Palabra Lexi · common words in Greek

How to say "church" in Greek

"Church" in Greek is εκκλησία (eklisía), pronounced ek-kli-SI-a (stress on the syllable in capitals). It is a feminine noun (η εκκλησία, plural οι εκκλησίες).

Pronunciation is spelled out in English, one syllable at a time, with the stressed syllable in capitals; Greek marks that syllable with an accent in writing too. The speaker button uses your browser's built-in Greek voice. Gender and plural: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA.

How to pronounce εκκλησία

Εκκλησία is pronounced ek-kli-SI-a, in IPA /e.kliˈsi.a/. The stress falls on SI, the syllable in capitals. Greek shows this in writing: the accent mark sits on the stressed vowel.

Listen: normal and slow speed, in your browser's Greek voice. IPA: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA.

Is εκκλησία masculine, feminine or neuter?

Εκκλησία is feminine, so it takes the article η: η εκκλησία. The plural is οι εκκλησίες. That fits the usual pattern: most nouns ending in -α and -η are feminine.

Example sentences

Μια μικρή εκκλησία
a small church

Η εκκλησία είναι κοντά
The church is nearby

Η εκκλησία είναι παλιά
The church is old

"Church" in Greek: everyday use and word roots

Εκκλησία first meant an assembly of citizens; Spanish iglesia and French église come from it.

Regional words and roots: Wiktionary and the Liddell–Scott Greek lexicon. Greek varies by region, so treat these as the most common patterns, not strict rules.

How to remember εκκλησία

εκκλησία [ek-kli-SI-a] sounds like the English “ecclesiastic”. Picture this:

Nearly a cognate: ecclesiastic — the white church stands above the blue bay.

A sound-alike plus a vivid scene is the keyword method, a well-studied way to learn vocabulary. How it works.

Practice εκκλησία

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