You recognise the Greek letters, but και still looks like “kai” and μου like “moy”. The missing step is learning which letters work together. In modern Greek, these four common pairs usually represent a single vowel sound. Practise the pair as a unit before trying to read the whole word.
Four pairs to recognise
| Letters | Sound | Practice word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| ου | /u/, roughly the vowel in “food” | μου | my / to me, depending on context |
| αι | /e/, approximately the vowel in “bed” | και | and |
| ει | /i/, roughly the vowel in “see” | είμαι | I am |
| οι | /i/, the same vowel sound as ει | φίλοι | friends |
The English comparisons are approximations, not instructions to copy English vowel length. The symbols between slashes describe sounds. The written pairs ει and οι sound alike here, but they are not interchangeable spellings.
Read in three passes
- Find and underline the pair: μου, και, είναι, φίλοι, κουτί.
- Find the stress mark. In κουτί, the last syllable is stressed; in φίλοι, the first is stressed.
- Read the word without giving each letter of the pair its own sound.
Try είμαι slowly: ει gives /i/ and αι gives /e/. The first syllable is stressed. You can read both parts using this table, even though the spelling contains four vowel letters.
Practice without looking at the table
Write the sound /u/, /e/ or /i/ for the highlighted pair:
- μου
- και
- φίλοι
- είμαι
- κουτί
- είμαι
Check your answers
1. /u/. 2. /e/. 3. /i/. 4. /i/. 5. /u/. 6. /e/. Notice that είμαι contains two different pairs, each representing one vowel sound.
Do not extend the rule to every pair
This worksheet covers ου, αι, ει and οι. The combinations αυ and ευ follow a different pattern involving a consonant sound. Two dots above a vowel—the diaeresis—can also signal that adjacent vowels are read separately. When you meet an unfamiliar pattern, check it rather than assuming every two vowels make one sound.
Your next reading task
Cover the meanings and read μου, και, είμαι, φίλοι, κουτί again in a different order. Then write a new example beside each pair as you encounter it in a lesson. Recalling the sound from the Greek spelling is the aim; memorising an English transcription is not necessary.
Need to review individual letters? Use the Greek alphabet reference or the printable alphabet chart. Continue with the alphabet lesson to practise letters and combinations together.