Lesson 1.3
Breathings, Accents & Diphthongs
Now that you know the Greek alphabet, it's time to learn the marks that make Greek pronunciation come alive. These include breathing marks, accent marks, and special vowel combinations called diphthongs.
Don't worry - these follow clear patterns and will make reading Greek much easier!
Breathing Marks
Every Greek word that begins with a vowel must have a breathing mark. This tells you whether to add an 'h' sound or not.
Memory Tip: Smooth breathing = smooth sailing (no extra sound). Rough breathing = rough seas (add that 'h' sound!).
Special Cases
Accent Marks
Greek uses three accent marks to show which syllable is stressed. For now, just use them to know which syllable to emphasize.
For Beginners: Don't worry about the pitch changes yet. Just use accents to know which syllable to stress when speaking.
Diphthongs
A diphthong is two vowels that blend together to make one sound. Greek has several important diphthongs you need to recognize.
The Iota Subscript
Modern Pronunciation: Just pronounce the main vowel (α, η, ω) and ignore the subscript iota.
Practice Reading
Exercise: Read These Words Aloud
Try reading these words, paying attention to breathings, accents, and diphthongs:
