μιλάω
“μιλάω” (miláo) — speak in Greek. Verb, level A1, topic — verbs. second conjugation, stress on the ending: miláo, milás, milái. To say is a different verb, léo. In a live sentence: “Μιλάτε ελληνικά;” — Do you speak Greek? You can hear how it sounds right here. Written with the characters μ, ι, λ, ω. One of 20 words in the set “verbs” in the Greek course.
In short
| Written in Greek | μιλάω |
| Read in Latin letters | miláo |
| Translation | speak |
| Part of speech | verb |
| Level | A1 |
- μιλάωmiláospeak
Why it looks that way
second conjugation, stress on the ending: miláo, milás, milái. To say is a different verb, léo
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.
- Μιλάτε ελληνικά;miláte eliniká?Do you speak Greek?
Nearby words: verbs
I want, I can, I am going, I know. Twenty verbs cover more everyday sentences than two hundred nouns.
- θέλωthéloI wantthe th is the th of 'think' — tongue between the teeth. The polite version is tha íthela — I would like
- πηγαίνωpiyénogoone verb for any motion away — on foot, by car, by plane. The short casual form is páo
- τρώωtróoeatthe two ω letters do not merge: tro-o. Don't confuse with 'there is' — that is ipárchei, a different verb
- πίνωpínodrinkone verb for water, coffee and wine alike
- διαβάζωdiavázoreadboth 'read' and 'study for an exam': a schoolkid says diavázo about schoolwork in general. The β is v, the ζ is z
- δουλεύωdulévoworkabout people and about things alike: den dulévi to asansér — the lift does not work
- μένωménoliveliterally 'I stay': it is this verb that speaks of where you live, while zó means to be alive
- αγαπώagapólovethe very agápi — love as acceptance, not passion. Second conjugation, with the stressed ending -ó
- έχωékhohaveliterally 'I have': no 'at my place' needed, the person sits in the ending. Negation: den écho
- υπάρχειipárkhithere isabout existence, not ownership: ipárchei neró? — is there water? In speech people usually just say échei
Test yourself
Five questions from the same set — “verbs”. Recalling a spelling from meaning is harder than knowing a familiar word on sight, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “speak” in Greek?
second conjugation, stress on the ending: miláo, milás, milái. To say is a different verb, léo
- How do you say “live” in Greek?
literally 'I stay': it is this verb that speaks of where you live, while zó means to be alive
- How do you say “eat” in Greek?
the two ω letters do not merge: tro-o. Don't confuse with 'there is' — that is ipárchei, a different verb
- How do you say “there is” in Greek?
about existence, not ownership: ipárchei neró? — is there water? In speech people usually just say échei
- How do you say “work” in Greek?
about people and about things alike: den dulévi to asansér — the lift does not work
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 “speak” in Greek?
«μιλάω», read “miláo”. In a live sentence: “Μιλάτε ελληνικά;” — Do you speak Greek? You can hear how it sounds right on this page. Verb, level A1, from the set “verbs”; written with the characters μ, ι, λ, ω.
How is “μιλάω” written in Latin letters?
miláo. 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?
second conjugation, stress on the ending: miláo, milás, milái. To say is a different verb, léo. 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.