Talk Like a Hellene, part B

Author: * Demetrios Xanthippos - 5 Posts on this thread out of 985 Posts sitewide.
Date: Jan 10, 2007 - 09:32

In the last post, we talked about using some Classical Greek words and phrases to enhance your AW experience, various ways of writing Greek, and then covered some words for use around your homesite. This time, I will offer some things you can use in conversation.

You say goodbye, I say hello

The Classical Greeks used the same word in greeting and farewell (kind of like aloha or shalom). Literally, it is the imperative form of “rejoice”. (Hmmm, “Be happy, for I have arrived,” and then “Be happy, for I am going.”) In any case, while it doesn’t matter if you are coming or going, it does matter how many people you are talking to. If you are addressing a single person, say in a gram or a message at someone’s house, the correct form is khaîre or χαιρε in Greek letters. If you are addressing more than one person, say in a post, the correct form is khaírete or χαίρετε.

Agreeing to disagree

Ancient Greek has a number of different ways to say “yes” and “no”. Most of them involve repeating what someone said in an affirmative or negative way. The simplest way of saying yes is naí or ναί. Another method is to use the personal pronoun with an emphatic particle, which essentially means, “I, at any rate”: égōge or έγωγε.

The easiest way of saying no is oú or ού. The counterpart of the second way of saying “yes” just adds a negative: oúk égōge or ούκ έγωγε.

If you want to tell someone You are right, just say alētē légeis or αλήτη λέγεισ, which literally means “You speak truth.” To say of course you would say pōs gàr oú or πωσ γαρ ού. Literally, this means, “For how not?”

Mind your manners

If you ask someone to do something for you, it’s important to say please. In Greek, that is ei boúlei or ει βούλει. Afterwards, don’t forget to say thank you: eucharistéō or ευχαριστέω. (I admit this last one is a little conjectural on my part, based on the Perseus Greek lexicon and a napkin from my local Greek restaurant. Use with caution until a Classicist confirms.)

Go, team!

If there is a big competion coming up and you want to root for a friend, you can shout áge (άγε) or phére (φέρε). Both of them mean Come on! If you’re rooting for a team, you will want the plural forms: ágete (άγετε) or phérete (φέρετε). Of course, afterwards you will want to congratulate the winner. To do that you say makarízō or μακαρίζω. (Though this is also somewhat conjectural on my part. Again wait until a Classicist has weighed in.)

So, there you have a few words and phrases that can enhance your experience here at AncientWorlds. I will post a summary in table form in the next post. I hope that others will add to and correct this list. If you want to learn more about Ancient Greek, check your local college or university, or look for Teach Yourself Ancient Greek by Gavin Betts and Alan Henry. If you’re just looking for one or two words, try the English to Greek word search at the Perseus Project.