5.4 The City and Getting Around — Epoché
What you will be able to do Read the sign on almost any public building in Greece, because nine of them end in the same syllable. Ask where something is and how to get there: Πού είναι η τράπεζα; , Πώς πάω στο ξενοδοχείο; , Υπάρχει κανένα ξενοδοχείο εδώ κοντά; . Follow directions: δεξιά , αριστερά , ευθεία , μπροστά , πίσω , απέναντι , δίπλα . Name the transport and buy a ticket for it: το λεωφορείο , το ταξί , το μετρό , το πλοίο . Say that something is near or far from here: Είναι μακριά από δω η τράπεζα; . Prerequisites : 5.3 — food and the kafeneío. Read 5.3 Vocabulary first; this lesson takes you out of the door. The vocabulary of a Greek town is easier than it looks, because Greek builds the names of public buildings with a suffix. One ending, added to the word for what happens inside, names the place: the pharmacy is the drug place, the post office is the swift-message place, the bookshop is the book-selling place. Nine of the words in this list are built that way, and once the suffix is visible you can often guess a sign you have never seen. Directions are the other half. There are seven of them and they are all short, and the two that matter most are the two that English speakers most often reverse under pressure. Learn those two as a pair and say them out loud until they are automatic, because a direction misheard at a junction costs you twenty minutes. Word list Forty words: the buildings, the directions, the transport and the verbs of going. Word (with article) Meaning Notes η πόλη el i póli city, town Part of speech / class noun, feminine How it differs from English the -polis of metropolis and the first half of politics Η πόλη είναι μεγάλη. The city is big. Θα πας στη πόλη σήμερα; Are you going to town today? το φαρμακείο el to farmakío pharmacy, chemist's shop Part of speech / class noun, neuter How it differs from English the place suffix on the word that gave English pharmacy το ταχυδρομείο el to tachydromío post office Part of speech / class noun, neuter How it differs from English built from the words for swift and message το βιβλιοπωλείο el to vivliopolío bookshop Part of speech / class noun, neuter How it differs from English built from the words for book and selling το ξενοδοχείο el to xenodochío hotel Part of speech / class noun, neuter How it differs from English literally the place where strangers are received; the xeno- is the one from lesson 2.6 Πού είναι το ξενοδοχείο; Where is the hotel? Πώς πάω στο ξενοδοχείο; How do I get to the hotel? Είναι μακριά από δω το ξενοδοχείο; Is the hotel far from here? το αεροδρόμιο el to aerodrómio airport Part of speech / class noun, neuter How it differs from English built from the words for air and running το γυμναστήριο el to gymnastírio gym, sports hall Part of speech / class noun, neuter How it differs from English the gymnasium of English, which in Greek is the sports hall and not the school το εστιατόριο el to estiatório restaurant Part of speech / class noun, neuter How it differs from English built on the word for a hearth, which is also the Latin Vesta το κουρείο el to kourío barber's shop Part of speech / class noun, neuter How it differs from English built on the word for a haircut το καφενείο el to kafenío kafeneío, traditional coffee house Part of speech / class noun, neuter How it differs from English the place suffix on the word for coffee; not a café in the English sense το μουσείο el to mousío museum Part of speech / class noun, neuter How it differs from English the place of the Muses, and the word that carried the suffix into English η πλατεία el i platía square (in a town) Part of speech / class noun, feminine How it differs from English built on the word for broad, as the Italian piazza is η εκκλησία el i ekklisía church Part of speech / class noun, feminine How it differs from English the ecclesi- of ecclesiastical; the ancient sense was an assembly η τράπεζα el i trápeza bank Part of speech / class noun, feminine How it differs from English literally a table, as the Italian banca is a bench Πού είναι η τράπεζα; Where is the bank? Που βρίσκεται η τράπεζα; Where is the bank? Είναι μακριά από δω η τράπεζα; Is the bank far from here? η αγορά el i agorá market; shopping Part of speech / class noun, feminine How it differs from English the agora of ancient Athens, still the everyday word η γειτονιά el i gitoniá neighbourhood Part of speech / class noun, feminine How it differs from English a social unit in a Greek town, not merely an address το φανάρι el to fanári traffic light; lantern Part of speech / class noun, neuter How it differs from English a diminutive of the word that gave English phanerogam and fantasy η γέφυρα el i géfyra bridge Part of speech / class noun, feminine How it differs from English unrelated to anything in English η γωνία el i gonía corner; angle Part of speech / class noun, feminine How it differs from English the -gon of polygon and pentagon η είσοδος el i ísodos entrance Part of speech / class noun, feminine How it differs from English painted over doors; built from the words for into and way η έξοδος el i éxodos exit Part of speech / class noun, feminine How it differs from English the Exodus of the Bible, and the word on every emergency door το λιμάνι el to limáni harbour, port Part of speech / class noun, neuter How it differs from English the limen- of the word that gave English liminal by way of Latin δεξιά el dexiá right; to the right Part of speech / class adverb How it differs from English the dexter- of dexterity, through their common ancestor αριστερά el aristerá left; to the left Part of speech / class adverb How it differs from English the pair to drill with the previous word until neither has to be thought about ευθεία el evthía straight on Part of speech / class adverb How it differs from English the eu- of euphoria plus the word for straight μακριά el makriá far away Part of speech / class adverb How it differs from English the macro- of macroscopic; it means far in