5 Ways to Maintain your Greek Language Skills
You’ve put in considerable time and effort to learn Greek, and you don’t want to forget it! Take a look at these five inventive strategies to keep your Greek language abilities up to date, whether you want to maintain your proficiency or merely maintain your intermediate level.
1. Listen to music and sing along with it.
Many articles recommend listening to music in your target language, which is excellent, but it’s also a good idea to take it a step further and start singing along. Lyrics are simple to get on the internet, and nothing beats singing to enhance your pronunciation. Check streaming platforms or YouTube for the most recent releases to keep your singalong playlists up to date. You can start with lists that we’ve made for you on our YouTube channel. Search for the lyrics here https://stixoi.info/ or here https://kithara.to/ with chords.
2. Read articles
By reading the news online, you can stay up to date on the latest affairs in the Greek community. This not only improves your reading comprehension but also keeps you connected to greek culture. It doesn’t always have to be news reporting — check the cuisine, travel, style, and sports sections of these sites e.g. https://www.vita.gr/. It’s always beneficial to gain a new view of the world. Even better, subscribe to Schedia Road Magazine, the magazine sold by the homeless in Athens, with great content. https://shedia.gr/ (it also has an English version!)
We suggest you start with newspapers not in Athens but in the rest of Greece, e.g. https://www.lesvosnews.net/. From the newspapers of Athens we suggest the Efsyn (Efimerida ton Syntakton) https://www.efsyn.gr/ (of the Opposition) and the Kathimerini https://www.kathimerini.gr/ (of the Government of N.D.)
3. Watch shows
Do you need an excuse to cuddle with a nice drink and watch a new film or series? Use it to brush up on your language abilities. Rather than watching a dubbed version of anything in your native language, choose a film or series that was created originally in Greek. We’ve all had the experience of viewing something in the original language and discovering that the translations were incorrect! Watching films and series in Greek will provide you with the extra benefit of learning colloquial words that may be difficult to master in a classroom setting. We will recommend our favourite series and films in other posts!
4. Make some language pals.
Connect with a discussion partner to keep your public speaking abilities sharp. Tandem language sessions often entail connecting with someone who wants to study a language you know through informal meetings in a café or going for a stroll with someone who wants to learn a language you know, and vice versa. You speak one language for a specified period before switching. If you are at a medium or high level in Greek, start meeting Greeks who would like to learn your language! But beware: tandem is not for beginners. Practice what you already know.
5. Take a class
It does not have to be a Greek language class, but rather a programme in something completely different (as long as the class is in Greek). There are all-year-round courses in almost any subject you can think of, from painting and folk dancing to musical and culinary.
The Hellenic Culture Centre offers summer and winter cultural programs with courses in ceramics, wood carving, cooking, and more language & cultural lessons on the island of Santorini. You can check out more information on our website.