Let’s say you are at a grocery store in the Greek countryside and you want to buy vegetables for a horiatiki salad. (A salad prepared with tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, peppers, olives, feta cheese, oregano, olive oil, and salt.) You need to know one verb and the Greek names of the salad ingredients. Some are similar to the English ones: ντομάτες = tomatoes, πιπεριές = peppers, ρίγανη = oregano. Below are some basic phrases you may use.
BUYING VEGETABLES FOR A HORIATIKI SALAD
Θέλωντομάτες
THElodoMAtes
Ι want (would like) some tomatoes
Θέλωένααγγούρι
THEloEnaaGOOri
I want (would like) one cucumber
Θέλωπιπεριές
THElopiperyES
I want (would like) some peppers
Θέλωκρεμμύδια
THElokreMEEdia
I want (would like) some onions
Θέλωελιές
THEloeliES
I want (I would like) some olives
Θέλωλάδι
THEloLAdi
I want (I would like) olive oil
Θέλωτυρίφέτα
THElotiREEFEta
I want (would like) some feta cheese
Θέλωαλάτι
THEloaLAti
I want (would like) some salt
Θέλωρίγανη
THEloREEyani
I want (would like) some oregano
BASIC GRAMMAR
In Greek we have three grammatical genders. The feminine grammatical gender nouns take the article ηand end in -α or -ηin the Singular number. In the Plural number they take the article οιand end in -ες: ηντομάτα / οιντομάτες, ηπιπεριά / οιπιπεριές, ηελιά / οιελιές. The neuter grammatical gender nouns take the article τοand end in -ιor -οin the Singular number. In the Plural number they take the article ταand end in -α: τοαγγούρι / τααγγούρια, τοκρεμμύδι / τακρεμμύδια, τοτυρί / τατυριά.
DEFINE THE QUANTITY
Θέλωένακιλόντομάτες
THEloEnakiLOdoMAtes
I want (would like) a kilo of tomatoes
Θέλωδύοαγγούρια
THEloDEEoaGOOria
I want (would like) two cucumbers
Θέλωδύοκρεμμύδια
THEloDEEokreMEEdia
I want (would like) two onions
Θέλωδύοπιπεριές
THEloDEEopiperYES
I want (would like) two peppers
Θέλωένατέταρτοτυρίφέτα
THEloEnaTEtartotiREEFEta
I want (would like) a quarter kilo of feta cheese
Θέλωένακιλόελιές
THEloEnakiLOeliES
I want (would like) a kilo of olives
Θέλωμισόκιλόελιές
THElomiSOkiLOeliES
I want (would like)a half kilo of olives
Θέλωέναμπουκάλιλάδι
THEloEnabooKAliLAdi
I want (would like) a bottle of olive oil
BASIC VOCABULARY
GREEK WORD PRONUNCIATION MEANING
Θέλω THElo I want, I would like
Ηντομάτα EE ntoMAta the tomato
Ηπιπεριά EE piperyiA the pepper
Ηελιά EE eliA the olive
Οιντομάτες EE ntoMAtes the tomatoes
Οιπιπεριές EE piperYES the peppers
Οιελιές EE eliES the olives
Τοαγγούρι TO aGOOri the cucumber
Τοκρεμμύδι TO kremEEdi the onion
Τοαλάτι TO aLAti the salt
Τολάδι TO LAdi the olive oil
Τομπουκάλι TO booKAli the bottle
Έναμπουκάλιλάδι EnampooKAliLAdi a bottle of olive oil
Δύο DEEo two
Δύομπουκάλια DEEompooKAlia two bottles
Ένακιλό EnakiLO one kilo
Μισόκιλό miSOkilo a half kilo
EXERCISE
You are at a Super Market in Greece. Ask the grocer for the ingredients you would like to buy to make a horiatiki salad.
PRONUNCIATION KEY
i (ill), ee (beer), e (ever), o (organ), oo (boot), y (yes), h (helium), th (theory), d (the). The capitalized syllables are accented.
The post Our Everyday Greek: Survival Guide for Greece Travelers: Greek Salad appeared first on The National Herald.