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Adverbs in Greek

Happy New Year – Καλή Χρονιά (kalí chroniá)! Let’s welcome 2022 with some grammar! Adverbs are words that accompany verbs and can indicate the place, the time, the manner, the quantity etc.  

Some adverbs are very similar, they have the same stem but different ending and different meaning. We present you a few examples: 

  1. ακριβά – ακριβώς = «ακριβά» (akrivá) means “expensively”, whereas «ακριβώς» (akrivós) means “precisely” à Αγόρασα την τηλεόραση πολύ ακριβά (aghórasa tin tileórasi polí akrivá) = I bought the TV very expensively / Τα λέμε στις πέντε ακριβώς (ta léme stis pénde akrivós) = See you at five exactly.  
  1. τέλεια – τελείως = «τέλεια» (télia) means “perfectly”, whereas «τελείως» (telíos) means “completely” à Μιλάω τέλεια τα ελληνικά (miláo télia ta elliniká) = I speak perfectly Greek / Ήμουν τελείως αφηρημένη χθες (ímun telíos afiriméni hthes) = I was completely absent-minded yesterday.  
  1. απλά – απλώς = «απλά» (aplá) means “simply”, whereas «απλώς» (aplós) means “just, only” à Μιλάω απλά για να με καταλάβεις (Miláo aplá ghia na me katalávis) = I’m talking in a simple way so that you can understand me / Ήταν απλώς θέμα χρόνου (ítan aplós théma hrónu) = It was just a matter of time. 
  1. άμεσα – αμέσως = «άμεσα» (ámesa) means “directly, immediately, without third party intervention”, whereas «αμέσως» (amésos) means “right now, without delay” à Η υπόθεση δεν με αφορά άμεσα (i ipóthesi then me aforá ámesa) = The case does not concern me directly / Έλα εδώ αμέσως! (éla ethó amésos) = Come here right now!  
  1. ευχάριστα – ευχαρίστως = «ευχάριστα» (efhárista) means “pleasantly, good time”, whereas «ευχαρίστως» (efharístos) means “gladly, with pleasure” à Στο πάρτι πέρασα ευχάριστα (sto párti pérasa efhárista) = I had a good time at the party / Θα έρθω στο πάρτι ευχαρίστως (tha értho sto párti efharístos) = I will gladly come to the party.