LET'S READ & WRITE GREEK!
PART 2: Vowel Combinations
Apart from the 7 vowels we saw in PART 1, there are combinations of some of these vowels.
When this happens, we have two vowel letters representing a single sound.
In the table below you can see the letter combinations written in capital letters on the left and in small letters on the right.
Apart from the 7 vowels we saw in PART 1, there are combinations of some of these vowels.
When this happens, we have two vowel letters representing a single sound.
In the table below you can see the letter combinations written in capital letters on the left and in small letters on the right.
LETTER COMBINATION |
NAME |
PRONUNCIATION |
ΑΙ αι |
[álpha jóta] |
[e] similar to 'pet' |
ΕΙ ει |
[épsilon jóta] |
[i] similar to 'beat' |
ΟΙ οι |
[ómikron jóta] |
[i] similar to 'beat' |
ΟΥ ου |
[ómikron ípsilon] |
[u] similar to 'zoo' |
To sum up, the 7 vowels we saw in PART 1 and the combinations above represent five distinct sounds:
SOUND |
LETTER |
[a] |
Α α |
[e] |
Ε ε & ΑΙ αι |
[i] |
Η η, Ι ι, Υ υ, ΕΙ ει & ΟΙ οι |
[o] |
Ο ο & Ω ω |
[u] |
ΟΥ ου |
LETTER |
Α α |
LETTERS |
Ε ε, ΑΙ αι |
LETTERS |
Η η, Ι ι, Υ υ, ΕΙ ει, ΟΙ οι |
LETTERS |
Ο ο, Ω ω |
LETTERS |
ΟΥ ου |