Learn about some Greek-English false friends
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Intro |
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| Michael: What are some Greek-English false friends? |
| Chrissi: And what are some words that are often used incorrectly? |
| Michael: At GreekPod101.com, we hear these questions often. Ben Lee went to the movies with his friend Stefanos Sapountzidis. After the screening he says, |
| "This movie was very private." |
| Μπεν Λι: Αυτή η ταινία ήταν πολύ ιδιωτική. (Aftí i tenía ítan polí idiotikí.) |
| Dialogue |
| Μπεν Λι: Αυτή η ταινία ήταν πολύ ιδιωτική. (Aftí i tenía ítan polí idiotikí.) |
| Στέφανος Σαπουντζίδης: Εννοείς βλακώδης; (Enoís vlakódis?) |
| Michael: Once more with the English translation. |
| Μπεν Λι: Αυτή η ταινία ήταν πολύ ιδιωτική. (Aftí i tenía ítan polí idiotikí.) |
| Michael: "This movie was very private." |
| Στέφανος Σαπουντζίδης: Εννοείς βλακώδης; (Enoís vlakódis?) |
| Michael: "Do you mean idiotic?" |
Lesson focus |
| Michael: In this conversation, we hear Ben say, |
| Chrissi: Αυτή η ταινία ήταν πολύ ιδιωτική |
| Michael: which means, "This movie was very private." In response, Stefanos asks, |
| Chrissi: Εννοείς βλακώδης; (Enoís vlakódis?) |
| Michael: "Do you mean idiotic?" |
| Michael: In Greek, like in most languages, you will find false cognates or 'false friends.' These are words that may sound similar between two languages, but, in reality, have two distinct meanings. In fact, English, in particular, has taken many words from the Greek language. So, while at one point in history, these words may have had similar meanings, over time, those meanings have changed significantly. |
| Michael: Let's take a look at some common Greek-English false friends. |
| Michael: The first is |
| Chrissi: αγωνία (agonía) |
| Michael: which sounds similar to "agony" but in English, translates to "suspense" or anxiety." |
| Michael: Next is the word |
| Chrissi: κόσμος (kózmos) |
| Michael: which sounds like "cosmos" in English but translates to "world" or "people." |
| Michael: Then, we have |
| Chrissi: εμπάθεια (embáthia) |
| Michael: which sounds like "empathy." However, be careful with this one; it actually translates to "hostility." |
| Michael: The final false friend is |
| Chrissi: λογιστικός, (loyistikós) |
| Michael: which sounds similar to "logistics" in English, but translates to a masculine adjective meaning "accounting." |
| Practice Section |
| Michael: Let's review. I will say the English translation, and then you try to say the equivalent Greek. Chrissi will then model the correct answer and you can repeat after her, with the focus on your pronunciation. |
| Do you remember how Ben Lee says "This movie was very private." |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Chrissi as Ben: Αυτή η ταινία ήταν πολύ ιδιωτική. (Aftí i tenía ítan polí idiotikí.) |
| Michael: Listen again and repeat. |
| Chrissi as Ben: Αυτή η ταινία ήταν πολύ ιδιωτική. (Aftí i tenía ítan polí idiotikí.) |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Chrissi as Ben: Αυτή η ταινία ήταν πολύ ιδιωτική. (Aftí i tenía ítan polí idiotikí.) |
| Michael: And do you remember how Stefanos Sapountzidis says "Do you mean idiotic?" |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Chrissi as Stefanos: Εννοείς βλακώδης; (Enoís vlakódis?) |
| Michael: Listen again and repeat. |
| Chrissi as Stefanos: Εννοείς βλακώδης; (Enoís vlakódis?) |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Chrissi as Stefanos: Εννοείς βλακώδης; (Enoís vlakódis?) |
| Cultural Expansion |
| Michael: Here is a bit of trivia for you! Do you think the Greek word |
| Chrissi: πνευματικός (pnevmatikós) |
| Michael: means "pneumatic" in English? Leave your answer in the comments below! |
Outro |
| Michael: Do you have any more questions? We're here to answer them! |
| Chrissi: Γεια χαρά!(Ya hará!) |
| Michael: See you soon! |
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