Modern Greek Grammar – Theory and Practice

This is NOT a simple grammar theory book – there are numerous such books already.

This is NOT a simple workbook – you’ll find many such books on the market as well.

This book is one of a kind.

What makes it different and why is it currently used in Modern Greek departments in universities across the USA, the UK, and Australia?

• The book covers all levels and a very wide range of topics, from the alphabet and genders to noun declension and verb tenses.
• It combines theory and practice. Each chapter includes a brief theory section, followed by many exercises to make sure the student has mastered each topic. Answers to all exercises are also provided, which is particularly helpful for students who are practicing without the help of an instructor.
• This book is actually fun! Many of the exercises include song lyrics (and the song titles are included in case you want to look them up and try to find the verses from the exercises).
• It was written by a native Greek linguist who is also a polyglot and knows very well the difficulties in learning a language, what the trickiest concepts are in Modern Greek, and what tips and tricks can help master them.
• Last but not least, the book was originally published in December 2022 and updated in August 2024, which means that it explains the language as it is used today, with contemporary phrases and with the modern accentuation system.

Content: In the first sections we cover reading and writing: double vowels, double consonants, placement of the stress mark, etc. Then we move on to articles, pronouns, nouns in the three genders, conjugation of nouns, adjectives and their conjugation, adjective-noun agreement, adverbs, comparative and superlative of adjectives and adverbs, among other topics.
The second half of the book is dedicated to verbs: we look at all tenses and persons in the active and the passive voice, the conditional, imperative, subjunctive, participles in the active and the passive voice, etc. Several common verbs are conjugated to help the student recognize the patterns.

Please note that the book is not an exhaustive grammar reference and is not meant to replace grammar books but rather puts the emphasis on practice. Explanations are given in English and instructions for the exercises are given in English and Greek. The meaning of numerous Greek words is given (right under each word), to facilitate learning and to help beginners -who may still have limited vocabulary- to complete the exercises without having to constantly refer to a dictionary.