How to Learn Koine Greek

Koine Greek, or common Greek, refers to the language utilized in everyday communication centuries ago between the Greek people. This form of Greek coexisted with what we think of today as Classical Greek, the language found in the famous writings of ancient philosophers, like Plato. Similar to slang, Koine Greek was simply a less formal way of speaking. This is the form of Greek used in the Greek New Testament, which is why many people are still inspired to learn Koine Greek today.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

1. Master the Greek alphabet. When learning Koine Greek, as when learning any new language, the alphabet is a good place to start. Knowing the letters that comprise the language and the different sounds that each of those letters can make will help you with pronunciation.

2. Memorize basic Koine Greek vocabulary. Once you have learned the alphabet, it's time to move on to common words. If you are learning Koine Greek only to read the New Testament, the nouns, verbs and adjectives you focus on may differ from the words you would learn generally.

3. Study declensions. Like many European languages, Koine Greek is filled with them. Nouns and adjectives have differing suffixes depending on the way in which a word is being used. For instance, Orpheus can become Orphei, Orepheum and Orpheo.

4. Learn verb forms. Like the nouns and adjectives, Koine Greek verbs change depending upon their usage.

5. Take a class. Learning a language on your own can be extremely difficult, and if you are starting from scratch with Koine Greek, there is a lot to learn. An instructor can explain the structure of Koine Greek, and actually being able to converse with other students in the language can help with both listening comprehension and pronunciation. Some schools even offer New Testament classes that focus on Koine Greek as it pertains to the Bible.

References

• Information on Koine Greek
• New Testament Greek Learning Advice
• Biblical Greek Study Guide

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[niko78]

on 10/1/2009 Of course, learning modern Greek first would be a huge advantage.