | ας | as | let (ας πάμε = let's go) | particle |
| 119 | λες | les | you say | verb |
| 120 | παιδί | paidi | child (παιδιά = kids, guys) | noun |
| 121 | άλλο | allo | other, another; more | adjective |
| 122 | θέλεις | theleis | you want | verb |
| 123 | ζωή | zoi | life | noun |
| 124 | κάνουμε | kanoume | we do, we make | verb |
| 125 | πάω | pao | I go | verb |
| 126 | μη | mi | don't (variant of μην) | particle |
| 127 | έξω | exo | out, outside | adverb |
| 128 | καλό | kalo | good (neuter) | adjective |
| 129 | είπα | eipa | I said | verb |
| 130 | έχουν | echoun | they have | verb |
| 131 | επειδή | epeidi | because | conjunction |
| 132 | ήμουν | imoun | I was | verb |
| 133 | μέχρι | mechri | until, up to | preposition |
| 134 | έπρεπε | eprepe | had to, should have | verb |
| 135 | κοίτα | koita | look (command) | verb |
| 136 | ώρα | ora | hour, time | noun |
| 137 | πάνω | pano | up, on, above | adverb |
| 138 | εμένα | emena | me (stressed) | pronoun |
| 139 | φορά | fora | time, occasion | noun |
| 140 | χρόνος | chronos | time; year (χρόνια = years) | noun |
| 141 | εσένα | esena | you (stressed) | pronoun |
| 142 | είστε | eiste | you are (formal/pl.) | verb |
| 143 | ήθελα | ithela | I wanted | verb |
| 144 | ούτε | oute | nor, not even | conjunction |
| 145 | σωστά | sosta | correctly, right | adverb |
| 146 | ωραία | oraia | nice, nicely, great | adverb |
| 147 | όμως | omos | but, however | conjunction |
| 148 | κάποιος | kapoios | someone | pronoun |
| 149 | μα | ma | but | conjunction |
| 150 | κάθε | kathe | every, each | determiner |
| 151 | πράγμα | pragma | thing | noun |
| 152 | πες | pes | say, tell (command) | verb |
| 153 | είχα | eicha | I had | verb |
| 154 | καλή | kali | good (fem.) | adjective |
| 155 | χωρίς | choris | without | preposition |
| 156 | μέρα | mera | day | noun |
| 157 | κάτω | kato | down, below | adverb |
| 158 | γυναίκα | gynaika | woman, wife | noun |
| 159 | μπορούμε | boroume | we can | verb |
| 160 | μόλις | molis | just; as soon as | adverb |
| 161 | κανείς | kaneis | nobody, anyone | pronoun |
| 162 | θες | thes | you want (colloquial) | verb |
| 163 | έκανε | ekane | did, made | verb |
| 164 | μαμά | mama | mom | noun |
| 165 | ακριβώς | akrivos | exactly | adverb |
| 166 | καλύτερα | kalytera | better | adverb |
| 167 | πάει | paei | goes | verb |
| 168 | σήμερα | simera | today | adverb |
| 169 | αρέσει | aresei | is pleasing (μου αρέσει = I like) | verb |
| 170 | θέλει | thelei | wants | verb |
| 171 | λέει | leei | says | verb |
| 172 | πόσο | poso | how much | adverb |
| 173 | συγγνώμη | syngnomi | sorry, excuse me | interjection |
| 174 | έκανα | ekana | I did, I made | verb |
| 175 | φαίνεται | fainetai | seems | verb |
| 176 | θεός | theos | God (Θεέ μου = my God) | noun |
| 177 | φυσικά | fysika | of course | adverb |
| 178 | λυπάμαι | lypamai | I'm sorry | verb |
| 179 | μέρος | meros | place; part | noun |
| 180 | συμβαίνει | symvainei | happens | verb |
| 181 | έγινε | egine | happened, became | verb |
| 182 | πας | pas | you go | verb |
| 183 | πεις | peis | (to) say (subjunctive) | verb |
| 184 | πολλά | polla | many, a lot | adjective |
| 185 | όσο | oso | as much as, while | adverb |
| 186 | στιγμή | stigmi | moment | noun |
