Palabra Lexi · common words in Greek
How to say "river" in Greek
"River" in Greek is ποτάμι (potámi), pronounced po-TA-mi (stress on the syllable in capitals). It is a neuter noun (το ποτάμι, plural τα ποτάμια).
| Greek | ποτάμι |
|---|---|
| Transliteration | potámi |
| Pronunciation | po-TA-mi |
| Meaning | river |
| Gender | neuter: το ποτάμι |
| Plural | τα ποτάμια |
| Frequency | #163 in the Palabra list of common Greek words |
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 ποτάμι
Ποτάμι is pronounced po-TA-mi, in IPA /poˈta.mi/. The stress falls on TA, 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 ποτάμι masculine, feminine or neuter?
Ποτάμι is neuter, so it takes the article το: το ποτάμι. The plural is τα ποτάμια. That fits the pattern: nouns ending in -ο and -ι are neuter.
Example sentences
Ένα μεγάλο ποτάμι
a big river
Το ποτάμι κυλάει γρήγορα
The river flows fast
"River" in Greek: everyday use and word roots
Mesopotamia is the land "between the rivers".
Word roots
- Ancient Greek: ποταμός (potamós)
- English words from the same root: hippopotamus, Mesopotamia
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 ποτάμι
ποτάμι [po-TA-mi] sounds like the English “hippopotamus”. Picture this:
Hippopotamus means «river horse» — the potámi keeps its horses cool.
A sound-alike plus a vivid scene is the keyword method, a well-studied way to learn vocabulary. How it works.
Practice ποτάμι
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