Saying Please
Another one of the indispensable words in Greek is the word for “please.” In order to learn it, we need two new letters.
This vowel sounds somewhat like the vowel in “port” [The sound is a bit shorter than the vowel sound in “home.”] It has exactly the same sound as ο.
Hear the letter’s sound:
Hear the letter’s name:
The next consonant has its very own picture drama.
| At the right is a picture of an oar, which you use to row, row, row your raft down the river. |  |
And above is a Greek letter that looks like that oar.
You pronounce it with a "trill", and it sounds like this:
The letter’s name is spelled ρω, which is pronounced:
If you can’t do the trill, just make it sound like the first consonant in row, and everyone will still understand you.
Now we know all the letters we need to write a very useful word:
παρακαλώ
This is the Greek word for “please,” and it also serves double duty as “you’re welcome.” You use this word when you ask a question such as “Where is the hotel, please?”
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