σε ελάχιστα λεπτά
“σε ελάχιστα λεπτά” (se elákhista leptá) — in a matter of minutes in Greek. Phrase, level B1, topic — time, days and hours. Eláchistos is the least: the same root as 'at least'. In a live sentence: “Η φωτιά απλώθηκε σε ελάχιστα λεπτά” — The fire spread in a matter of minutes. You can hear how it sounds right here. Written with the characters σ, ε, ε, λ, χ, ι, σ, τ, α, λ, ε, π.
In short
| Written in Greek | σε ελάχιστα λεπτά |
| Read in Latin letters | se elákhista leptá |
| Translation | in a matter of minutes |
| Part of speech | phrase |
| Level | B1 |
- σε ελάχιστα λεπτάse elákhista leptáin a matter of minutes
Why it looks that way
Eláchistos is the least: the same root as 'at least'
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.
- Η φωτιά απλώθηκε σε ελάχιστα λεπτάi fotiá aplóthike se elákhista leptáThe fire spread in a matter of minutes
Nearby words: time, days and hours
Today, tomorrow, in the morning, at six. You cannot arrange to meet without these — let alone understand the answer.
- μέραméradaythe full form is iméra, but the opening vowel gets swallowed in speech. The root of 'ephemeral' — living a single day
- σήμεραsímeratoday'this day' fused into one word, as ávrio and khthes likewise: Greek names time in one word, with no preposition
- αύριοávriotomorrowav before the voiced ρ gives av: AV-rio. Sigá sigá, ávrio — slowly, slowly, tomorrow — is the most Greek of excuses
- χθεςkhthesyesterdaythree consonants in a row and not a single vowel at the start: khthes. A variant ekhthés exists, with a vowel up front
- πρωίproímorningthe ω and ι are read apart, stress on the second: pro-I. 'In the morning' is simply to proí — the article doing the preposition's job
- βράδυvrádieveningthe β is v, the υ is ee: VRA-di. The same root as 'bradycardia', the slow rhythm
- νύχταníkhtanightthe υ is ee, the chi is kh: NEE-khta. The same nýhta inside kaliníkta
- ώραórahourwritten with ω though it sounds like o — memorize it with the word. It also asks the time: Ti óra íne?
- Τι ώρα;ti óra?what time?the same question asks the hour of day: ti óra íne?
- Είναι αργάíne argáit's lateargá means both late and slowly; the context tells them apart
Test yourself
Five questions from the same set — “time, days and hours”. Recalling a spelling from meaning is harder than knowing a familiar word on sight, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “in a matter of minutes” in Greek?
Eláchistos is the least: the same root as 'at least'
- How do you say “night” in Greek?
the υ is ee, the chi is kh: NEE-khta. The same nýhta inside kaliníkta
- How do you say “tomorrow” in Greek?
av before the voiced ρ gives av: AV-rio. Sigá sigá, ávrio — slowly, slowly, tomorrow — is the most Greek of excuses
- How do you say “it's late” in Greek?
argá means both late and slowly; the context tells them apart
- How do you say “evening” in Greek?
the β is v, the υ is ee: VRA-di. The same root as 'bradycardia', the slow rhythm
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 “in a matter of minutes” in Greek?
«σε ελάχιστα λεπτά», read “se elákhista leptá”. In a live sentence: “Η φωτιά απλώθηκε σε ελάχιστα λεπτά” — The fire spread in a matter of minutes. You can hear how it sounds right on this page. Phrase, level B1, from the set “time, days and hours”; written with the characters σ, ε, ε, λ, χ, ι, σ, τ, α, λ, ε, π.
How is “σε ελάχιστα λεπτά” written in Latin letters?
se elákhista leptá. 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?
Eláchistos is the least: the same root as 'at least'. 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.