A1
Lesson 6 · Η οικογένεια — Family
Brothers and sisters, parents and their jobs, and how old everyone is.
Read each line aloud: the sentence, how it sounds, then what it means.
Έχεις αδέρφια;
Éhis adérfia?
Do you have brothers or sisters?
Ναι, έχω έναν αδερφό και μία αδερφή. Εσύ;
Ne, ého énan aderfó ke mía aderfí. Esí?
Yes, I have a brother and a sister. And you?
Είμαι μοναχοπαίδι. Μένω με τους γονείς μου.
Íme monahopédi. Méno me tous gonís mou.
I am an only child. I live with my parents.
Τι δουλειά κάνει ο πατέρας σου;
Ti douliá káni o patéras sou?
What does your father do?
Είναι μηχανικός και η μητέρα μου είναι νοσοκόμα.
Íne mihanikós ke i mitéra mou íne nosokóma.
He is an engineer and my mother is a nurse.
Είσαι παντρεμένη;
Íse pandreméni?
Are you married?
Όχι, δεν είμαι. Έχω όμως έναν σκύλο!
Óhi, den íme. Ého ómos énan skílo!
No, I am not. But I do have a dog!
Πόσων χρονών είναι ο αδερφός σου;
Póson hronón íne o aderfós sou?
How old is your brother?
Είναι είκοσι χρονών. Η οικογένειά μου είναι μικρή αλλά όμορφη.
Íne íkosi hronón. I ikoyéniá mou íne mikrí alá ómorfi.
He is twenty. My family is small but lovely.
Grammar notes
έχω — I have
(εγώ) έχω, (εσύ) έχεις, (αυτός/αυτή) έχει. To say you do not have something, put δεν in front: δεν έχω.
μου, σου — my, your
The possessive comes after the noun, not before: ο πατέρας μου (my father), η μητέρα σου (your mother), το σπίτι μας (our house).
δεν — not
δεν goes straight before the verb: Δεν είμαι παντρεμένη. Δεν έχω αδέρφια. Δεν μένω εδώ.
Πόσων χρονών…; — how old…?
Πόσων χρονών είσαι; — Είμαι είκοσι πέντε χρονών. The word χρονών never changes, whatever the number.
Three things about the culture
The godparent names the child
At an Orthodox baptism it is the νονός or νονά — the godparent — who gives the child its name, and in many families the name stays secret until the moment it is spoken in church. That bond lasts for life; a godparent is treated as close family.
Grandparents are part of the daily household
The γιαγιά and the παππούς are rarely far away. They collect the children from school, cook on Sundays and often live in the same building — many Greek apartment blocks hold three generations of one family on different floors.
A blue eye pinned on the baby
Το μάτι, the evil eye, is taken half-seriously and wholly practically: a small blue charm is pinned to a baby's clothes, and if a child gets a sudden headache after being admired, a grandmother will perform the ξεμάτιασμα — a whispered prayer over a glass of water and a drop of oil.
Now lock in the words
This lesson has its own flashcard folder — every new word and grammar point from the conversation.
Study this lesson's cards