Palabra Lexi · common words in Greek

How to say "mother" in Greek

"Mother" in Greek is μητέρα (mitéra), pronounced mi-TE-ra (stress on the syllable in capitals). It is a feminine noun (η μητέρα, plural οι μητέρες). Also: μάνα (mother).

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 μητέρα

Μητέρα is pronounced mi-TE-ra, in IPA /miˈtera/. The stress falls on TE, 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 μητέρα masculine, feminine or neuter?

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

Example sentences

Η μητέρα μου
my mother

Η μητέρα μαγειρεύει φαγητό.
The mother cooks food.

"Mother" in Greek: everyday use and word roots

Metropolis means "mother city".

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 μητέρα

μητέρα [mi-TE-ra] sounds like the English “meter”. Picture this:

Mother measures your height with a meter every morning and marks the doorframe in pencil.

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

Practice μητέρα

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Other ways to say "mother" in Greek

Word web: μητέρα

Words that live next to μητέρα in the Palabra word web, each with its own English sound-alike and scene. Learning them together makes each one easier to recall.