I had a hard time knowing when to use «ότι» or «που» when I wanted to say “that.” Then I learned a few phrases like «χαίρομαι που» and «συγγνώμη που», but I still made tons of mistakes.
Then I found this video from Linguatree titled, “After this video, you won’t make this mistake again”. After 6 minutes, my problems with «που» and «ότι» were solved!
Thank you Linguatree!
Maybe it is my Rosetta Stone start, but I find having a balance of input and output to be important to my learning process. For me, Rosetta Stone was great. It gave me input on my level with useful phrases and words. The best part though was the “Lifetime Plus” or “Live Group Coaching.” As soon as I had completed Lessons 1 and 2 of Unit 1, I had access to twenty-five minute long live group classes conducted entirely in Greek. It was a very low-stakes way to start talking and listening. The first Unit 1 class was perfectly adapted to that level and the coach was both patient and helpful. I found that trying to produce the language helped to imprint the words I had learned onto my brain and encouraged me to put words together in novel ways that had not been presented to me.
I still do the group lessons once or twice a week even though I finished all 12 levels of the Rosetta Stone Greek course.
While I’ve moved beyond the program as a primary learning tool, I’ve continued to value having a combination of input and output in my learning process.
Continue Reading- Input vs OutputI was recently introduced to “το πρώτο μου λεξικό,” a Greek to Greek picture dictionary. While it is intended for children, I have been finding it very useful. My favorite part is the example sentences that are provided for each word. It is really useful to see a new word used in context!
Other features I like:
Check it out!
Well… I did it! I quit part of my Greek language routine that stopped working for me. Seems like a no-brainer, but in reality it was hard to do. I had invested a lot of time in that activity, over two years in fact. But, it had become more about the streak than the Greek.
Now that I’ve quit, I don’t miss it.
Language learning is a journey and it was time to get on a different train.
I’ve been trying out Clozemaster as a means of daily review. So far, after five days of use, it seems promising!
Clozemaster uses cloze sentences to help you review. What’s a cloze sentence? It is a sentence with a missing word that needs to be filled in so that it will be complete. With the free version of Clozemaster, you get 30 cloze sentences per day. There’s also a paid version that has an unlimited number of sentences per day.
So, what are the features that make it promising as a great review activity?
Continue Reading – ClozemasterA friend recently introduced me to the ideas of Stephen Krashen, a linguist, researcher and prolific writer. One of Krashen’s (2013) ideas about second language acquisition is called the “Comprehension Hypothesis,” in which “we acquire language when we understand messages” through “comprehensible input” (p. 3).
So, what is comprehensible input? It is reading or listening that is at the right level for you. According to Krashen (2013), this means input that is at the i+1 level (p. 3). In other words, a little beyond your current level.
Great! I love reading!
The problem is that it is sometimes difficult to find Greek Language reading material at just the right level that is also interesting and engaging.
One place to start is with leveled readers. Leveled readers are written with the language learner in mind and include carefully chosen vocabulary and grammatical structures. These are some of the leveled readers that I have used:
Continue Reading: Resource RoundupI just discovered that two of my favorite Greek Language content creators have joined forces to make a podcast together! Woo hoo!
Κοσμική Βυσσινάδα is the creation of Yiuli (Linguatree) and Daria (Six Thousand Islands). So far, the four released episodes seem to be a great fit for an intermediate learner – both in the speed of their speaking and in the vocabulary used.
I’ve been thinking a lot about the first episode of their new podcast where Yiuli and Daria discuss talent. After sharing their own talents, they continue with a discussion of talent and the things that are hidden behind talent, such as hard work or a person’s environment.
Continue Reading – A Great Combo!My copy of the Oxford Greek-English Learner’s Dictionary by D N Stavropoulos is hands down one of the most used and most useful resources that I own!
In fact, I’ve used this dictionary so often that I had to repair the spine and all of the corners with packing tape.
Why do I like this resource so much? Its almost 1,000 pages of definitions capture subtleties of word meanings that make translating a word a rich and nuanced process.
Let’s take a look at the word <<πέφτω>> as an example.
Continue Reading – Ode to a DictionaryRecently, in a Greek Language group that I attended, someone asked of the group “How do you spend your time when learning Greek?” I love when people ask this question, as it often leads to resources being shared and discussed. Beyond resources, this person was inquiring as to how people organize their learning time.
With so many resources available – podcasts, YouTube videos, workbooks, apps, conversation groups, lesson groups, and more – how you organize your learning time is an important question to consider.
While thinking about the question, I realized there are some larger principles that guide my learning process. If you are unsure of how to spend your time, maybe these principles will help you decide.
Continue Reading – So Many Resources..Let me just say that I think tζατζίκι είναι πεντανόστιμο! (tzatziki is really delicious). Every time I have the chance to eat Greek food, I make sure to order something that includes this tasty sauce. Finally, I decided I needed to learn how to make tzatziki rather than waiting to go to a Greek restaurant. Making tzatziki was also a great opportunity to practice Greek by using a recipe written in the language.
Here’s how it went:
Continue Reading – Τζατζικι
Modern Greek Learning Journey 