‘Just do it’: Why you should learn Greek as an adult

·

Do you want to learn Greek as an adult? Claire Lagoutaris from Hellenic Learning provides Greek Adult Classes each term, offering various courses for different levels.

Claire spoke with some of her students, both Greeks and non-Greeks, to share why they want to learn Greek.

Claire Lagoutaris teaches Greek to adults.

Lee and Tori:

How would you describe your cultural heritage?

Lee: Australian/Greek-Cypriot

Tori: Australian

Why are you learning Greek? 

Lee: After travelling to Cyprus multiple times over the past 6-7 years, my family heritage became really important as the fear was that over time that connection would fade. From not having communicated in Greek (Cypriot) for such a long time, I thought it was time to take the first steps toward the learning journey. I was really excited to have my partner Tori taking part in these lessons with me to add some additional motivation and support.

What’s your experience with Greek learning to date? 

Lee: My grandparents would communicate with us grandchildren in both Greek and basic English. As we got older though, this fell away so commencing this course from the beginner’s level has been a great way to establish strong fundamentals in learning Greek along with triggering some wonderful memories of my childhood when certain words or phrases are taught.

What advice would you give to someone unsure about learning Greek? 

Just do it! It has been such an enjoyable and culturally enriching journey so far with so much encouragement and support from fellow class members and from our brilliant tutor Claire. 

As an adult, life gets busy! How have you made classes fit into your life? 

I would say disciplining ourselves around ensuring we attend each weekly class, then spending an hour a night revising what we have learnt. Our work and social commitments can be fairly busy so following a routine most definitely helps. The most important part though is genuinely enjoying the learning process which makes it easier to prioritise.

What have you found useful in your classes with Hellenic Learning? 

The structure of the classes as well as the content has been really enjoyable from the first lesson. The format is easy to follow to really assist in the learning process. Having a tutor like Claire has also been really important as well, her approach to teaching is one of encouragement and really pushes her students to participate as much as possible to get the most out of the sessions.

Screenshot from Hellenic Learning’s Greek Adult Classes.

Iris:

How would you describe your cultural heritage?

Half Filipino, Half Indian, Born in Dubai but Australian.

Why are you learning Greek? 

My husband is Greek, we like to travel to the islands and the language is useful in Melbourne because of the big Greek population.

What’s your experience with Greek learning to date? 

It’s a fun language to learn! You can see how a lot of English words come from the Greek language.

What advice would you give to someone unsure about learning Greek? 

Listen to Greek music! 

Screenshot from Hellenic Learning’s Greek Adult Classes.

As an adult, life gets busy! How have you made classes fit into your life? 

Doing it online helps a lot and when you only have to commit an hour a week in set terms, so it’s manageable.

What have you found useful in your classes with Hellenic Learning? 

Having a tutor explain the grammar and casual way of having conversations.

For more info about Hellenic Learning’s Greek Adult Classes:

Advertisement

Share:

KEEP UP TO DATE WITH TGH

By subscribing you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Advertisement

Latest News

A night with Greek football legends at Sydney’s hottest new taverna

Football Brilliance Academy and Liberty IT are hosting a dinner celebrating 20 years since Greece’s historic European football victory.

Brisbane hosts landmark celebration of Greek Macedonian heritage

The Pan Macedonian Federation of Australia held its inaugural conference, accompanied by a spirited dinner dance and Annual General Meeting.

Paroula’s Greek dancing group holds vibrant end-of-year celebration in Lakemba

Lakemba was alive with the rhythm of Greek tradition, as Paroula's dance group delivered a spectacular performance.

Greek Consul General in Melbourne honoured at GACL’s AGM

On Sunday, December 1, the Greek Australian Cultural League held their Annual General Meeting at the Greek Centre in Melbourne.

Steve Maras appointed Chair of the Adelaide Economic Development Agency

Steve Maras, a prominent figure in the city property sector, has been appointed as the new chair of the Adelaide Economic Development Agency.

You May Also Like

Greek community gathers at ‘Little Greece’ in Sydney for annual OXI Day ceremony

People gathered at 'Little Greece' in Sydney's Inner West on Saturday, October 26 for the annual OXI Day commemoration event.

SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras pledges to legalise same-sex marriage in Greece

Alexis Tsipras promised that if he wins in the general election, he will make same-sex marriage with full parental rights legal.

Antipodes Festival returns to Melbourne’s iconic Lonsdale Street

The Antipodes Festival returned to Melbourne's iconic Lonsdale Street on Saturday, February 26 with a bang.