Learning to Read Greek, Lesson 2

In this lesson, you will learn about Greek word stress and complete the final exercises on reading Greek words.

Greek Word Stress (Accent)

Key points about Greek word stress:

1. Every Greek word has one stressed syllable
2. The stress is marked with an accent mark (΄)
3. The stress can fall on:

o Last syllable (oxytone)
o Second to last syllable (paroxytone)
o Third to last syllable (proparoxytone)

Examples:
• καλός (kalós) – stress on last syllable
• μήλο (mílo) – stress on second to last
• άνθρωπος (ánthropos) – stress on third to last

Rules to remember:
• Stress can only fall on one of the last three syllables
• The accent mark shows exactly which syllable to stress
• The stress is important for correct pronunciation and meaning

Final Exercises