griego
/ˈɡɾjeɡo/masculine
The Spanish word for Greek is griego.
griego refers to the Greek language. It also functions as an adjective meaning of or relating to Greece, its people, its language or its culture. Additionally, it can be used as a noun to refer to a person from Greece or of Greek descent.
Meaning: language of the Greek people (name)
Which one should you use?
The form griego is masculine. When referring to a woman from Greece, the feminine form griega is used.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The word must agree in gender with the noun it modifies. For example, when used as an adjective, you would use griego for a masculine singular noun like El plato griego and griegas for a feminine plural noun like Las islas griegas. When used as a noun for a person, the form changes to the feminine griega to refer to a woman.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈɡɾjeɡo/
What mistakes should you avoid?
In Spanish, do not capitalize the names of languages or nationalities. Unlike in English, you should write griego in lowercase unless it is the first word of a sentence.
Did you know?
- The phrase esto me suena a chino is used to say something is incomprehensible, but in some Spanish-speaking regions, people say esto está en griego to mean the same thing.
- The word griego is a doublet of the word greco, meaning they both come from the same Latin root but entered the Spanish language through different paths.
- In Spanish, the phrase hablar en griego can be used ironically to describe someone who is using overly complex or pretentious language that others cannot follow.
Examples in context
- Es difícil aprender griego.It's difficult to learn Greek.This sentence shows how to express the difficulty of learning the language using griego.Tatoeba #8356348 by Shishir, translation #1807215 by CN
- La palabra viene del griego.The word comes from Greek.This sentence uses griego to indicate the linguistic origin of a word.Tatoeba #1876145 by marcelostockle, translation #5081157 by AlanF_US
- Esta palabra viene del griego.This word comes from Greek.Tatoeba #1338638 by marcelostockle, translation #59390 by CK
- Estudio la historia griegaI study Greek history
- El idioma helénico es fascinanteThe Greek language is fascinating
- 84 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Javier and Lucía are talking about a book in a cafe.
- JavierEste libro está en griego.This book is in Greek.
- Lucía¿Es un texto griego?Is it a Greek text?
- JavierSí, es un documento griego muy antiguo.Yes, it is a very ancient Greek document.
- LucíaNo entiendo nada de griego.I don't understand anything of Greek.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “greek” translations and entries griego, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries griego, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
