Numbers, Days of the Week and Telling the Time in Greek
Numbers and days are needed everywhere – for prices at the market, the ferry timetable, booking a table or arranging a time with your host. Here are the essentials in one place. In the pronunciation column the stressed syllable is shown in capital letters.
| Greek | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Ένα, δύο, τρία | Ena, dIo, trIa | One, two, three |
| Τέσσερα, πέντε, έξι | TEsera, pEnde, Eksi | Four, five, six |
| Επτά, οκτώ, εννέα | EptA, oktO, enEa | Seven, eight, nine |
| Δέκα | DEka | Ten |
| Είκοσι / τριάντα | Ikosi / triAnda | Twenty / thirty |
| Πενήντα / εκατό | PenInda / ekatO | Fifty / one hundred |
| Δευτέρα | DeftEra | Monday |
| Τρίτη | TrIti | Tuesday |
| Τετάρτη | TetArti | Wednesday |
| Πέμπτη | PEmpti | Thursday |
| Παρασκευή | ParaskevI | Friday |
| Σάββατο | SAvato | Saturday |
| Κυριακή | KiriakI | Sunday |
| Σήμερα / αύριο | SImera / Avrio | Today / tomorrow |
| Χθες | Hthes | Yesterday |
| Πρωί / μεσημέρι / βράδυ | ProI / mesimEri / vrAdi | Morning / midday / evening |
| Τι ώρα είναι; | Ti Ora Ine? | What time is it? |
| Στις οκτώ | Stis oktO | At eight o’clock |
| Ένα ευρώ / δύο ευρώ | Ena evrO / dIo evrO | One euro / two euros |
How to remember the days
Greek days are counted from Sunday. Δευτέρα literally means “second”, Τρίτη “third”, Τετάρτη “fourth” and Πέμπτη “fifth”. Watch out for Τρίτη: it sounds like “three” but it is Tuesday, not Wednesday. Κυριακή means “the Lord’s day”, and Σάββατο is related to the word Sabbath.
Prices and euros
The word ευρώ does not change in the plural – you say ένα ευρώ and δύο ευρώ. Cents are called λεπτά (leptA). A price such as 2.50 will be said as δύο και πενήντα (dIo ke penInda), that is, “two and fifty”.
Time and “midday”
To arrange a time, use στις and the number: στις οκτώ το βράδυ (stis oktO to vrAdi) means “at eight in the evening”. Bear in mind that the Greek μεσημέρι is later than midday elsewhere and includes the early afternoon. Many people rest then, and smaller shops are closed.
How larger numbers are formed
Eleven is έντεκα (Endeka) and twelve is δώδεκα (dOdeka). From thirteen onwards you simply add the number after δέκα: δεκατρία (dekatrIa) is thirteen and δεκαπέντε (dekapEnde) is fifteen. The same goes for the tens: είκοσι πέντε (Ikosi pEnde) is twenty-five and τριάντα δύο (triAnda dIo) is thirty-two.
The summer months
For bookings the names of the summer months are useful too: Ιούνιος (IUnios) is June, Ιούλιος (IUlios) is July, Αύγουστος (Avgustos) is August and Σεπτέμβριος (SeptEmvrios) is September. As you can see, they are close to the English names and easy to remember.