Biblical Greek Alphabet (Koine)

[@jamesdakis9691]

Thank you very much. As one who is studying Koine Greek in Bible College, your video is the best one I have seen to date. I will examine your other resources as well.

[@GreekForAll]

Glad it was helpful!

[@jamesdakis9691]

@@GreekForAll I will be watching the video daily as I learn. I am watching other videos of yours and have begun getting "Word of the Day". Thank you again.

[@GreekOrthodox7]

And also another inaccurate one. Bible college is nothing, and non-Greeks can’t teach Greek. Come to Greece to learn real Koine Greek correctly.

[@GreekForAll]

Cant wait to jump on the plane and fly to Greece. Thanks for the invitation.

[@samisiddiqi5411]

It's all Greek to me!!

[@GreekForAll]

I am here to help. Start with my website www.greekforall.com and watch other videos on this channel.

[@andreasm5770]

The Koine and Modern Greek pronunciation are a bit different. This is the correct pronunciation of the Greek alphabet: Αα- "a" like in "ant" Ββ- "v" like in "venom" Γγ- guttural "g" sound, close to German or French "r". Also sometimes "y" or "n". Δδ- voiced "th" like in "the" Εε- "e" as in "pet" Ζζ- "z" as in "zebra" Ηη- in Modern Greek "ee" as in "beet", but short. In Koine Greek, long "e"/"ay" as in "tray" or "obey" (but without the 'y' sound at the end) Θθ- voiceless "th" as in "think" Ιι- "ee" as in "beet", but short (same as Eta in modern pronunciation). Κκ- "k" as in "kite" Λλ- "l" as in "law" Μμ- "m" as in "mat" Νν- "n" as in "nose" Ξξ- "x" as in "box" Οο- "o" as in "bought", but short, or "dog"(RP) Ππ- "p" as in "pan" Ρρ- trilled/tapped "r" Σσ- "s" as in "sleep" Ττ- "t" as in "tall" Υυ- in Modern Greek "ee" as in "beet", but short. (same as Iota and Eta in modern pronunciation). In Koine Greek, an "ee" sound with rounded lips, like the French "u" or German "ü". Φφ- "f" as in "fire" Χχ- hard "h" sound, like the German or Scottish "ch" Ψψ- "ps" like "perhaps" Ωω- In modern Greek pronounced "o" as in "bought" or "dog" (same as Omikron). In Koine Greek it would have been a long version of Οmikron.

[@GreekForAll]

Great. Thanks for clarification.

[@arthurperales]

Actually erasmian pronunciation is wrong and modern greek is closer to koine greek pronunciation.

[@andreasm5770]

@@arthurperales Yes I know. Even for ancient Greek erasmian is wrong. There is a better more up to date reconstruction of classical Greek pronunciation. As for Koine Greek, you're right, it's much closer to modern Greek, though still not identical. My above comment is slightly wrong. I should edit it a bit.

[@LordJesusRisenFromTheDead]

Thank you, brother. I enjoyed. Is there a video on here which covers the accents one often finds when reading biblical Greek, like one finds often over the letter eta? Thanks.

[@GreekForAll]

@@LordJesusRisenFromTheDead check my channel, there is a video called “Lesson 1” or something like that. It’s 33 min video, which has a segment on accents, breathing marks, and punctuation.

[@LordJesusRisenFromTheDead]

@@GreekForAll thank you.

[@latoyacunningham6940]

That first "e" is epsilon, not eta. 48 sec

[@soniotell1667]

Re learning this alphabet with this video felt so easy

[@TrevorHigbee]

This is great content. Thank you!

[@GreekForAll]

Glad it was helpful.

[@sukhpreetkaur733]

Nice work sir thanks

[@dankazmarek1259]

I am completely new to Greek. It is the first video I have seen in the channel... Well, I really want to learn a language which was spoken by Archimedes , Plato and all such ancient giants of mind. Kindly, any suggestion for me?

