Having an ear for the language is the greatest challenge

Finding a class or teacher of Modern Greek, however, proved challenging for a variety of reasons. First, there aren’t many teachers or classes in Modern Greek in Sacramento. Second, I wanted to learn the language as quickly as possible rather than be restrained by a typical class schedule, which might also conflict with my work schedule.

It was only when I discovered Verbalplanet that I saw a way to learn Modern Greek in a way that included one-on-one online lessons. Besides offering a selection of tutors at different price levels, Verbalplanet also allowed me to arrange a free trial lesson. I was quickly able to launch weekly lessons with my tutor Thanasis Mandrapilias in Athens, beginning in May 2017. My initial goal was simply to be able to carry on practical conversations in our travels; however, I also thought that I might want to develop a much deeper knowledge of Modern Greek over a longer period of time.

The weekly one-on-one lessons with Thanasis have been invaluable. Among other things, they have enabled me to train my ear to the sounds of Greek and to the way common thoughts are expressed. To me, developing an ear for the language is the greatest challenge, since much of the grammar is already familiar to me. I have also appreciated the structured, incremental way in which Thanasis has structured the lessons, including regular review of earlier material that might easily slip away otherwise. I have supplemented my weekly lessons with Thanasis through a grammar book and tapes as well as the Greek course on Duolingo. I have found in the past that studying a language in several ways enhances the overall effort.

Quick Facts: Greek

The Greek language is distinguished by an extraordinarily rich vocabulary and has a documented history of around 3,500 years, the longest of any single language within the Indo-European family.

Greek is also one of the earliest attested Indo-European languages, with fragmentary records in Mycenaean dating back to the 15th or 14th century BC. Today the Greek language is spoken by approximately 15 million people in Greece, Cyprus, Albania, Bulgaria, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Italy, Turkey and emigrant communities around the world. The vast majority of modern Greek vocabulary is directly inherited from ancient Greek, although in certain cases words now have new meanings. One of the most notable features of the Greek language is its long association and use within the sciences, in particular physics, chemistry, biology, and medicine.