Fygame! Φύγαμε για ελληνικά! The Story Behind Omilo’s Greek Language Book
How do you keep improving your Greek after returning home from an intensive language course in Greece?
This was a question we often heard from Omilo students, and it eventually led to the creation of «Φύγαμε για ελληνικά!» (Fygame gia Ellinika – Off we go to learn Greek!), our language book for intermediate learners of Modern Greek.
Written by experienced Omilo teachers Marina Braila, Konstantinos Oikonomou and the late Dora Stoimenidou,
the book is the result of many years of teaching Greek to adult students from all over the world.
Today, Φύγαμε για ελληνικά! is used not only by Omilo students, but also by teachers and schools teaching Modern Greek in different countries.
And now we have made a new video to give you a closer look inside the book!
Click on the picture for A closer look at Φύγαμε για ελληνικά!
How did Φύγαμε για ελληνικά! begin?
The story goes back to 2006, when a dedicated Omilo student suggested that we offer lessons by email.
It was a very practical idea.
Many students came to Greece for an intensive Omilo course, made good progress with their Greek and then returned home wondering:
“How can I keep practising my Greek until my next course?”
For many learners, finding suitable Modern Greek lessons at their level in their home country was not easy , especially at intermediate and more advanced levels.
So we started thinking about ways to help our students continue learning from home.
In 2008, Marina, Konstantinos and Dora – at the time three full-time Omilo teachers – worked together to create a series of email lessons for four different language levels.
Creating these lessons also showed us something important: after years of teaching international students, our teachers had developed a wealth of their own material and knew very well which topics, texts and exercises helped adult learners progress.
The next step came naturally.
From Omilo lessons to a Greek language book
In 2010, Marina, Konstantinos and Dora started working together on something much bigger: their own Greek language book.
Omilo founders Maya and Dimitris supported the project, and after a great deal of writing, testing, editing and teamwork, the book was finally published in January 2013.
And it had a name:
«Φύγαμε για ελληνικά!»
Literally, φύγαμε means “we left” or “we’re off”, but it is also a very common expression in everyday Greek meaning something like “Let’s go!” or “Off we go!”
So the title captures exactly the spirit of the book: Off we go to learn Greek!
Since then, Φύγαμε για ελληνικά! has continued its journey, reaching learners and teachers of Greek around the world.
Who is the book for?
Φύγαμε για ελληνικά! was designed specifically for adult learners of Modern Greek at an intermediate level.
It is suitable for learners around B1 and the early stages of B2, according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).
Rather than being a traditional grammar book, it focuses on helping learners use and understand Greek through realistic topics, contemporary language, vocabulary, reading and listening practice.
You can work with the book together with a Greek teacher, but it can also be used for independent study.
What will you find inside Φύγαμε για ελληνικά!?
The main part of the book consists of 12 thematic units, which gradually become more challenging.
The topics are connected with everyday life and give learners the opportunity to practise Greek while also discovering more about life and culture in Greece.
Each unit includes a variety of activities, such as:
- contemporary texts or dialogues
- reading comprehension
- vocabulary exercises
- additional exercises to expand and consolidate vocabulary
- listening comprehension activities
- writing topics
- information about Greek life and culture
- suggestions for Greek songs connected with the theme of the unit
In other words, the aim is not simply to learn more words.
We want learners to read, listen, understand, write and engage with Greek in context.
Improve your listening skills with Greek audio
Listening comprehension can be one of the biggest challenges when learning Greek.
You may understand your teacher perfectly – and then suddenly find that Greeks speaking naturally to each other sound very different!
For this reason, listening practice has always been an important part of Φύγαμε για ελληνικά!.
The book is accompanied by audio recordings of the texts and dialogues, recorded with Omilo teachers, staff and friends.
Each unit includes listening activities followed by comprehension exercises, helping learners become more comfortable hearing spoken Greek.
The audio is available digitally (MP3 files), so you can listen and practise wherever you are.
More than a language book: discover Greek culture
At Omilo, we have always believed that learning Greek and discovering Greek culture go hand in hand.
That philosophy is also an important part of Φύγαμε για ελληνικά!.
At the end of each unit, learners find additional information about different aspects of Greek life, society and culture.
There are also suggested writing topics and Greek songs related to the theme of each chapter.
This means that while improving your vocabulary, reading and listening skills, you are also learning more about the country where the language is spoken.
And perhaps you will discover a few new favourite Greek songs along the way!
Useful support for independent learners
If you are studying without a teacher, you will also find useful material at the end of the book.
This includes:
Answers to the exercises, so you can check your work.
Transcripts of the listening exercises, allowing you to go back and read what you have heard.
And a selected vocabulary list translated into four languages: English, French, German and Spanish.
These features make the book particularly useful for learners who want to continue practising Greek between courses or who do not have easy access to Greek lessons where they live.
Meet the authors
Φύγαμε για ελληνικά! was written by three experienced Omilo teachers:
Marina Braila, Konstantinos Oikonomou and Dora Stoimenidou.
All three brought years of experience teaching Modern Greek to international adult students to the project.
Sadly, Dora Stoimenidou passed away in February 2014.
We remember Dora with great affection, and her contribution continues to be part of Φύγαμε για ελληνικά! and of Omilo’s teaching history.
Today, the book and its distribution are managed by Omilo, in cooperation with masaresi.com
More information and how to order
Would you like to see more information about the book, discover what is included or order your own copy?
You can find all the details about Φύγαμε για ελληνικά! here:
https://omilo.com/about-omilo/fygame/
The book is available as a printed edition or an eBook, accompanied by downloadable audio material.
After purchase, you also receive the AUDIO files (mp3 files)
Click on the links below to buy the book online :
Printed version/ Hard Copy (35 euro + Shipping cost) :
(note: On the Audio files, you do not hear the voice of Dora.
Dora was not present during the recordings in Athens. However, you hear the voice of Marina, Konstantinos, Dimitris and many other Omilo friends..)
