Regional varieties: Cypriot, Cretan and others
Main dialect features you may hear across the Greek-speaking world.
| Variety | Typical features | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Cypriot Greek | palatal sounds (κ → τσ), final -ν kept, own vocabulary | Τζιαι (και), έσιει (έχει), εν (είναι) |
| Cretan | κ → τσ before e/i, -ουσι plural, own vocabulary | τσαι (και), ντα (τι) |
| Northern Greek | unstressed i and u dropped, e → i | πιδί (παιδί), σκλί (σκυλί) |
| Thessaloniki | accusative instead of genitive for indirect objects | Σε είπα (Σου είπα) |
| Pontic, Tsakonian | separate varieties, hard to understand for others | — |
- Τι κάμνεις; (Cyprus)How are you? (standard: Τι κάνεις;)
- Σου είπα να έρθεις νωρίς.I told you to come early. (standard, not «σε είπα»)
Test yourself
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Standard form of Cypriot «τζιαι»?
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και -
What is typical of northern pronunciation?
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unstressed i and u are dropped -
Standard form of «Σε είπα»?
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Σου είπα -
On which varieties is standard Greek mainly based?
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southern (Peloponnese / Athens)