If it has worked for me with other languages it can work for you too. Music always makes our life easier.
Do you want to learn a new language? Have you had Greek lessons in the past and you want to start again or practice your knowledge? Are you Greek that has been living abroad for many years and you want to feel connected with your language again? Music is always the answer to all the questions. So be sure that you can learn the Greek language with easy songs.
Having learned three foreign languages, I know that the best way to practice listening and speaking at the same time is by listening to songs in the target language. This is how I managed to speak English and Italian.This is how I tried to do my best in the German language, no matter how small my improvement was based on the effort I made.
As a millennial, born in the late 80’s I am a great fan of the Greek music of the ’80s and ’90s. There used to be a quality combination of funny trash music and really good work of brilliant musicians and composers. Pop music was at its best, as everywhere in the world.
So regarding all these factors plus my love for the music and this period of time, this was the most pleasant article for me to write. I had the best time in my Christmas holidays to listen to dozens of songs and pick the ones that will serve your language needs.
So put your earphones and get your notebook and pencil, because the party is going to be really cool guys! Enjoy the potential to learn the Greek language with these easy songs.
1.Τα Κορίτσια Ξενυχτάνε (Αλέξια). My pleasure. I just love this singer and her songs. The kind of music is pop, so we can say that the lyrics are quite easy mostly based on that.
How will this song help me?
The lyrics are short and the words that are used are part of our everyday vocabulary. By the time you manage to sing this song, you will have practiced many everyday words which maybe would be difficult to memorize by heart.
Here is the link with the lyrics video on YouTube
2.Μην Τον Ρωτάς Τον Ουρανό. This song is known by everyone in Greece. It has been sung by many beloved singers. Here I have posted a version by Dimitra Galani and Alkinoos Ioannidis, because this version contains English lyrics too, so it will be more relaxing and encouraging for a student.
How will this song help me?
You can practice nominative and accusative in all genders here, a very difficult and important exercise, as you already know. I am very happy that I thought of this song as this kind of exercise. The combination of practicing the accusative case and listening to Manos Hatzidakis at the same time is one of the reasons I love being a Greek teacher.
You can find the song here and the lyrics here together with the original version of the song
3. Λάμπω (Άννα Βίσση). This singer would be inappropriate to be missing from our list. It is a Latin-Jazz song, it sounds difficult when you listen to it at first, BUT it isn’t. The main part of the song is repeated multiple times so you can become better at singing it, even from the first time.
How will this song help me?
You can practice both the imperative form (αγκάλιασε με, ανέβασε με, etc) and the participles (ευτυχισμένη, ζαλισμένη, etc), a quite difficult part in the Greek grammar. The imperative form in the Greek language has nothing to do with the one in English grammar. It changes the verb a lot and this change depends on each verb. But don’t worry about it anymore, Anna Vissi has given us a tool without knowing it!
You can find the song here and the lyrics here
Just trust me and realize that you can learn the Greek language with these easy songs
4. Κάποιος σ΄αγαπάει ( Χρήστος Δάντης). I chose this song mostly because it is beautiful but it is easy too. It is a pop-rock song, one of the most beloved in Greece of this period of time.
How will this song help me?
The main part is repeated so you can learn it by heart, the vocabulary is quite easy and you can improve yourself without suffering at all.
You can find the song here and the lyrics here
5. Θα’μαι μια ζωή δίπλα σου εγώ (Σάκης Ρουβάς). Another well-known artist of Greece in one of the most beautiful and easy to learn songs. Like most of his songs, it is a pop music song. I chose it mainly because the lyrics are short and slow so you can sing it and learn by heart.
How will this song help me?
The lyrics are mostly in the present tense, so it makes it ideal for beginners in the language. You can find many verbs here to practice your grammar skills and understand the meaning with less effort possible.
You can find the song with the lyrics here
6. Κάνω μια ευχή (Εξόριστοι). It is a rock ballad from the ’80s. The lyrics though poetic, are very easy. It was a pleasure for me to find that THIS song has easy lyrics for my article because I totally adore it and I want to share it with more people possible.
How will this song help me?
Most of all, it will be a pleasure to understand it and add it to the songs you love. It is a “disadvantage” that it is written in the Greek language (if someone can say something like that) because it is limited to the Greek audience. It is pure gold. By searching for songs for this article, I learned that this artist is now having a huge career in America and I am very happy for him.
You can find the song here and the lyrics here ENJOY
7. Που περπατάς (Νατάσα Θεοδωρίδου). A dance song with Turkish music, a complete pleasure of the late ’90s. This singer has a huge career but this song was one of her first hits.
How will this song help me?
The lyrics are easy from the one side, but they will help you practice the future simple tense. You will have a lot of fun while learning vocabulary and grammar rules.
You can find the song here and the lyrics here
*There is a difficulty in the second entrance lyrics, basically because the writer obviously was trying to find an ending that matches. You know it happens in entertainment songs.
The word θυμοί (θυμός=anger) is not commonly used in everyday vocabulary in the plural.
Λυγμοί (λυγμός) means heavy tears and I wouldn’t say it is used in everyday vocabulary, so do not bother with those two words
Never underestimate your progress, no matter how humble it is. Humble is everything.
This is a good beginning for you to have fun while improving your skills in the Greek language. Always remember to encourage yourself for all the steps you move forward and never feel guilty if you don’t know many of the words of the songs. Just try to understand the general meaning of the song. This is so much better than zero.
Write down the words that you do not know and check them here and . 5 words per day is a great step to memorize and finally reach your goal in the end of the year to understand the Greek language and participate in easy dialogues. If it has worked for me in other languages, it can definitely work for you. You can learn the Greek language with these easy songs.
I am so happy about your journey in the Greek language!
Efi Asvesti
Greek Teacher @
