16 Comments
- 22
- 12
- 11
- 10
- 7
I typed in "β," and it still counted it as wrong. Can someone explain to me why that is?
We didn't say that βήτα was b. As seen above we show the pronunciation as veeta. This section is very early in the ABC skill and we haven't come to the "double consonants" yet. There you'll find: μπ, μπ etc.
but by making me type the letter b in English it makes me think that βήτα is equivalent to b. Are you working on sounds or letters as Greek letters don't match the latin alphabet.
We have not requested you to type the Eng. "Bb" for the Gr. "Ββ" if you check the Hover drop down hints you'll see that the suggested words are: beta, veeta, vita. We are teaching the Gr. letters: e.g Bb as I've shown, the name of the letter Βήτα and the sound of the letter.
As this is the start of the ABC skill we have not taught the double consonants: μπ, νπ, etc yet.
Also, I suggest you read the Tips & Hints found on the top left of each exercise page which gives the entire Greek alphabet with it's closest Eng. equivalent pronunciation.
Thank you for your input and we look forward to more.
There are 6 different ways to write the sound of "ee" (knee, see) there are few rules as to which goes where. As with English each word has to be learned individually. But Greek spelling is much, much easier than Engish. If you haven't yet you should check out the TipsNotes on each page (top left) and the forums with lots of info. see here
- 21
- 21
- 20
- 18
- 16
- 15
- 14
- 10
- 10
- 9
- 7
- 7
- 6
- 6
- 4
- 3
- 2
- 2
- 66
if it's vita or veeta then how come everyone says BETA (bayta)?!!
The actual Greek is pronounced "veeta/vita". In English, at some point, it began to be called "Beta" but that doesn't make it correct in Greek.
It's also what's used by fraternities etc. The well-known Phi Beta Kappa honor society is pronounced in English: fie (like "pie" "sky"), bayta, kappa. But in Greek, it sounds like "fee" "veeta" "kappa".
Compare it to the math term "π" which is pronounced "pie" as in apple pie but in real Greek is "pee". So, we must learn to distinguish between the real Greek and similar names in English.
That's why we have so many lessons for the Greek alphabet to familiarize the Duo community with the real letters and their pronunciation.
- 24
- 22
- 22
- 21
- 21
- 20
- 18
- 17
- 14
- 4
Is there a way to make sure these aren't used for listening exercises? Because the voice says the same thing whether it's βήτα or β, and if you type the wrong one you're marked wrong.
Both βήτα and β are supposed to be accepted but the Duobot can't seem to understand that so I've disabled the audio so it doesn't appear again as a listening. Thanks for the heads up.
You're welcome. We can't wait for the new tree to resolve some of these big issues.
- 25
- 20
- 12
- 12
- 11
- 11
- 11
- 10
- 9
- 9
- 9
- 9
- 6
- 6
- 2
i see that the translation is VEETA or ( like in classical greek, ,BETA) so I suppose BOTH are accepted ? It is the same with ZEETA ( ZETA) THEETA ( THETA) so why isn't ETA accepted but only ITA ? I read very fluent Greek but I don't understand it anymore, maybe 5%, -10% that's why I decided to learn it again after more than 60 years !! I am 78.
This section was created to help newcomers to Greek learn the alphabet. Various phonetic means were used to get the pronunciation across and over time more were added.
Let me check on ETA it seems it should be accepted. We show the following for the letter Ηη: eeta/eta/ee/i/ita. As you see "eta" is included. So, it should have been accepted. If it wasn't let us know.
As long as you recognize the letters what they are called in English is not a problem.
As for the Gr. Ββ however only some form of VEETA is accepted. BETA is not used in modern Greek.
We're very happy to have you on board to refresh your Greek. If you have any questions please ask and of course, contribute any ideas you have to enrich the course.
I'm sending you some references you may find useful.
https://www.duolingo.com/comment/22040507
FAQ - General Questions, Bugs & Reports https://www.duolingo.com/comment/23799672
Oh, and btw Είμαστε συνομήλικοι.
