Typical Difficulties of the Greek Language: Let’s Break Them Down Together

The Greek language (and here we are talking about Modern Greek) is amazing, beautiful, and melodic. For Russian speakers, it often feels almost like a native tongue: the alphabet is partially familiar, grammar has three genders, cases, a free word order in sentences…

And then come the first difficulties, where it’s easy to “get stuck.” And you know what? That’s absolutely normal! Almost everyone goes through this at the start — and it’s no reason to give up. I’ve put together a list of the most common difficulties in Greek and simple, practical ways to deal with them.
Shall we?

1. The Alphabet

At first glance, the Greek alphabet seems quite familiar: most letters resemble Cyrillic (and for good reason — it was precisely on its basis that Cyril and Methodius once created Slavic writing). Many people start learning Greek after English, and that’s when confusion arises. The brain stubbornly “reads” Greek letters as Latin, especially if they look similar. And until this letter jumble settles down — mix-ups are inevitable.

What to do:

I’ve already written in detail about the Greek alphabet (you can click to read a separate article: [https://skype-language.com/blog/kak-zapomnit-grecheskiy-alfavit-sovety-prepodavatelya](https://skype-language.com/blog/kak-zapomnit-grecheskiy-alfavit-sovety-prepodavatelya)), but here’s the short version.

Divide the letters into small groups and learn them step by step. Use flashcards, mobile apps, songs, interactive exercises — anything that engages both visual and auditory memory. The main thing is: don’t try to learn everything in one day, and don’t rush. Repeat regularly, give your brain some time to adjust — and in a week or two you’ll have mastered the Greek alphabet.

2. Reading Rules

The good news is that in Greek, reading follows clear rules — and they really work. You don’t have to memorize how each word is read, just understand the general patterns.

The bad news is — there are still plenty of nuances. Digraphs, diphthongs, consonant clusters, as well as stress marks and separation marks — all of them affect how a word is read.

What to do:

Don’t try to memorize all the reading rules from day one. Print them out and keep them handy as a cheat sheet. Read texts with audio, paying attention to where each rule applies and why the word is read that way. Over time, you’ll develop both an auditory and visual instinct, and reading will become automatic.

3. Spelling

Greek spelling is not for the faint-hearted. How to remember which letter “i” to write where? Why do the perfect and imperfect aspects of a verb differ by just one letter: *θα διαβάζω* / *θα διαβάσω* (“I will be reading” / “I will read”)? And what about all those *τις*, *της*, *τοις* — they sound the same (“tis”), but are written differently and mean different things? In addition, many people wonder how to remember vowel spelling in word roots, when it seems there are no clear rules. (Spoiler: even native speakers struggle with this.)

What to do:

Accept it as a fact: Greek spelling is genuinely tricky. But absolutely manageable. Gradually memorize the rules and try to learn words in “families”: the verb, noun, adjective, and cognates together. This helps fix spelling through semantic connection. Visual memory and regular reading practice are especially important. The more often you see a word in text, the more naturally it will stick.

4. Variability

Greek often offers several ways to spell the same word. At first this might seem odd — your brain will instinctively try to find “the one correct” version. But in reality, all of them can be correct. For example, the word “yesterday” can appear in four forms: χτες, εχτές, χθες, εχθές. The same goes for many other words. Plus, in different islands and regions of the country, people speak and write differently. You never know which variant you’ll encounter — your conversation partner might be from a completely different corner of Greece.

What to do:

Accept this as part of the language. Don’t worry — over time you’ll develop an inner sense for it, and these nuances will stop being confusing. When you learn a new word, don’t limit yourself to just one version: if you see several, note them all down. This will expand your vocabulary and improve your comprehension. Remember: flexibility is a key skill in learning any language. Getting used to different forms will help you understand more and speak more confidently.

5. Pronunciation

If your native language is Russian, pay special attention to clear pronunciation of unstressed vowels, interdental sounds (θ, δ), and the unusual-for-Russian “λ” and “γ”, which can take time to master.

What to do:

Listen to Greek every day — TV shows, podcasts, music. Read aloud and sing songs in Greek. It’s especially useful to record yourself — this way you can hear where you sound different from a native speaker and correct it in time. Gradually, your ear will “tune in,” and your pronunciation will become much more confident.

6. Grammar

Three genders, four cases, article declension, tenses, verb conjugations — it all looks intimidating. Especially if you try to memorize it all at once.

What to do:

First — learn to love grammar! It can be fascinating (yes, really!), especially if you study it in small parts and apply it right away in exercises, dialogues, or short texts. It helps a lot to refresh your basic grammar concepts from Russian — gender, number, case, person, tense, declension, conjugation... This creates a foundation for understanding the Greek system. Over time, you’ll start spotting patterns and navigating much more easily.

