Learning how to express time and dates in Greek can significantly enhance your ability to communicate effectively in the language. Understanding these expressions is essential for planning, scheduling, and participating in everyday conversations. This comprehensive guide will help you master the basics and nuances of expressing time and dates in Greek.
Telling Time in Greek
Telling time in Greek involves both the use of numbers and specific vocabulary. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you get started.
Numbers and Hours
Before diving into telling time, you need to be familiar with the Greek numbers, especially 1 through 24, as Greece uses a 24-hour clock format in formal contexts like timetables and schedules.
1 – Ένα (Éna)
2 – Δύο (Dýo)
3 – Τρία (Tría)
4 – Τέσσερα (Téssera)
5 – Πέντε (Pénte)
6 – Έξι (Éxi)
7 – Επτά (Eptá)
8 – Οκτώ (Októ)
9 – Εννέα (Ennéa)
10 – Δέκα (Déka)
11 – Έντεκα (Éndeka)
12 – Δώδεκα (Dódeka)
13 – Δεκατρία (Dekatría)
14 – Δεκατέσσερα (Dekatéssera)
15 – Δεκαπέντε (Dekapénte)
16 – Δεκαέξι (Dekaéxi)
17 – Δεκαεπτά (Dekaeftá)
18 – Δεκαοκτώ (Dekaoktó)
19 – Δεκαεννέα (Dekaennéa)
20 – Είκοσι (Eíkosi)
21 – Είκοσι ένα (Eíkosi éna)
22 – Είκοσι δύο (Eíkosi dýo)
23 – Είκοσι τρία (Eíkosi tría)
24 – Είκοσι τέσσερα (Eíkosi téssera)
Basic Time Expressions
To express the time, you generally use the word “ώρα” (óra) for hour and “λεπτό” (leptó) for minute. Here are some basic time expressions:
– **What time is it?** – Τι ώρα είναι; (Ti óra eínai?)
– **It’s one o’clock.** – Είναι μία η ώρα. (Eínai mía i óra.)
– **It’s two o’clock.** – Είναι δύο η ώρα. (Eínai dýo i óra.)
Minutes Past and To
When expressing minutes past the hour, use the word “και” (kai), and for minutes to the hour, use “παρά” (pará).
– **It’s ten past three.** – Είναι τρεις και δέκα. (Eínai treis kai déka.)
– **It’s quarter past four.** – Είναι τέσσερις και τέταρτο. (Eínai tésseris kai tétarto.)
– **It’s twenty to six.** – Είναι έξι παρά είκοσι. (Eínai éxi pará eíkosi.)
Half Past the Hour
To say “half past,” use the word “μισή” (misí).
– **It’s half past five.** – Είναι πέντε και μισή. (Eínai pénte kai misí.)
Using the 24-Hour Clock
For official times, such as in transportation schedules, the 24-hour clock is used. Here are a few examples:
– **13:00** – Είναι μία η ώρα το μεσημέρι. (Eínai mía i óra to mesiméri.)
– **18:30** – Είναι έξι και μισή το απόγευμα. (Eínai éxi kai misí to apógevma.)
Days of the Week
Knowing the days of the week is crucial for making plans and understanding schedules. Here are the days of the week in Greek:
– **Monday** – Δευτέρα (Deftéra)
– **Tuesday** – Τρίτη (Tríti)
– **Wednesday** – Τετάρτη (Tetárti)
– **Thursday** – Πέμπτη (Pémpti)
– **Friday** – Παρασκευή (Paraskeví)
– **Saturday** – Σάββατο (Sávvato)
– **Sunday** – Κυριακή (Kyriakí)
To say “on Monday,” you use the preposition “τη” (ti) before the day of the week:
– **On Monday** – τη Δευτέρα (ti Deftéra)
– **On Tuesday** – την Τρίτη (tin Tríti)
– **On Wednesday** – την Τετάρτη (tin Tetárti)
Months of the Year
The months in Greek are quite similar to their English counterparts, making them relatively easy to remember.
