Languages · Ελληνικά
Video Chat with Greek Speakers
To practice Greek with native speakers, you need to hear it at natural speed in real conversations, not just in course audio. On Omlet you can video chat one-on-one with people from Greece and Cyprus, where Greek is an official language, for free and without signing up.
Omlet has no language matching, so use the country filter to choose Greece or Cyprus, or simply ask the people you meet, "Μιλάς ελληνικά;" (mee-LAHS eh-lee-nee-KAH?, Do you speak Greek?). Don't let the alphabet put you off: you can start speaking before you read fluently, and many letters are already familiar from math and science. The language exchange video chat page explains how practice works on Omlet.
Where people speak Greek
Greek (Ελληνικά) is an official language in 2 countries and territories. To meet people from one of them, pick it with the country filter.
Useful Greek phrases for video chat
Short, natural phrases you can use in your first minute on camera. The pronunciation is a simple English-style guide; stressed syllables are in capitals.
| English | Greek | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Hi / Bye (casual) | Γεια σου! | YAH-soo |
| Good evening | Καλησπέρα! | kah-lee-SPEH-rah |
| How are you? | Τι κάνεις; | tee KAH-nees? |
| Good, and you? | Καλά, εσύ; | kah-LAH, eh-SEE? |
| What's your name? | Πώς σε λένε; | POHS seh LEH-neh? |
| My name is … | Με λένε … | meh LEH-neh … |
| Where are you from? | Από πού είσαι; | ah-POH POO EE-seh? |
| I'm learning Greek. | Μαθαίνω ελληνικά. | mah-THEH-noh eh-lee-nee-KAH |
| Nice to meet you. | Χάρηκα πολύ. | HAH-ree-kah poh-LEE |
| Can you speak more slowly? | Μπορείς να μιλάς πιο αργά; | boh-REES nah mee-LAHS pyoh ar-GAH? |
| How do you say … in Greek? | Πώς λέγεται … στα ελληνικά; | POHS LEH-yeh-teh … stah eh-lee-nee-KAH? |
| I don't understand. | Δεν καταλαβαίνω. | then kah-tah-lah-VEH-noh |
| What do you do for work? | Τι δουλειά κάνεις; | tee doo-LYAH KAH-nees? |
| Thanks for the chat, bye! | Ευχαριστώ για την κουβέντα, γεια! | ef-hah-ree-STOH yah teen koo-VEN-dah, YAH |
Tips for practicing Greek on video chat
- Learn ναι (neh) and όχι (OH-hee) right away. Ναι means yes, even though it sounds a bit like "nay", and όχι means no. It's the classic mix-up for English speakers.
- Watch for a quick upward tilt of the head, sometimes with raised eyebrows or a click of the tongue: in Greece it often means no. Our guide to hand gestures around the world covers more signals like this.
- Ask your partner to type in Greek letters rather than Greeklish (Greek written with Latin letters). Reading their messages is a painless way to practice the alphabet.
- Use Γεια σου (YAH-soo) with one person you'd speak to casually and Γεια σας (YAH-sahs) with someone older or more formal. Both work as hello and goodbye.
- Good topics include food, from souvlaki to a grandmother's cooking, coffee habits like the iced freddo espresso, music, favorite islands and what makes someone's hometown special.
Reading Greek letters without the panic
The Greek alphabet has 24 letters, and several look like English ones but sound different. Learn these first and most short words become readable:
| Letter | Sounds like | Example |
|---|---|---|
| β | v | βράδυ (VRAH-thee), evening |
| γ | y before e and i sounds; a soft, throaty g elsewhere | γεια (yah), hi or bye |
| δ | th in "this" | δεν (then), not |
| θ | th in "think" | Αθήνα (ah-THEE-nah), Athens |
| χ | a throaty h, like the ch in "loch" | χαρά (hah-RAH), joy |
| ρ | a tapped or rolled r | ρολόι (roh-LOH-ee), clock |
| η, ι, υ, ει, οι | ee | είμαι (EE-meh), I am |
| μπ / ντ | b / d | μπορείς (boh-REES), you can |
Two more shortcuts: every word of more than one syllable carries an accent mark showing which syllable to stress, and Greek uses ; as its question mark.
Εσύ or εσείς? Casual and polite Greek
Greek uses εσύ (eh-SEE) for one person you know casually and εσείς (eh-SEES) for several people or for one person you want to treat politely. The verb changes with it: "Τι κάνεις;" (tee KAH-nees) is casual, while "Τι κάνετε;" (tee KAH-neh-teh) is polite.
On a relaxed video chat with someone your age, the casual form is normal, and most Greeks switch to it quickly. With someone noticeably older, start polite and follow their lead.
Not sure? Start with "Γεια σας" and "Τι κάνετε;". If your partner answers with εσύ forms, you can relax into them too.
An alphabet-first chat routine
- Five minutes before you start, read the phrase table aloud, stressing the syllables in capitals.
- Greet with "Καλησπέρα" or "Γεια σου" and ask "Από πού είσαι;".
- Ask your partner to type their city's name in Greek, then read it back to them.
- Spend the middle of the chat on one topic: their favorite food, where they'd go on vacation or what they do.
- When you lose track, say "Δεν καταλαβαίνω" and ask them to repeat or type it.
- Finish with "Ευχαριστώ για την κουβέντα", and write down two new words right after.
Greece and Cyprus are on UTC+2 in winter and UTC+3 in summer, so a Greek evening usually overlaps with early to mid afternoon on the US East Coast and with the evening in Western Europe. Our guide to the best time to chat across time zones has a full table.
Practice Greek with the country filter
Omlet's interface is in English only, and it doesn't match people by language or translate anything. There are two easy ways to find Greek speakers:
- Use the country filter. Press Country, pick a country where Greek is spoken (for example Greece or Cyprus), then press Start.
- Ask whoever you meet. On Worldwide matching, a quick "Do you speak Greek?" costs nothing to try.
The country filter's first day is free (you add a card to start, and can cancel in Settings before the charge). After that it's $3 one time for that device and browser, with no subscription. It can make matching slower when fewer people from that country are online; if a match takes a while, try another country or switch back to Worldwide.
Say you're practicing Greek in your first sentence and ask your partner to slow down or correct you. It's a normal request.