LingoflyEveryday life and routine in Greek
12 words in Greek on the topic “everyday life and routine”: δουλειά (duliá) — job, δουλεύω (dulévo) — work, ξυπνάω (ksipnáo) — wake up, σηκώνομαι (sikónome) — get up. 12 words can be played from recordings.
12 words on the topic
- δουλειάduliájobou gives oo, ei gives ee: dul-YA. One root with doúlos, slave: in antiquity work was a slave occupation
- δουλεύωdulévoworkabout people and about things alike: den dulévi to asansér — the lift does not work
- ξυπνάωksipnáowake upfrom ípnos, sleep, with the prefix x-: I step out of sleep
- σηκώνομαιsikónomeget upmiddle voice from sikóno, to raise: I raise myself
- πλένομαιplénomewash upmiddle voice from pléno, to wash: I wash myself
- χτενίζομαιkhtenízomecomb one’s hairfrom khténa, a comb, in the middle-voice form
- ξυρίζομαιksirízomeshavefrom ksirafáki, a razor, in the middle-voice form
- ντύνομαιdínomeget dressedfrom endýo, to dress; the same stem in endimasía, work clothes
- γδύνομαιgdínomeget undressedthe prefix g- undoes what dínome does
- κάθομαι κάτωkáthome kátosit downthe same káthome as 'to sit'; káto separates the action from the state
- ξαπλώνω στο κρεβάτιksaplóno sto krevátilie downthe same xaplóno as 'to lie'; Greek does not split the two
- αναπαύομαιanapávomerestbookish; in speech xekurázome. The same word stands on gravestones
Download the word set (CSV) · Open the printable sheet
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How it sounds in a sentence
A word list is a blank. Conversation is made of sentences, and these are the ones the words fit into most often.
What is worth knowing about these words
δουλειά (duliá) — job. Ou gives oo, ei gives ee: dul-YA. One root with doúlos, slave: in antiquity work was a slave occupation.
δουλεύω (dulévo) — work. About people and about things alike: den dulévi to asansér — the lift does not work.
ξυπνάω (ksipnáo) — wake up. From ípnos, sleep, with the prefix x-: I step out of sleep.
σηκώνομαι (sikónome) — get up. Middle voice from sikóno, to raise: I raise myself.
Test yourself
First by ear — the way you will meet the word in conversation. Click the speaker and pick the translation.
- What is this word?
It is δουλειά (duliá) — job.
- What is this word?
It is ντύνομαι (dínome) — get dressed.
- What is this word?
It is ξυπνάω (ksipnáo) — wake up.
- What is this word?
It is κάθομαι κάτω (káthome káto) — sit down.
- What is this word?
It is πλένομαι (plénome) — wash up.
Now the other way around: recall the spelling from the meaning. That is harder, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “job” in Greek?
ou gives oo, ei gives ee: dul-YA. One root with doúlos, slave: in antiquity work was a slave occupation
- How do you say “get dressed” in Greek?
from endýo, to dress; the same stem in endimasía, work clothes
- How do you say “wake up” in Greek?
from ípnos, sleep, with the prefix x-: I step out of sleep
- How do you say “sit down” in Greek?
the same káthome as 'to sit'; káto separates the action from the state
- How do you say “wash up” in Greek?
middle voice from pléno, to wash: I wash myself
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
Work, home, rest, errands. The words the answer to “how are things?” is made of.
A list is read in a minute and forgotten in a day. What works: hide the translation, try to recall, get it wrong — and come back to the same words tomorrow.
- 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.
- Study spread over days wins not only in experiments but in ordinary classrooms, with real students.checked many timesMawson & Kang, 2025, Behavioral Sciences 15(6):771 · 22 studies, d = 0.54 (confidence interval 0.31–0.77). The authors warn that individual studies disagree widely.
Frequently asked
How do you say “job” in Greek?
«δουλειά» (duliá), read “duliá”. Ou gives oo, ei gives ee: dul-YA. One root with doúlos, slave: in antiquity work was a slave occupation. It is one of 12 words in the set “everyday life and routine” — the rest are in the table above.
How many everyday words do you need to start?
The whole set on this page is 12 words, but there is no need to start with all of it: the words you will need in the next few days are enough. Take them a few at a time — five to seven new ones per session.
Is there audio?
Yes, 12 words on this page can be played — click the speaker next to the word. The sound works on any phone, and nothing needs to be installed.