Ellinika A / Greek 1: Method for Learning Greek as a Foreign Language

If you read the blogs online from teachers of Greek in Greece, this book is at the top of their recommendations. It seems to be the go-to book for teaching Greek. And there are lots of reasons for this, I expect - in general, it's well aligned with the communicative approach to language learning. It's sympathetic, in the sense that you meet a cast of characters up front, and these characters populate the text throughout as they go about their daily life in Greece. The entire book is illustrated, one of the most appealing language texts I've used. What struck me at first as unusual is that unlike most language texts, most of the characters in the book are not Greek - they are all global or European immigrants making a life in Greece. As modern Greek is not a widely studied language abroad, that makes sense - the book is targeted at people who are living, working, and studying in Greece. Given that the learner's native or home language could be any language really and that it is targeted at people living in Greece, there is no other language present in the book. It's 100% Greek from the first page. So, the student either has to look up a LOT of vocabulary when it is presented, or you have to be working with a teacher/tutor. And, grammar sections require that a tutor or teacher explain what is being presented. I purchased this initially to assist in self study, but it became apparent this is best used as a tutor- or teacher-led text. There is no accompanying workbook - the workbook is "built-in" to the text, so supplementary exercises from a tutor or teacher are required. So, overall, my evaluation is that this is a very high quality, modern feeling text with material that is presented in an appealing and well structured communicative manner. And, it's best use case is with a tutor or teacher. During COVID, I've been meeting weekly with an online tutor from Athens and we use this book as our lesson tool. The school she works at uses it in classroom use and has a robust accompanying workbook that they have created.

Exercices très bien avec les cd c'est génial pour apprendre la langue grec

Es un método moderno y ágil, que yo personalmente estudié con gusto; tiene muchos ejercicios con sus soluciones y los diálogos grabados son amenos y leídos con voces agradables. Sin embargo, un par de inconvenientes: está todo en griego de principio a fin, lo cual en un libro de principiantes puede ser un gran problema. Y me gustaría que la gramática estuviera mejor organizada y más sistematizada, a veces hay que echarle un poco de imaginación para entender qué reglas quieren explicar. Pero compaginándolo con una gramática más clásica y/o con un(a) profesor(a) puede ser una herramienta excelente para alcanzar un nivel considerable de griego moderno.

Ich lerne mit einem muttersprachlichen Lehrer und das scheint mir das ultimative Werk zu sein. Voraussetzung ist jedoch der eigene Wille und das Vermögen, sich eigene Ziele zu setzen und zu erreichen.

Lovely grammar book. I would have appreciated more exercises to practice, like a student/practice book alongside with the grammar. Essential: instructions in English otherwise the whole point of the exercises become purposeless if students don't understand what they have to do (especially if you are learning Greek on your own!). Overall a good reference grammar book.