The Mastiha Language School – Part 1 (Meze): Ten Words for a Table Where Two Languages Sit

Today is 12 October – 80 days until Silvester (New Year's Eve). After "Telephone in Four Languages" we ask the next question: what if you learned both languages right where they meet – at the table?

The idea: a school without a classroom

Two languages sit together at our tables: German and Greek. So we learn from each other – from very simple to quite tricky. The Mastiha Language School has five parts, and each part is a course of the evening: Meze, Starter, Main Course, Dessert, Digestif.

The rule is simple: if you speak German, you learn Greek. If you speak Greek, you learn German. English readers are welcome to pick either one. Everybody gets a small homework assignment – as a reply under this article.

Who is teaching here?

For transparency: the lessons are written by the editorial team with the help of Claude, an AI by Anthropic. The pronunciation guides are deliberately simplified, and the word lists are learning aids, not a dictionary. If you are a native speaker and spot a mistake, please tell us as a reply under "Spotted a mistake?" – we will fix it in the article.

The timetable of the language school

Part 1 – Meze (today, 12 Oct, 80 days to go): ten words for the table.

Part 2 – Starter (Wednesday, 21 Oct, 71 days to go): ordering and being polite.

Part 3 – Main Course (Wednesday, 4 Nov, 57 days to go): small talk at the table and the matter of articles.

Part 4 – Dessert (Wednesday, 25 Nov, 36 days to go): idioms and proverbs.

Part 5 – Digestif (Wednesday, 23 Dec, 8 days to go): the big final quiz with solutions and the best answers.

Lesson 1: Ten words for the table

Greek first, with a pronunciation guide (the accent marks the stressed syllable), then English and German.

1. νερό (neró) – water – das Wasser

2. ψωμί (psomí) – bread – das Brot

3. κρασί (krasí) – wine – der Wein

4. ευχαριστώ (efcharistó) – thank you – danke

5. παρακαλώ (parakaló) – please, and also: you're welcome – bitte

6. γεια μας (ya mas) – cheers! Literally: "health to us" – Prost

7. καλή όρεξη (kalí órexi) – enjoy your meal – Guten Appetit

8. νόστιμο (nóstimo) – tasty – lecker

9. ναι / όχι (ne / óchi) – yes / no – ja / nein

10. ο λογαριασμός (o logariasmós) – the bill – die Rechnung

The "ch" in "efcharistó" and "óchi" sounds like the "ch" in Scottish "loch" or German "ach" – not like a "k".

The alphabet at the table: four letters that lie

Some Greek letters look like Latin ones but say something completely different:

ρ looks like a p but sounds like an r – that is why νερό is read "neró".

ν looks like a v but sounds like an n.

η looks like an n but sounds like an "ee" (i).

χ looks like an x but sounds like the "ch" in "loch".

If you know these four, you have defused the worst traps. Try it right away with όχι: ό – χ – ι. Which letter is the liar?

False friends

The Greek "ναι" is pronounced roughly "neh" and means "yes" – to English ears it sounds close to "nay", which means the opposite. And the German "ja" sounds almost like the Greek "γεια" (ya), which means "hello", "bye" and "health" all in one. At the table that can make for lovely misunderstandings.

Για όσους μιλούν ελληνικά: οι ίδιες δέκα λέξεις στα γερμανικά

For Greek speakers: the same ten words in German, with a simplified pronunciation in Greek letters.

1. das Wasser (ντας βάσερ) – το νερό

2. das Brot (ντας μπροτ) – το ψωμί

3. der Wein (ντερ βάιν) – το κρασί

4. danke (ντάνκε) – ευχαριστώ

5. bitte (μπίτε) – παρακαλώ

6. Prost (προστ) – γεια μας

7. Guten Appetit (γκούτεν απετίτ) – καλή όρεξη

8. lecker (λέκερ) – νόστιμο

9. ja / nein (για / ναϊν) – ναι / όχι

10. die Rechnung (ντι ρέχνουνγκ) – ο λογαριασμός

Προσοχή: το γερμανικό «ja» ακούγεται σχεδόν σαν το ελληνικό «γεια», ενώ το «nein» ακούγεται «ναϊν» – όχι «ναι»!

Your homework

Write one sentence under this article as a reply to "My homework", in the language you are learning (Greek or German), and use at least two of the ten words. At most 15 words, and mistakes are explicitly allowed – that is what a school is for.

Two examples, made up by the editorial team (not real replies): "Ένα νερό και λίγο ψωμί, παρακαλώ." and "Ein Wasser und ein Brot, bitte."

Here is how we treat your sentences: we name nobody unless you write that you want to be named. We only correct a sentence if you add "please correct". We do not show anything insulting or hurtful. In Part 2 on Wednesday, 21 Oct, we will show up to five sentences. If fewer arrive, we show all of them. If none arrive, we will say so honestly and show our own homework.

The big question: what is harder – the Greek alphabet or der, die, das?

Answer with one letter as a reply to "The big question": A = the Greek alphabet is harder, B = German der, die, das is harder, C = equally hard. A one-sentence reason is welcome but not required.

The arguments of both sides, explicitly not a measurement: Team Alphabet points to 24 new symbols and the lying letters. Team Articles points to three genders and the fact that you have to learn every noun individually. By the way, Greek also has three genders and its own articles ο, η, το – so Team Articles gets no home advantage.

We will show the result in Part 2. If there are only a few votes, we will say so openly.

In fairness

This is a game, not a certificate. Pronunciation has dialects and variants, and the guides are approximations. What we can say for sure: ten words are enough to survive at the table – and that is exactly why we start there.

80 days until Silvester

Today is 12 October, and there are 80 days until Silvester. The timetable also includes: Table 85 Chapter 76 (around 16 Oct), the Seating Usher follow-up (23 Oct), Telephone Part 2 (30 Oct), Decibel Archive Part 2 (7 Nov) and Resolution Swap Part 2 (19 Nov). The language school runs on Wednesdays in between.

Our company holiday continues until Thursday, 15 Oct. From Friday, 16 Oct, we are here for you again: Mastiha Mezedopolio, Arndtstraße 12, 10965 Berlin-Kreuzberg, phone 030 612 85 386. The next Drachmen Fest comes in a year – as every year.