| 187 | λάθος | lathos | mistake; wrong | noun |
| 188 | οπότε | opote | so, therefore | conjunction |
| 189 | έχετε | echete | you have (formal/pl.) | verb |
| 190 | είπες | eipes | you said | verb |
| 191 | γίνει | ginei | (to) happen, become (subjunctive) | verb |
| 192 | κάποια | kapoia | some, someone (fem.) | pronoun |
| 193 | ως | os | as; until | preposition |
| 194 | περίμενε | perimene | wait (command) | verb |
| 195 | πρόβλημα | provlima | problem | noun |
| 196 | ήσουν | isoun | you were | verb |
| 197 | πραγματικά | pragmatika | really | adverb |
| 198 | πάλι | pali | again | adverb |
| 199 | άλλη | alli | other, another (fem.) | adjective |
| 200 | έκανες | ekanes | you did | verb |
| 201 | όλο | olo | all, whole | adjective |
| 202 | χρειάζεται | chreiazetai | is needed | verb |
| 203 | βλέπω | vlepo | I see | verb |
| 204 | μητέρα | mitera | mother | noun |
| 205 | υπάρχουν | yparchoun | there are | verb |
| 206 | πιστεύω | pistevo | I believe | verb |
| 207 | κυρία | kyria | lady, Mrs., madam | noun |
| 208 | δικό | diko | own (δικό μου = mine) | adjective |
| 209 | ίδιο | idio | same | adjective |
| 210 | φίλε | file | buddy, mate (vocative of φίλος) | noun |
| 211 | γρήγορα | grigora | quickly, fast | adverb |
| 212 | πάρει | parei | (to) take (subjunctive) | verb |
| 213 | σίγουρα | sigoura | surely, certainly | adverb |
| 214 | πάρω | paro | (to) take (I, subjunctive) | verb |
| 215 | αρκετά | arketa | enough, quite | adverb |
| 216 | μπαμπάς | bambas | dad | noun |
| 217 | ιδέα | idea | idea | noun |
| 218 | εσείς | eseis | you (formal or plural) | pronoun |
| 219 | λένε | lene | they say; are called | verb |
| 220 | λεφτά | lefta | money | noun |
| 221 | γίνεται | ginetai | happens, is possible | verb |
| 222 | νέα | nea | news; new (fem.) | noun |
| 223 | λέω | leo | I say | verb |
| 224 | ξέρει | xerei | knows | verb |
| 225 | πήγαινε | pigaine | go (command) | verb |
| 226 | νομίζεις | nomizeis | you think | verb |
| 227 | μάλλον | mallon | probably; rather | adverb |
| 228 | ήδη | idi | already | adverb |
| 229 | είδα | eida | I saw | verb |
| 230 | σημαίνει | simainei | means | verb |
| 231 | εμείς | emeis | we | pronoun |
| 232 | ακόμη | akomi | still, yet; even | adverb |
| 233 | πατέρας | pateras | father | noun |
| 234 | κάνουν | kanoun | they do | verb |
| 235 | καιρός | kairos | weather; time | noun |
| 236 | προς | pros | towards | preposition |
| 237 | εκτός | ektos | except, outside | adverb |
| 238 | κόσμος | kosmos | world; people | noun |
| 239 | βράδυ | vrady | evening | noun |
| 240 | μωρό | moro | baby | noun |
| 241 | όνομα | onoma | name | noun |
| 242 | βλέπεις | vlepeis | you see | verb |
| 243 | χαρά | chara | joy | noun |
| 244 | αύριο | avrio | tomorrow | adverb |
| 245 | σταμάτα | stamata | stop (command) | verb |
| 246 | μπορείτε | boreite | you can (formal/pl.) | verb |
| 247 | μόνος | monos | alone | adjective |
| 248 | νόμιζα | nomiza | I thought | verb |
| 249 | αγάπη | agapi | love | noun |
| 250 | πρόκειται | prokeitai | is about to, is going to | verb |
| 251 | τελευταία | teleftaia | last; lately | adjective |
| 252 | άνθρωπος | anthropos | person, human (άνθρωποι = people) | noun |
| 253 | πρώτη | proti | first (fem.) | adjective |