– **January** – Ιανουάριος (Ianouários)
– **February** – Φεβρουάριος (Fevrouários)
– **March** – Μάρτιος (Mártios)
– **April** – Απρίλιος (Aprílios)
– **May** – Μάιος (Máios)
– **June** – Ιούνιος (Ioúnios)
– **July** – Ιούλιος (Ioúlios)
– **August** – Αύγουστος (Ávgoustos)
– **September** – Σεπτέμβριος (Septémvrios)
– **October** – Οκτώβριος (Októvrios)
– **November** – Νοέμβριος (Noémvrios)
– **December** – Δεκέμβριος (Dekémvrios)
To say “in January,” you use the preposition “τον” (ton) before the month:
– **In January** – τον Ιανουάριο (ton Ianouário)
– **In February** – τον Φεβρουάριο (ton Fevrouário)
Dates in Greek
Expressing dates involves knowing both the ordinal numbers and the months. Here’s how you can structure dates in Greek:
Ordinal Numbers
First, let’s look at the ordinal numbers for the first 31 days of the month:
1st – πρώτος (prótos)
2nd – δεύτερος (défteros)
3rd – τρίτος (trítos)
4th – τέταρτος (tétartos)
5th – πέμπτος (pémptos)
6th – έκτος (éktos)
7th – έβδομος (évdomos)
8th – όγδοος (ógdoos)
9th – ένατος (énatos)
10th – δέκατος (dékatos)
11th – ενδέκατος (endékatos)
12th – δωδέκατος (dodekátos)
13th – δέκατος τρίτος (dékatos trítos)
14th – δέκατος τέταρτος (dékatos tétartos)
15th – δέκατος πέμπτος (dékatos pénptos)
16th – δέκατος έκτος (dékatos éktos)
17th – δέκατος έβδομος (dékatos évdomos)
18th – δέκατος όγδοος (dékatos ógdoos)
19th – δέκατος ένατος (dékatos énatos)
20th – εικοστός (eikostós)
21st – εικοστός πρώτος (eikostós prótos)
22nd – εικοστός δεύτερος (eikostós défteros)
23rd – εικοστός τρίτος (eikostós trítos)
24th – εικοστός τέταρτος (eikostós tétartos)
25th – εικοστός πέμπτος (eikostós pénptos)
26th – εικοστός έκτος (eikostós éktos)
27th – εικοστός έβδομος (eikostós évdomos)
28th – εικοστός όγδοος (eikostós ógdoos)
29th – εικοστός ένατος (eikostós énatos)
30th – τριακοστός (triakostós)
31st – τριακοστός πρώτος (triakostós prótos)
Forming Dates
To form a date, you combine the ordinal number with the month. Here’s an example:
– **January 1st** – Πρώτη Ιανουαρίου (Próti Ianouaríou)
– **February 14th** – Δέκατη τέταρτη Φεβρουαρίου (Dékati tétarti Fevrouaríou)
To add the year, you can follow this format:
– **January 1st, 2023** – Πρώτη Ιανουαρίου, δύο χιλιάδες είκοσι τρία (Próti Ianouaríou, dýo chiliádes eíkosi tría)
Common Time-Related Expressions
Learning some common expressions related to time can also help you in everyday conversations:
– **Today** – Σήμερα (Símera)
– **Tomorrow** – Αύριο (Ávrio)
– **Yesterday** – Χθες (Chthes)
– **Day after tomorrow** – Μεθαύριο (Methávrio)
– **Day before yesterday** – Προχθές (Prochthés)
– **Last week** – Την περασμένη εβδομάδα (Tin perasméni evdomáda)
– **Next week** – Την επόμενη εβδομάδα (Tin epómeni evdomáda)
– **Last month** – Τον περασμένο μήνα (Ton perasméno mína)
– **Next month** – Τον επόμενο μήνα (Ton epómeno mína)
– **Last year** – Πέρυσι (Pérysi)
– **Next year** – Του χρόνου (Tou chrónou)
Practice Makes Perfect
The key to mastering time and date expressions in Greek is consistent practice. Here are some practical tips to help you get better:
Daily Practice
Try to incorporate the new vocabulary into your daily routine. For instance, when you look at the clock, try to express the time in Greek. Make a habit of saying the date in Greek every day.
Interactive Exercises
Engage in interactive exercises such as:
– **Flashcards**: Create flashcards for numbers, days of the week, and months.
– **Quizzes**: Take online quizzes to test your knowledge.
– **Role-Playing**: Practice with a language partner or tutor by role-playing scenarios like booking appointments or making plans.
Listening and Speaking
Listen to Greek audio resources such as podcasts, songs, and news broadcasts to get used to how native speakers express time and dates. Repeat after the speakers to improve your pronunciation and fluency.
Conclusion
Understanding and using expressions of time and dates in Greek is a fundamental skill that will greatly improve your communication abilities. By learning the numbers, hours, days, months, and common expressions, you will be well on your way to mastering this essential aspect of the Greek language. Remember to practice regularly and immerse yourself in listening and speaking opportunities to reinforce your learning. Happy studying!