7. Irregular Verbs

Yes, Greek has them — and plenty. Shock? These verbs don’t follow regular conjugation rules, so you really will have to work on them separately. But here’s the catch: irregular verbs are the ones you’ll hear most often in everyday speech. So there’s no avoiding them.

What to do:

Make flashcards, learn verbs through examples — create your own phrases and sentences. The key is not just to memorize lists, but to use these verbs in real speech right away. Mistakes will happen — and that’s fine. Regular practice will do the trick.

8. Articles

A real headache for Russian speakers — Greek articles. They change by gender and case, and definite articles also by number. And we, as native Russian speakers, often forget about them entirely — since Russian has none at all, learning to use them requires extra attention.

What to do:

Memorize nouns along with their article. Not just *σπίτι* (“house”), but *το σπίτι*. This way you’ll automatically learn both the gender and the spelling of the word. Over time, you’ll start using articles almost without thinking.

9. Vocabulary

Greek has — truly — a lot of words! And even if you learn those basic 3,000, it doesn’t end there. Most Greek words change: by gender, number, and case. Verbs — by person and tense. So it’s not enough just to learn a word; you also need to use it correctly with others. It’s like a Lego set, where each word “connects” to another. Which means you can’t do without grammar.

What to do:

Learn vocabulary together with grammar. It’s better to memorize not just individual words, but entire phrases and sentences. This way they stick in context and will come to mind naturally in conversation. It will make your first steps much easier and help you start speaking Greek faster.

10. Conversational Speech

Be ready for the fact that at first you’ll understand almost nothing. Greeks speak quickly, “swallow” words, the word order is free, pronouns are often dropped. You have to listen carefully for the verb — it’s the one that tells you who or what is being talked about.

I remember in my first month in Greece, I decided to go buy bread. I learned everything, prepared myself, thought: well, this will be easy.
I confidently said:
— Ένα χωριάτικο ψωμί, παρακαλώ. (“One village bread, please.”)
And I heard in reply:
— Με σουσάμι ή χωρίς; (“With sesame or without?”)
At that moment I realized I didn’t understand anything. I got flustered and just repeated, “Bread, please!” — and I don’t even remember what I ended up buying. But now I know for sure: real speech is nothing like in the textbook.

What to do:

Speak. Even if you’re unsure. Even with mistakes. Allow yourself to be “a foreigner” — that’s normal. Look for patient conversation partners, talk every day, even a little. The main thing is: don’t stay silent. Speech comes only through speaking.

Another important feature of Greek communication culture is gestures. Sometimes they won’t say anything in words, but still give a perfectly clear (to a Greek) answer.

Once, when I had only been in Greece for a short time, I got on a bus — I was going to my courses. There were no mobile apps yet to check the route. I asked the driver if the bus went to the institute. He simply… raised his eyebrows. I decided that silence meant agreement, sat down, and went on my way. Half an hour later I realized I was going completely the wrong way. I had to get off and find my stop on foot.

Later I learned that Greeks often use a gesture instead of the word όχι (“no”) — they just raise their eyebrows, half-close their eyes, and sometimes click their tongue. All silently. So the driver had given me a perfectly clear “no,” and I, not knowing this, took it for agreement. Well — experience! And now you know, so you won’t confuse it.

11. Motivation

There are days when you just don’t feel like doing anything. It seems there’s no progress, everything has flown out of your head, nothing sticks…
Sound familiar? This is absolutely normal. Everyone has such periods.

What to do:

First of all — don’t blame yourself. It doesn’t mean you’re lazy or “not capable.” It’s just one stage in the process.

If you’re in that state right now — start with something light: read my articles:

— about the “plateau” stage in language learning,
— about how to restore motivation,
— about the difficulties of immigrants and how to overcome them.

In short — find joy in the process. Let Greek be not just “study,” but part of something you love: songs, films, cooking blogs, stories that genuinely interest you.

Want even more motivation? Start your own blog — share your steps, successes, and discoveries. It will be both a stimulus and support, and a reason to be proud of yourself.

And of course, if you feel it’s hard to manage on your own — seek professional support. For example, sign up for Greek courses at Skype-Language.com — individual lessons with experienced teachers will help you sort out the difficult topics, get support, and regain inspiration.

In Conclusion

Greek is a real adventure — not always easy, but definitely worth it! There will be difficulties — they’re part of the journey. The main thing is not to give up and not to compare yourself to others. And one day you’ll be surprised: you’re not just reading and translating, but speaking, thinking, and even dreaming in Greek!

Θα τα καταφέρεις! — You can do it!