[@GreekForAll]

Hi Dan, thanks for writing. The Greek of the major philosophers is called “classical Greek.” It is a little more complex in vocabulary and syntax. I teach Koine Greek which was the main language at 300 BC - 300 AD. Koine means “common”, so it was a language of common people because it was simple. The New Testament and some other philosophical and historical works were written at this time. So I would recommend starting with Koine Greek. Watch my videos on the channel, and if you like my style of teaching go to my site www.Greekforall.com and go from there. There are lots of resources, including a complete video course of Biblical Greek grammar. I am here for you. Let me know what you think.

[@dankazmarek1259]

@@GreekForAll Thanks a lot. It is of course very logical to learn about simple things before going ahead to complexity. I would definitely see your videos and would try to learn something new . Thanks for your kind reply.

[@GreekForAll]

@@dankazmarek1259 I am glad you are here.

[@eng.menareda2108]

Can you Give us a link to download this font that looks like the words in the manuscripts

[@GreekForAll]

I think it is a standard font in MS Word or Adobe Photoshop. Just go through the list of fonts in the Word and it should be there. If not, just google it something like: ancient fonts, papyrus fonts or something like that.

[@bntaft5133]

Thank you.

[@GreekForAll]

I'm glad it was helpful. You may also enjoy the updated version of it here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fae0qXVpg8mchLM

[@vahidehyaghootian1805]

thanks a lot! But the modern Greek is different with this alphabet? please explain to me! I am confused! what kind of alphabet it is?

[@GreekForAll]

There are several pronunciation systems of Ancient Greek. I have a video on my channel explaining them. Check my channel. It is one of the last videos

[@tammycaskey6990]

Timothy 2:15 says Study to show yourselves approved, unto God, workman that needeth not to be ashamed rightly dividing the Word of Truth

[@GreekForAll]

Great verse

[@nicholaspeters6127]

Which Timothy? There is more than one.

[@sumanpreetkaurbeet7315]

Verry nice sir thankyou so much.

[@GreekForAll]

Blessings in your studies.

[@carolinaburgos9943]

Dear teacher, I hace a question, when the upsilon appears independently is when it is pronunced like universe? and when it appears as a part of a dipthong is pronunced like book?

[@GreekForAll]

Yeah, most of the times but not always. In the diphthong "ou" it's always "oo" like in book. In the diphthong "ui" I prefer to say it as in "university." When upsilon stands on its own, most of the time it sounds like "u" in university, but not always. I guess it is about preferences. The difference is small thus it is not very important how you pronounce it (trust me here). If you would like to hear how I pronounce every Greek word in the NT appearing 10 or more times, think about getting my flashcard app. Learn more here: www.greekforall.com/app

[@UnbiasedSports]

Can you answer why there are two subjects in this passage. Joseph and Jesus. thx [Mat 1:16] And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.

[@GreekForAll]

Answered it under another video where you asked the same question.

[@siimran1012]

Thanks for you

[@GreekForAll]

I am glad it was a blessing. Feel free to watch other videos on my channel.

[@lorraineokie2054]

2022 my goal Greek Alphabet beginners

[@randomspartanhoe4501]

I think khi sounds like the "gh" in "ugh".

[@GreekForAll]

Thanks for an alternative. I listened online how it is pronounced and it seems that I hear a hard sound "g." There is a possibility to pronounce it like that but it should come out from the depth of the throat. You need to hear it to understand. This is how Ukrainians pronounce their "g." This being said, there is a chance to mix it up with "gamma" which also gives the sound "g," for this reason it is better to pronounce KHI as "h" sound as in words "horse" or "happy."

[@إبراهيمالنمساويالبرنس]

هل هذا الكورس لتعليم اليونانية القديمة

[@GreekForAll]

It is. You can learn more at www.greekforall.com/greek-quest

[@إبراهيمالنمساويالبرنس]

هل اليونانية الحديثة؟

[@GreekForAll]

@@إبراهيمالنمساويالبرنس It is ancient Greek

[@Asterlibra]

