η ελεύθερη θέση
“η ελεύθερη θέση” (i eléftheri thési) — free seat in Greek. Noun, level A1, topic — transport. thési is both a seat on the bus and a job position; the course knows both. The ev before the k sounds ef. In a live sentence: “Υπάρχει μια ελεύθερη θέση στο βάθος” — There is a free seat in the back. You can hear how it sounds right here. Written with the characters η, ε, λ, ε, θ, ε, ρ, η, θ, σ, η.
In short
| Written in Greek | η ελεύθερη θέση |
| Read in Latin letters | i eléftheri thési |
| Translation | free seat |
| Part of speech | noun |
| Level | A1 |
- η ελεύθερη θέσηi eléftheri thésifree seat
Why it looks that way
thési is both a seat on the bus and a job position; the course knows both. The ev before the k sounds ef
A word with a story stays in memory longer than one learned as a “spelling — translation” pair: memory holds on to meaning, not to a string.
In a live sentence
A single word almost never appears alone in conversation. A sentence shows where it fits and what stands next to it.
- Υπάρχει μια ελεύθερη θέση στο βάθοςipárkhi mia eléftheri thési sto váthosThere is a free seat in the back
Nearby words: transport
Bus, metro, taxi, stop, station. These are words you need to recognize in writing — off a departure board and off a sign.
- σταθμόςstathmósstationthe same word serves the metro stop and the bus terminal: stathmós metró, stathmós leoforíon
- μετρόmetrómetrounchanged. The Athens metro doubles as a museum: the stations display what the dig brought up
- λεωφορείοleoforíobusleós — the people, féro — I carry: literally 'people-carrier'. Neuter: to leoforío
- ταξίtaksítaxithe ξ packs ks, stress at the end: ta-KSI. Unchanged
- το φανάριto fanáritraffic lightthe same word as a lantern. Sto fanári means at the traffic light
- το ποδήλατοto podílatobicyclepoús plus elaíno — 'moved by feet'. A Greek word through and through
- η στάση λεωφορείουi stási leoforíubus stopthe sign says simply STASI
- η μηνιαία κάρταi miniéa kártatransit passthere is also evdomadiéa — a weekly one: the pass is named by its term
- η διαδρομήi diadromíthe routefrom drómos, a way; the same word about a journey as a whole
- η διάβαση πεζώνi diávasi pezóncrosswalkpezós means on foot; the same root as pezodrómio, the sidewalk
Test yourself
Five questions from the same set — “transport”. Recalling a spelling from meaning is harder than knowing a familiar word on sight, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “free seat” in Greek?
thési is both a seat on the bus and a job position; the course knows both. The ev before the k sounds ef
- How do you say “bus stop” in Greek?
the sign says simply STASI
- How do you say “bus” in Greek?
leós — the people, féro — I carry: literally 'people-carrier'. Neuter: to leoforío
- How do you say “crosswalk” in Greek?
pezós means on foot; the same root as pezodrómio, the sidewalk
- How do you say “bicycle” in Greek?
poús plus elaíno — 'moved by feet'. A Greek word through and through
How not to forget this word
Reading a word and remembering it are different jobs. A day later, little survives of a single reading — and that is not bad memory, that is how memory works.
- This has been tested on foreign words too. The difference shows up most when you test yourself a few days later rather than straight away.checked many timesKim & Webb, 2022, Language Learning 72(2) · 48 experiments, 3,411 participants, 98 comparisons.
- Recalling beats re-reading. Covering the translation and trying to remember it does more than reading it ten more times.checked many timesAdesope, Trevisan & Sundararajan, 2017, Review of Educational Research 87(3) · 188 experiments, 272 comparisons. g = 0.61; against plain re-reading 0.51, against passive review 0.93.
- An answer you worked out yourself sticks better than one handed to you.checked many timesBertsch et al., 2007, Memory & Cognition 35(2) · 86 studies, 445 comparisons, d = 0.40.
Frequently asked
How do you say “free seat” in Greek?
«η ελεύθερη θέση», read “i eléftheri thési”. In a live sentence: “Υπάρχει μια ελεύθερη θέση στο βάθος” — There is a free seat in the back. You can hear how it sounds right on this page. Noun, level A1, from the set “transport”; written with the characters η, ε, λ, ε, θ, ε, ρ, η, θ, σ, η.
How is “η ελεύθερη θέση” written in Latin letters?
i eléftheri thési. This is a practical spelling — you need it to read aloud and be understood, not to meet an academic standard.
Why does this word look the way it does?
thési is both a seat on the bus and a job position; the course knows both. The ev before the k sounds ef. A word with a story stays in memory longer than a “spelling — translation” pair: memory holds on to meaning, not to a string.
Can I hear how it sounds?
Yes, right on this page: click the word and it will play. The sound works on any phone, and nothing needs to be installed.