| 254 | μεγάλη | megali | big, great (fem.) | adjective |
| 255 | καταλαβαίνω | katalavaino | I understand | verb |
| 256 | ήξερα | ixera | I knew | verb |
| 257 | δίκιο | dikio | right (έχεις δίκιο = you're right) | noun |
| 258 | απόψε | apopse | tonight | adverb |
| 259 | κανένα | kanena | none, any | pronoun |
| 260 | συνέβη | synevi | happened | verb |
| 261 | μακριά | makria | far, away | adverb |
| 262 | τέλος | telos | end | noun |
| 263 | ποιο | poio | which (neuter) | pronoun |
| 264 | απλώς | aplos | simply, just | adverb |
| 265 | αμέσως | amesos | immediately | adverb |
| 266 | ξανά | xana | again | adverb |
| 267 | πότε | pote | when | adverb |
| 268 | τρόπος | tropos | way, manner | noun |
| 269 | πάρε | pare | take (command) | verb |
| 270 | θέση | thesi | position, seat, place | noun |
| 271 | μήπως | mipos | perhaps, by any chance | adverb |
| 272 | αυτοί | aftoi | they, these (masc.) | pronoun |
| 273 | ξέρετε | xerete | you know (formal/pl.) | verb |
| 274 | ήρθε | irthe | came | verb |
| 275 | εαυτός | eaftos | self | noun |
| 276 | ποια | poia | which, who (fem.) | pronoun |
| 277 | μάλιστα | malista | yes indeed; in fact | adverb |
| 278 | περισσότερο | perissotero | more | adverb |
| 279 | κατά | kata | during, against, according to | preposition |
| 280 | πόλη | poli | city | noun |
| 281 | πια | pia | anymore, now | adverb |
| 282 | κορίτσι | koritsi | girl | noun |
| 283 | θέλετε | thelete | you want (formal/pl.) | verb |
| 284 | λεπτό | lepto | minute; thin | noun |
| 285 | κοντά | konta | near, close | adverb |
| 286 | χρειάζομαι | chreiazomai | I need | verb |
| 287 | θέμα | thema | issue, subject, matter | noun |
| 288 | μιλήσω | miliso | (to) talk (I, subjunctive) | verb |
| 289 | τύπος | typos | guy; type | noun |
| 290 | επίσης | episis | also, likewise | adverb |
| 291 | χέρι | cheri | hand, arm | noun |
| 292 | εκείνη | ekeini | she, that (fem.) | pronoun |
| 293 | έρθει | erthei | (to) come (subjunctive) | verb |
| 294 | βρω | vro | (to) find (I, subjunctive) | verb |
| 295 | τέτοιο | tetoio | such | pronoun |
| 296 | μερικές | merikes | some, a few (fem.) | determiner |
| 297 | πειράζει | peirazei | matters, bothers (δεν πειράζει = never mind) | verb |
| 298 | βοήθεια | voitheia | help | noun |
| 299 | εννοώ | ennoo | I mean | verb |
| 300 | μεγάλο | megalo | big, great (neuter) | adjective |
Frequency ranking based on OpenSubtitles 2018 subtitles (hermitdave/FrequencyWords).
Questions
What are the most common Greek words?
The top ten are να (to; that (subjunctive particle)), το (the (neuter); it), δεν (not), είναι (is), θα (will (future particle)), και (and; also), μου (my; me), με (with; me), για (for), την (the (fem. accusative); her).
How many Greek words do I need to know?
The few hundred most frequent words make up a large share of any everyday text, which is why they're the best place to start. To read graded stories comfortably you need roughly 1,000–2,000; for unadapted books, several thousand. Test yourself with the Greek vocabulary size test.
Where does this list come from?
The ranking is based on OpenSubtitles 2018 subtitles (hermitdave/FrequencyWords), cleaned by hand to remove names, fragments and noise, with meanings added for learners.