Are you sure that this is Koine Greek? Other commenters was right, there are so many mistakes. First, Erasmian pronunciation is nothing to do with reality, it is quite outdated. Modern scholar articles on the subject gained much more success at the reconstruction of Koine Greek phonology. If you interested, you can start to search info even from wikipedia and look to citation sources. This helps you to get the first picture. In particular, you will know that Theta never was pronounced as "t", also Upsilon lost its pronunciation of "oo" sound since Classical Greek. You are probably know that Coptic alphabet was originated from Greek. In Coptic the letters retained sounds that was in Greek of that era. It is close to Koine. Look on that for the best knowledge. You will see that Coptic has'Fay' letter apart from 'Phi', 'Khay' apart from 'Chi', hence, the letters Phi and Chi are still was pronounced aspirated, but not fricative as you stated in the video. Second, final sigma is NOT stigma, sir! Stigma is completly different and stands for numerical 6 sign or in some places for 'st' digraph. Seriously, there is no need to be a nerdy linguist to know that. And note, that sigma before the sonorants like Mu reads as 'z' sound, for example cosmos [kozmos], schisma [sχizma], and so on. Among the other moments are vowel length distinction loss and begining of fricatization of voiced stops Beta and Gamma.

[@GreekForAll]

Hey Asterlibra, great comment. Thank you for clarification. I think it will be useful for many. Phonology is not actually my area of expertise, I'm not into the history of linguistic or pronunciation, or anything similar. I specialize in Biblical Studies which focuses on what the text mean, rather than how it was pronounced. I am personally somewhere in between the Erasmian and modern pronunciation. But it is irrelevant, since I don't advocate it. Here I simply present the Erasmian school since majority of new students need to start somewhere and the Erasmian school has been the flagship so far. Whether it is outdated or not is a big debate, and even if the trend started to shift, it would take a century till majority of scholars start actively using new styles. Most of the scholars are old school, and it's quite hard to teach an old dog a new trick. So I think Erasmian is going to stay for a long time. That's why it should be the first pronunciation for any novice student. Besides, it's totally much easier to learn.

[@enabueleenabulele1539]

3:37 its Eeta not eta

[@GreekForAll]

That is fine with me, if you prefer "eeta". It is more a modern pronunciation of it. Not a big deal for me.

[@carolinestewart532]

I got told zita instead of beta!

[@Matt-id5uj]

Caroline Stewart I was told is veta

[@samisiddiqi5411]

Lips are in the same place for the B and V sound,

[@lugong8827]

I am the 500th!

[@GreekForAll]

This is awesome!!! Congrats! I think I will need to make something special for you. I am in the middle of a big relocation to a new country, so my computers and equipment are all packed. In early August, I will settle and set up my studio so i can post new videos and offer a special deal to all my subscribers! Blessings.

[@akukaya7910]

im 6 years late XD

[@stormbytes]

You need to error-check your video before posting it, especially if you're teaching beginners. When you read the alpha-bet you refer to the letter Epsilon as Eta. Further along, your word "angelos" actually reads "Aggelos" (I'm transliterating).

[@GreekForAll]

Thanks Daniel for a note on me calling Epsilon as Eta in the beginning. My mistake. Further it's proper naming of letters. As for the word "angelos" everything is correct: spelling and pronunciation. You're appreciated.

[@إبراهيمالنمساويالبرنس]

أم هو اليونانية الحالية

[@GreekForAll]

It is Koine Greek (300BC-400AD period).

[@CoranceLChandler]

Im the 12160 th!

[@CoranceLChandler]

Viewer of course

[@GreekForAll]

Thank you for watching!!!

[@GreekForAll]

Who would have known that a simple video uploaded 5 years ago would bring so many views. Feel free to watch other videos on the channel. They are of better quality and content. Blessings

[@horatuni8914]

like si hablas en español

[@horatuni8914]

tipicos errores, no se pronuncia beta, es vita, delta es con d labial, zeta eta theta, se pronuncian cita ita zita, no es rwo como lo dicen en ingles, es rro como en el español, no es upsilon, es ipsilon porque es una i que en minuscula es como una upero suena i, no es tau es taf porque si despues de una a hay ipsilon suen f, y no seria mu y nu porque la ipsilon suena como i, mi y ni////////////////typical errors, is not pronounced beta, is vita, delta is with d lip, zeta eta theta, pronounced cita ita zita, is not rwo as they say in English, is rro as in Spanish, is not upsilon, is ipsilon because is an i that in minuscule is like a u but sounds i, is not tau is taf because if after a there is ipsilon suen f, and it would not be mu and nu because the ipsilon sounds like i, mi and ni

