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Winter in Greece

Winter in Greece is never boring, and for those who thought that Greece is only a summer country, you couldn’t be more wrong :-).
Due to its varied nature and culture, Greece has to offer something in any season!
In general, we had a  a sunny and warm end of the year,  but we expect any moment the winter to start…
Better be prepared, and get your warm cloths ready…or start planning your winter trip to Greece!

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The Vasilopita-The Greek New Year Cake

The Vasilopita is a nice Greek Tradition , a special cake for the New Year. When cutting the cake into slices on New Year’s Day, Greeks will name each slice as they cut it, after everyone in the family and friends. Usually, also a coin is hidden in the bottom of the cake. Whoever is lucky enough to get the coin in their slice is considered especially blessed in the coming year! So maybe a nice Greek tradition to also try it with your family and friends back home?

Click here to read the article in Greek and listen to the Audio

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A Greek Christmas Carol, to sing along

What about listening  to a Greek Christmas carol, and/or sing along?
On December 24th, if you are in Greece, do not be surprised when children ring your doorbell early in the morning!

Τhe children go from house to house, singing about the birth of Jesus Christ, while holding their small metal triangles.
Open them the door; it is believed to bring good luck into your home. And do not forget to give them some coins!

Θα θέλατε να ακούσετε τα ελληνικά χριστουγεννιάτικα κάλαντα ή να τα τραγουδήσετε κι εσείς μαζί;
Στις 24 Δεκεμβρίου, αν είστε στην Ελλάδα, μην ξαφνιαστείτε όταν νωρίς το πρωί τα παιδιά χτυπήσουν το κουδούνι της πόρτας σας!
Τα παιδιά πηγαίνουν από σπίτι σε σπίτι και τραγουδάνε για τη γέννηση του Ιησού Χριστού, κρατώντας τα μικρά μεταλλικά τους τρίγωνα.
Ανοίξτε τους την πόρτα. Θεωρείται πως φέρνουν τύχη στο σπίτι. Και μην ξεχάσετε να τους δώσετε μερικά κέρματα! 

If you are not in Greece, but you would like to hear it,  then watch the video below.
That way,  you can listen to it as many times as you want 🙂
But before you sing along,  let’s do a small Greek listening exercise first!
Listen to the song on the video, and fill out the missing words in the exercise, which you can find under the video!

H δασκάλα η Εύα, θα τραγουδήσει για εσάς ώστε να μπορέσετε να ακούσετε τα κάλαντα όσες φορές θέλετε!  

Μπορείτε να τραγουδήσετε μαζί με την Εύα αλλά ας κάνουμε μία μικρή ακουστική άσκηση πρώτα! 
Ακούστε το τραγούδι στο βίντεο και συμπληρώστε τις λέξεις που λείπουν στην άσκηση που βρίσκεται κάτω από το βίντεο!

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Autumn in Greece

Autumn in Greece is full of surprises!
Even though summer is probably the most popular season in Greece, for Greeks and non-Greeks, also autumn and winter have much more to offer than you might think!
Since the Tourist Industry focuses on Greece as a typical country for summer holidays, not everyone knows that Greece is more than only beaches and sea.
Here an introduction to different aspects of the beautiful Greek autumn.

Read this article in Greek and listen to the Audio

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Greek Expressions; “See you!” and “We will see!”

Learn the Greek Expressions  “See you” and “We will see” and sound as a local!
This is something you can say and hear several times per day, when visiting Greece.
So even if the grammar is too difficult for you, it is useful to learn them by heart.

Since the expressions sound a bit similar, foreigners many times get confused and end up saying those expressions at the wrong time.

So, imagine you meet up with your lovely Greek friend(s), you all have a great time, you kiss them goodbye and you are about to say ‘See you“ in Greek.
So by trying to translate “See you”, many non-Greeks say ‘Θα δούμε!’ … and you instantly ruin the image of the excellent Greek language learner!

But do not worry; most Greeks will understand what you actually wanted to say!

However, it is also really easy to learn to say the expressions correctly.
Read more below and enjoy your lesson! Καλό μάθημα!
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The verb „to go“ and Easy Greek Expressions

Let’s learn the verb „to go“, and at the same time some easy sentences and expressions.
The Greek language has a lot of grammar, long words, an accent on every word with more than 1 syllable, a very rich vocabulary,
expressions and difficult spelling. However, do not worry!
Let’s look at it from the positive side, since there are also some easy things you can quickly learn and use on a daily basis.
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Greek Etymology – Why we chose the name „Omilo“ ?

Greek etymology, is something we often use in our Greek lessons.
But this time, we will use it to explain you a bit more about why we chose the name „omilo“ or “ ομιλώ“.
„Omilo Greek Language and Culture“ was founded in 1996, so we are around for many years 🙂 Even longer than „google“ ! 🙂

And …in case you were wondering…

“Omilo” or „ομιλώ¨,  actually is a verb and means “I speak”!

Because at Omilo, we really try to focus on „speaking Greek“!

If you already know some Greek, then you now might wonder: Why “omilo“ (ομιλώ) and not “milao” (μιλάω)?
Well, both verbs mean „I speak“, but the latter is more used in the everyday Greek language, so you will hear it more.

Careful; when you pronounce „omilo“, make sure you stress the LAST O, since also there is the stress in the verb; ομιλώ

Click here to read this article in Greek and listen to the Greek audio

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How To Ask For Something In Greek – Two Useful Verbs | Omilo

How To Ask For Something In Greek ? There are two verbs you can use!
For any Greek language learner, memorizing verbs and learning to conjugate them correctly, is one of the first things you need, in order to make a correct Greek sentence. 

The two Greek verbs that many Beginners and even Intermediate students find quite confusing are ‘ρωτάω‘ and ‘ζητάω’. The main obvious cause of this confusion is that both verbs mean „to ask“ in English. However, in Greek, there is a difference in „asking“!

Here we explain how to use both verbs, and help you understand when to use which one and how to conjugate them.

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Greek Songs Which Became International Hits | Omilo

Greek songs which also became international hits, are more than you might think! However, few people today realize that some classic songs were actually written by Greek composers,
When you regularly visit, you definitely have understood that  music  plays a very important role in the life of Greeks. In joy and sorrow, Greeks sing. And the truth is that they have the opportunity to choose among several categories of songs, in order to express every time their feelings: there are plenty of folk songs, rebetika, laika, entexna  as well as rock and pop songs.

Read this article in Greek

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A Crossword related to Greek Mythology

A crossword related to Greek Mythology is another way to learn Greek.  Learning Greek is a hobby for life, so from time to time you have to find fun and new ways of learning to keep yourself motivated.

So, if you reached an advanced level in the Greek language, you might also try a crosswords and get excited about ancient Greek mythology!
Although the exercise is made for advanced students in Greek, even if you are not at that level yet, you can still give it a try, or just read the Greek myth in English. Weiterlesen

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