Learn all the six Greek double consonants
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| Iro: Γεια σας!Είμαι η Ηρώ. |
| Maria: Maria here! Pronunciation Series, Lesson 3—Double consonants. |
| : Hello, and welcome to the GreekPod101.com, the fastest, easiest, and most fun way to learn Greek! |
| Iro: Thanks again for being here with us for this Pronunciation lesson. This lesson is a continuation of the second lesson on the double vowels. |
| Maria: This lesson will give you an insight into how the Greek language uses double consonants and how to pronounce them. |
| Iro: Okay, let's start. There are six double consonants in Greek. |
| Maria: They are all separate sounds than either one alone. |
| Iro: Don't get too frustrated with all these extra sounds! |
| Maria: Yeah, just remember if you have these standard sounds down, you'll be able to read every word, sentence, or book correctly! |
| Iro: So let's get to them! |
| Maria: What are the six double consonants then, Iro? |
| Iro: They are "μπ", "ντ", "γκ", "γγ", "τσ", and "τζ". |
| Maria: Great! Doesn't sound too hard. |
| Iro: Sure! If you can master these sounds, you will have a great variety of sounds to play around with! |
| Maria: Okay, let's start with the first one. |
| Iro: "Μπ". This double consonant consists of "μ" and "π" to create a "-b" sound. |
| Maria: It's a "-b" sound with an "-m" in front of it. Let's hear it again. |
| Iro: "Μπ", "Μπ". |
| Maria: The closest sound in English would be that of "boy" or "bottle." Can you give us a Greek example, please? |
| Iro: "Μπουκάλι", μπου-κά-λι, μπουκάλι. |
| Maria: This means "bottle" in Greek. |
| Iro: The next one is "ντ". It's "ν" and "τ" put together to make a "-d" sound. Like in "dog" or "door." |
| Maria: I found that this sound is very similar to a "-d" sound when you have a stuffy nose! |
| Iro: Yeah, it's a rather nasal sound. Let's try. "ντ", "ντ". |
| Maria: See, stuffy nose. |
| Iro: A Greek example is "πέντε", πέ-ντε, πέντε. |
| Maria: Which means "five." But I think you knew that already. |
| Iro: The third one is "γκ". |
| Maria: "γ" and "κ" put together. |
| Iro: This creates a "-g" sound, as in "get" or "good." |
| Maria: This too is kind of nasal. You kind of add a soft "-n" sound in the beginning. |
| Iro: "γκ", "γκ". |
| Maria: Example, please! |
| Iro: "Άγκυρα", ά- γκυ-ρα, άγκυρα. |
| Maria: Which means "anchor." So you'll do fine on a boat for now! |
| Iro: The next double consonant is "γγ" and actually has the same sound as the previous one. |
| Maria: So both "γγ" and "γκ" have a kind of "ng" sound. |
| Iro: Yes, as in "finger." |
| Maria: Great! One less sound to learn! Let's hear it. |
| Iro: "γγ", "γγ". |
| Maria: Do we have any more useful Greek examples? |
| Iro: Sure! "Αγγούρι", αγ-γού-ρι, αγγούρι. |
| Maria: "Cucumber!" Awesome. |
| Iro: I'm glad you like my examples. |
| Maria: They are quite impressive. |
| Iro: Thanks. |
| Maria: Next, please. |
| Iro: "τσ". "Τ" and "σ" combined to make a "ts" sound, as in "pots." |
| Maria: Or "spots." Or "dots." Or… |
| Iro: I think they get it… |
| Maria: Right. Let's hear it again. |
| Iro: "τσ", "τσ". |
| Maria: And what's our Greek example here? |
| Iro: One of your favorite beverages, "τσάι", τσά-ι, τσάι. |
| Maria: Ooh, "tea!" I like jasmine tea the best! |
| Iro: Good for you… Now the final double consonant. "Τζ". |
| Maria: Aah, "τζ". The enemy of untrained tongues. |
| Iro: Yes, there is no representative sound used in English, so this is difficult for English speakers to pronounce. |
| Maria: It's kind of a cross sound between "-t," "-d," and "-z." Let's hear it. |
| Iro: "τζ", "τζ". This sound comes from the belly, so slightly tensing your diaphragm might ease the presses. |
| Maria: "τζ", "τζ". Once you get it down, it's quite fun to say actually! "Τζ", "Τζ". |
| Iro: I'm glad you can make everything into a game, Maria. |
| Maria: It's how I learn! Let geniuses play, right! |
| Iro: A Greek example might give you a clearer idea of how this sound is used. "Τζατζίκι", τζα-τζί-κι, τζατζίκι. |
| Maria: Yeah, anyone who has even the slightest knowledge of the Greek cuisine should be familiar with this yogurt-based dressing. |
| Iro: Yep. And it also contains "αγγούρι" too! |
| Maria: Two birds with one stone. |
| Iro: And that was all the double consonants! |
| Maria: Let's hear them all one last time before we go. |
| Iro: "μπ", "ντ", "γκ", "γγ", "τσ" and "τζ". |
| Maria: Great! That's it for today! My mouth hurts from all the pronouncing! |
| Iro: Thanks for listening and have a nice day. |
| Maria: Premium members, use the review track to perfect your pronunciation. |
| Iro: Available in the premium section of the website, |
| Maria: and through iTunes via the premium feed, |
| Iro: the learning center |
| Maria: the Review Track gives you vocabulary and phrases followed by a short pause so you can repeat the words aloud. |
| Iro: The best way to get good fast! |
| Maria: Okay, that´s it for this lesson. |
| Iro: Γεια σας! |
| Maria: Bye! |
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