Ambitions

Talking about the future

This module teaches the Greek words for the future, studying and work. Every word comes with three things: the Greek script, a transliteration in brackets to help you say it, and the English meaning. Greek uses accent marks (the tonos) to show which syllable is stressed, and nouns have a gender article (ο, η or το). You will recognise the words here, not type them. (A native speaker should review the script before launch.)

The future and study

Start with the words for what lies ahead:

Match each Greek word to its English meaning

The Greek word for university

Which Greek word means 'university'?

• το πανεπιστήμιο (to panepistimio)
• το όνειρο (to oneiro)
• το μέλλον (to mellon)
• η εκπαίδευση (i ekpaidefsi)

Volunteering and jobs

Now some words for helping others and for real jobs: - ο εθελοντής (o ethelontis) = volunteer - ο εθελοντισμός (o ethelontismos) = volunteering - ο γιατρός (o giatros) = doctor - ο μηχανικός (o michanikos) = engineer Say each word aloud, stressing the syllable with the accent, and link it to the meaning.

Match each word to its English meaning

Spot the jobs

Select the TWO words that are names of jobs (professions).

• ο γιατρός (o giatros)
• ο μηχανικός (o michanikos)
• το όνειρο (to oneiro)
• η εκπαίδευση (i ekpaidefsi)

Two kinds of work

Not all work is paid. Two words describe very different ways of working.

Who helps for free?

Which Greek word means 'volunteer'?

• ο εθελοντής (o ethelontis)
• ο γιατρός (o giatros)
• ο μηχανικός (o michanikos)
• το πανεπιστήμιο (to panepistimio)

Fill in the Greek

In Greek, a dream is _____, university is _____, a volunteer is _____, a doctor is _____, and an engineer is _____.

A path to a career

Put these steps of working towards a career into a sensible order.

• You have a dream for the future (όνειρο)
• You study at university (πανεπιστήμιο)
• You do voluntary work to gain experience (εθελοντισμός)
• You start your profession (επάγγελμα)

Greek merges the preposition with the article

The ambition words become sentences with είναι (is) and μου (my). Greek puts μου after the noun, not before it: - Το όνειρό μου είναι το πανεπιστήμιο = "my dream is university". μου follows όνειρο rather than coming before it, which is the opposite of English. είναι then links the two halves. - Θέλω να σπουδάσω στο πανεπιστήμιο = "I want to study at university". Greek joins two verbs with να: θέλω (I want), then να, then σπουδάσω (I study). And σε + το merges into στο as always.

Greek puts "my" after the noun

Greek puts "my" after the noun. Which of these says "my dream is university"?

• Το όνειρό μου είναι το πανεπιστήμιο
• Μου το όνειρο είναι το πανεπιστήμιο
• Το όνειρό μου το πανεπιστήμιο
• Θέλω να σπουδάσω στο πανεπιστήμιο

Choose the right word

Three situations. Pick the Greek word that fits each one.

• You want to talk about your DREAM for the future. Which word do you use?
• Your friend wants to study for a degree. Which word names the place they would go?
• Someone helps at a charity without being paid. What is that person called?

Your turn: your ambition, in Greek

Write about your ambition IN GREEK. Write in Greek script - the transliteration in brackets is a reading aid only.

• Name the idea: το όνειρο (to oneiro - a dream) or το μέλλον (to mellon - the future)
• Name the job with Είμαι… (eimai - I am ...; Greek drops the article here): Είμαι γιατρός (eimai giatros - I am a doctor), or use μηχανικός (michanikos - engineer)
• Name where you would study: το πανεπιστήμιο (to panepistimio - university), or η εκπαίδευση (i ekpaidefsi - training)
• You may add ο εθελοντισμός (o ethelontismos - voluntary work) or το επάγγελμα (to epangelma - a profession)

Greek script, accents and all

To master this vocabulary, link every word to all three of its forms: the Greek script with its accent, the transliteration so you can say it, and the English meaning. Keep the ideas that are easy to confuse clearly apart - unpaid εθελοντισμός (ethelontismos), volunteering, versus a paid επάγγελμα (epangelma), a profession - and remember the article (ο, η, το) that shows each noun's gender. Saying each word aloud with the right stress, and testing yourself both ways, is what builds real recall.