Sofia Maragkoudaki Modern Greek Tutor
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Who are you?

I’m Sofia and I am 28 years old.

Where are you from?

I was born in Orestiada (north side of Greece), I am half Greek (my father is from Crete) and half Albanian (my mother is from Vlore, Albania)! I grew up in Greece until I was 17 years old, and the last 12 years I live in Cyprus!

Which is your native language?

Greek!

What did you study?

I studied Greek Language & Literature in the University of Cyprus for 4 years and this was my first choice when I was searching which subject I will study!

Why do you live in Cyprus?

Because life here is more simple, people are friendly and since I am here 12 years, I got used with my routine!

Are you familiar with the Cypriot accent?

Sure! Any student that wants to learn Cypriot, first we should focus on learning some basic Greek (because Cypriot is a dialect of Greek)! When we will build our basic knowledge in Greek, we can add some dialectic elements from Cypriot :)

Which other languages you speak?

I speak English and this is my primary language for teaching. I speak also basic Albanian, Romanian and French! The knowledge of any language is a great key to help you understand better the structure while learning a new language.

What are your interests as a person?

I like to learn languages, I read some books mostly about financial subjects, I play piano and sing karaoke with my friends, I hate the winter & I love the summer!

What is your experience in teaching Greek?

I am teaching Greek for 2 years and I am specialized in learning Greek to non native speakers (as a second language). I formally have the ability to teach teenagers as well, mostly with their school subjects (Modern Greek, Ancient Greek, Latin, Greek Literature, Greek history, Etymology). I am having students from all over the world! Just for example, I have students from England, New Zealand, Japan, Spain, Romania and France!

I like to focus on the personality and the preferences of each one, so to find the best method of learning that suits better! Not all of us can learn the same way, so together we can discuss about what do you want to learn in Greek (for example, if you want to focus more on talking, writing, reading, understanding, or all of them) and how you want (for example, though videos, books, music, etc.) Lessons should be fun to you, and not just another daily obligation that makes you feel bored!

What if I am a total beginner without previous knowledge?

That sounds great! We will start from the Greek Alphabet, slowly slowly some vocabulary, simple grammar elements, the numbers, basic adjectives & verbs and, of course, our first phrases to start communicate with the natives!

What is your teaching plan for beginners?

-the Alphabet, first vocabulary and small phrases

-more specific vocabulary (numbers, colors, people, nature, food, fruits, animals, countries, clothes, hobbies, activities, shops, offices, music, time, family, shopping, directions, commands, career-jobs, feelings, house, holidays-travelling, days, months, friends, furniture, religion, etc.)

-vocabulary & dialog on specific circumstances (in a party, in an interview, in the doctor, in the bank, in the restaurant, in the shop, in the market, in the cinema, at the gym, on the beach, in the hotel, on the phone, in the post office, in the library, in the bar, in the hospital, in the police station, in the hair saloon, in the theater, in the marriage, in the birthday, in the embassy, at work, at home, in the airport, in a friend’s house, ordering food, renting a car, etc.)

-talking about ourselves (my personal details, my age, my nationality, my family, my friends, my hobbies, my studies, my trips, my relationship, my feelings, my concerns, my health, my routine, my job, my thoughts,

-grammar elements (the article, the nouns, the verbs, the adjectives, the pronouns, the prepositions, the conjunctions, the adverbs etc.)

-syntax elements (the subject-verb-object form, the different uses of the words inside the sentences, etc.)

So all this material will be used on reading small sentences & texts, writing words & small phrases, speaking by using the known vocabulary, listening mostly though videos & movies and understanding while doing all those exercises!

What is your teaching plan if I have already some Greek knowledge?

That sounds amazing to me! First, we will detect what is your current level in Greek, mention the weak points (for example, some students know how to speak Greek, but they want to learn how to write as well, or other students are exposed in the Greek language and understand the meaning of what they are listening, but they cannot speak properly). So, based on the situation, we will insist on the goal that you want to achieve, for example enriching the vocabulary on speaking Greek. As you can see, we are a team here! We will find out together what is your main purpose and we will focus on it!

Some examples can be to create personalized lessons for you (dialog & phrases that we will build during our lesson and review them in the next lesson), watching movies or educational videos (we can discuss about them, take notes, write small summary), role playing and “imagine the situation” conversations, etc.

