Modern Greek beta and delta for Spanish speakers: hear β and δ

A letter’s shape does not guarantee that it sounds like a Spanish letter. Listen to two Greek letter names and a number to practise the beginnings of β and δ. This activity concerns modern Greek, not reconstructed ancient Greek pronunciation.

Two articulation points

In general Spanish, b and v do not represent two distinct sounds. Writing a Latin v beside β may therefore be insufficient to explain the Greek sound. Use the recording and lip position as your reference. For δ, avoid a strong complete closure like an initial stop d; practise the beginning you hear without forcing your tongue.

Listen to the complete examples

The first two clips are letter names, not isolated consonants. The third is a number. These generated teaching recordings already appear in the free alphabet and number exercises.

Check listening and articulation

1. Does clip 1 name β or δ?
2. Does clip 2 name β or δ?
3. Does the number in clip 3 begin with δ or β?
4. For β, is the suggested contact lower lip with upper teeth, or closing both lips?

Compare one feature, not the whole voice

Repeat βήτα once and δέλτα once. If you record yourself on your own device, listen to the start of each word and compare it with the model. Do not try to copy the speaker’s voice quality. Keep the rest of the word too: the task is not to replace all of βήτα with one long consonant.

Move from a letter name to a word

Return to δύο and hear δ at the beginning of a word with a meaning. Then return to δέλτα. A letter name helps you recognise the letter, but it does not replace whole-word practice. Do not add a Spanish b just because β resembles B.

Make a short personal check

After two attempts, write a concrete observation such as “I kept the lip-to-teeth contact” or “I still cannot distinguish my δ onset”. If you are unsure of your production, keep that uncertainty and ask a teacher for a specific comparison. This page does not record your voice or provide an automatic score.

Continue with alphabet listening

Review the Greek alphabet · Listen to Greek letter names