Holidays

Holidays

Holidays are one of the topics you will be asked to talk and write about: where you go, how you get there, and what you do. Every word below is shown three ways: the Greek with its article, a transliteration in brackets to help you say it, and the English meaning. Learn the article with the word, never the word on its own.

Key words (1)

Start with four holiday words:

Match each word to its meaning

What to ploio means in Greek

What does the Greek word το πλοίο (to ploio) mean?

• boat, ship
• the beach
• the holidays
• a trip, a journey

Key words (2)

Now four more words you need for a holiday:

Match each word to its meaning

Getting there

Select the TWO Greek words that are ways of travelling.

• το πλοίο (to ploio)
• το αυτοκίνητο (to aftokinito)
• η βαλίτσα (i valitsa)
• το ξενοδοχείο (to xenodocheio)

Choose the Greek word

In Greek, the word for 'the holidays' is _____, and the word for 'the beach' is _____.

Every noun has a gender

Greek nouns are masculine, feminine or neuter, and the word for "the" changes to match: • ο (o) for masculine • η (i) for feminine, as in η παραλία • το (to) for neuter, as in το πλοίο In the plural, feminine words take οι (oi), which is why the holidays are οι διακοπές. Learn the article with every new word and you get the gender free.

Which article?

The word βαλίτσα (valitsa), suitcase, is feminine and singular. Which word for "the" goes with it?

• η (i)
• ο (o)
• το (to)
• οι (oi)

Places and transport

Holiday words fall into two groups. Sorting them this way makes them easier to recall, and adds two more places: το βουνό (to vouno), a mountain, and το νησί (to nisi), an island.

Greek builds the sentence its own way

You have met ο, η, το and οι on their own. Inside a sentence they do something extra: after σε (to, at, in) the two words merge into one: - Το καλοκαίρι πηγαίνω στην παραλία = "in the summer I go to the beach". παραλία takes η, so σε + την becomes στην. The gender of the noun decides which merged form you need. - Η βαλίτσα είναι στο ξενοδοχείο = "the suitcase is in the hotel". ξενοδοχείο takes το, so σε + το becomes στο. Same word σε, different merge, because the gender is different.

After σε the article merges into one word

After σε the article merges into one word. Which of these says "in the summer I go to the beach"?

• Το καλοκαίρι πηγαίνω στην παραλία
• Το καλοκαίρι πηγαίνω στο παραλία
• Το καλοκαίρι πηγαίνω σε την παραλία
• Η βαλίτσα είναι στο ξενοδοχείο

Planning a holiday

Plan a summer holiday to a Greek island using the words you have learned.

• You want to spend the summer somewhere surrounded by sea. Which place do you choose?
• There is no bridge, so you cross the water. How do you get there?
• You arrive and need somewhere to stay. Which word do you need?

One more

The Greek word for 'summer' is _____, the word for 'a mountain' is _____, and the word for 'an island' is _____.

Your turn: write in Greek

Write two or three sentences IN GREEK about a holiday. Write in Greek script - the transliteration in brackets is a reading aid only.

• Name where you go: η παραλία (i paralia - the beach), το βουνό (to vouno - the mountain) or το νησί (to nisi - the island)
• Name how you travel: το πλοίο (to ploio - boat) or το αυτοκίνητο (to aftokinito - car)
• Name the season or the break: το καλοκαίρι (to kalokairi - summer), οι διακοπές (oi diakopes - the holidays) or το ταξίδι (to taxidi - a trip)
• Say what you like with Μου αρέσει… (mou aresei - I like ...): Μου αρέσει η παραλία (mou aresei i paralia - I like the beach)