What If I just want to focus on speaking?

Well, we can make the 70% of the lesson to be based on speaking. But we cannot left aside important elements, like being able to read what is written in Greek (because by having an image of how the words and phrases are formed, you can memorize them easier and use them to communicate with the native), enriching our vocabulary (for example, we cannot learn just a few phrases about how to order in a restaurant, because our knowledge will be too limited, what if the waiter ask you something about your order that you don’t understand it because you only learn a few specific phrases?) As you see, learning good the language has many aspects, we cannot skip writing or reading and only focus on speaking.

What if I just want to learn straight the Cypriot dialect?

This is not possible, because even in the schools here in Cyprus, the students are taught the Greek language! Cypriot is a Greek dialect that is spoken in Cyprus, but it is not the form of the language that kids are learning at school. So, Cypriots speak the Cypriot dialect, but they read, write and can communicate in Greek. When they meet a person from Greece (a native Greek speaker), the “change” their way and reduce the dialectic wors, trying to speak more in Greek, to assure that both sides are understood.

So, first we should build a good basis in Greek and after we will do some specific lessons about the Cypriot dialect, the differences between Greek and Cypriot, and make a smooth transition from the main language (Greek) to a specific dialect (Cypriot).

How fast can I learn Greek?

This totally depends on you! We can take it slow or fast! Some students they have a time limit (for example, one student wants to be able to learn within 6 months because he or she wants to move to Greece or Cyprus). Based on what is your main goal of learning Greek, we can adjust our time accordingly! Remember that the best way of learning fast is paying attention during the lesson, attend as many lessons as you can during the week and the key is REPETITION! Repetition is the answer about learning Greek faster!

What about your teaching materials?

I have books for all levels (A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2) and separate “subject” based materials (for example a whole section about nouns, where we can focus on the masculine, feminine & neutral people, animals, objects, etc.). All these are in an online form and you can use them like this or print them, if you prefer to feel the paper in your hands and it is more helpful for you to study!

Will you send me those materials?

Sure! I can send you the material that we covered in that day’s lesson after we finish! If you want to be proactive, I can send you the material that we will cover in the next lesson so you can prepare yourself! We can be flexible on that, based on what is more helpful and easier for you.

What if I do not have time for homework?

That’s respectable! There are many ways to manage this situation:

1.We can make more often lessons during the week (so you will not have to practice on your own and by repetition you will learn for sure)

2. You try to commit at least 1 hour between your week (separate from the lesson) to practice what we already have covered

3.You can suggest me a solution as well!

How often we can make lessons?

It is totally up to you! It depends on how much spare time you have to commit, if you have a specific timeline, how fast or slow you want to learn! Most students are having from 1 to 4 lessons per week!

What if I feel that by having online lessons, I will not learn as much as like having lessons in person?

Well, that is a very common concern among students. But, all the learning material is in an online form (such us books, vocabulary, grammar, etc.) so it will be sent to you and you can practice it online or by printing it! We should try at least some online lessons together and it is up to you to check if it is something that suits you!

Are you interested in learning Greek for...:

-career and business?

-having relatives in Greece or Cyprus?

-lessons for kids?

-lessons for beginners?

-married with Greek or Cypriot?

-you have origins from Greece or Cyprus and now it’s the time to learn your language?

-living abroad?

-planning to visit Greece or Cyprus?

-exams and coursework?

-culture, travel or hobby?

Are you interested in learning Greek from….:

-a native Greek speaker?

-a Greek tutor that is exposed to the Cypriot dialect and will help you learn it?

-a certified teacher that loves repetition and will create personalized lessons for you?

-a tutor that loves to respect other people and welcomes all levels (from zero to excellent knowledge) from any country in this world?

-a pleasant and funny tutor that will give value to the time you will spend with?

Book a trial lesson with me so we can discuss about how you can start immediately learning Greek!

Subjects

  • Modern Greek Beginner-Expert

Experience

No experience mentioned.

Education

  • Classical Studies & Philosophy in Ancient & Modern Greek (Aug, 2012–Sep, 2016) from University of Cyprus

Fee details

    €14–30/hour (US$14.74–31.58/hour)

    Online: 14€ per hour
    In person: 20-30€ per hour

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