[@GreekForAll]

You're making very good points. I agree with what you're saying personally (especially about rolling the "R" as in Spanish, and "u" sometimes giving a sound "f"). You made a great comment. So personally I am somewhere in between of your pronunciation and the one I present in the video. You lean toward the modern Greek pronunciation and I share the Erasmus' school. Personally, I'm somewhere in between. I guess, linguists will never agree on the correct pronunciation of Koine. Most scholars stick with Erasmus, and some prefer the modern pronunciation. I teach Koine for academic purposes, so I give Erasmus system. If one sticks with Erasmus, other students and scholars around the world will understand what you're reading. Thanks for the time writing to me. Blessings.

[@uncareid5557]

Eta is a long A. Period. Obey is pronounced oh-BAY. This is hard enough. Not eta for me. Ate-uh. Or Eight-ah. Trust and oh-bee, for there is no other whee, to be happy in Greek class, but to trust and oh-bee.

[@GreekForAll]

I don't want to argue about the nuances of vowel pronunciation. I presented the Erasmian school of pronunciation. There are other ways to look at Greek vowels which I admit.

[@uncareid5557]

@@GreekForAll No argument- YOU use the word "obey" as an example for "eta". Obey is a long A. It is not "oh-bee", which would be a long E. I'm just trying to make this easier for me, the lingual idiot. Bill Mounce uses the exact example in his into video, and he is also an Erasmian advocate. You don't say "Eat-uh". You say "8-uh". Thank you for your content! Lets hope we all get harpazoed before I learn to read the Greek NT!

[@GreekForAll]

@@uncareid5557 In my example Eta gives a long sound "e" same as epsilon. Not "ey". In the word "obey" it is represented by "e" only. The final "y" has nothing to do with "eta." So "eta" does not give a sound "A" [ei], but simply [e]. This is what Erasmian pronunciation and what I communicated.

[@mayrlachristinaruas3228]

Mistake!!!!

[@GreekForAll]

Hi Mayrla, I hope you're doing great. Could you be more specific? It's much appreciated.

[@papakisful]

this guy knows nothing

[@simsbitch3255]

papakisful ikr

[@GreekForAll]

Hello papakisful, I appreciate your assessment of my knowledge. Could you support your comment so I know which areas to improve? Thank you for being such a positive person and helping others to grow.

[@GreekForAll]

Hello Ikkixsims, clarification of your comment would be helpful. I know, right? ;)

[@simsbitch3255]

Greek For All Yes is it... ikr is 'I know, right?' You are mispronuncing greek letters and gave them the wrong name. No need to be rude, accept your mistakes and learn to accept critics from your viewers and from me - the native greek speaker. Γεια!

[@GreekForAll]

Ikkixsims, thank you for clarification. Mistakes are accepted when they are pointed out, but the comment "this guy knows nothing" doesn't really help. It's a destructive criticism, which doesn't help but brings people down. Constructive criticism, on the other hand, should show a mistake and encourage a person to correct it. Now, you decide what kind criticism I received. As you clarified your position I can see what you mean. To answer it, I say that I value your ability to speak modern Greek. My nephew and wife's sister are native Greek speakers as well. I am well aware of modern Greek pronunciation. So why did I pronounce letters the way I did? I do not teach modern Greek but Koine. There are two systems of pronunciation: (1) modern pronunciation (less popular), and (2) Erasmus pronunciation (major system accepted worldwide for academic/scholarly works). This is what is taught in schools. Of course, there are small variations of pronunciations but basically I presented the majority view of the leading linguists of Koine and Classical Greek. The truth is, no one really knows how Koine was pronounced. Most likely it was NOT pronounced as modern Greek. Major authorities in linguistics accept Erasmus pronunciation as the most authentic for the Ancient Greek (Classical and Koine). I hope it clarifies the matter a little bit. You can research more about the topic; there are tons of materials. Thank you once again for your comment. I wish you all the best. Blessings. PS: I called one letter wrongly (once) by mistake. I already accepted that. I could miss something else, if you see something, I am open for the dialogue.