Greek Language Courses in Kavala

It is the aim of Grecophone Holidays to provide a high standard of tuition in the Greek language to various levels whilst maintaining a relaxed atmosphere. Teaching takes place during the hours of the morning, leaving the remainder of the day free for sightseeing, excursions or just spending time at the beach.

There are four levels of tuition available: Beginner, Improver, Proficient and Advanced.

Those applying for a place on Grecophone Courses will have the opportunity to provide a summary of their level of Greek before coming to Kavala. On the first day of tuition there will be a brief assessment to ensure that all students are placed in the most appropriate class.

For those students remaining in Kavala for more than two weeks, there is an opportunity to progress from one level to the next.

Beginners

The aim of the course for beginners is to establish with some confidence an ability to communicate at a basic conversational level, learning to communicate whilst on holiday in Greece.

Improvers

The course for improvers is aimed at those who already have a good basic knowledge of Greek which they wish to build on. It will include some grammar and use of written material as well as slightly more detailed conversations. This will be accompanied by written exercises.

Proficient

Proficient students can expect to be exposed to longer texts for discussion, a large variety of conversational topics and also grammar revision with exercises.

Advanced Improvers

The purpose of the course for advanced improvers is to refresh and improve the fluency of Greek for those who are already confident about their ability at a relatively advanced level. This level will move well beyond basic day-to-day conversation. Students can expect to discuss more complicated topics with an emphasis on conversation and revision of the more difficult elements of grammar.

Learning Resources

A mixture of learning resources is used for all levels to allow significant exposure to all key elements of language learning; speaking, listening, reading and writing. There are many added advantages of learning in the country of the target language. For example, new knowledge gained can immediately be put into practice. As well as this, ample reading material is available in the immediate vicinity and students have the opportunity to totally immerse themselves in the Greek language by exploring the local area outside lesson hours and speaking to locals.

Text Books used by Grecophone include the following:

A Textbook of Modern Greek for Beginners up to GCSE by Kypros Tofallis

Epikoinoniste Ellinika (Communicate in Greek), published by DELTOS

The BBC Course – Greek Language and People

Ellinika Tora 2+2, Nostos Publishing

Review by a Previous Student

…”I have just come back from one of the best Greek holidays that I have ever had. It has been a real tonic. Never have I laughed so much or learned so much in one week.

After countless fruitless searches for appropriate residential language courses on the net, I came across www.grecophone.co.uk . It looked perfect: a Greek course ran by somebody with English connections, where food and accommodation are included and where you learn in the same place where you are staying. Interested, I called the proprietor, George Howell and found out some more – it sounded good and what’s more, he sounded very pleasant and friendly.

The business of life took over and I ’sat on it’ for a while. Then, suddenly, after a particularly stressful day at work I took the plunge and booked it! I sorted out my flight (a little pricey but that was my fault – I would have paid a lot less if I had made up my mind earlier) and persuaded a friend to accompany me.

After collecting our luggage, there was George waiting for us in the arrivals area of Kavala airport. Within minutes, he put us both at our ease and we struck up a conversation. Not only was George extremely knowledgeable, but he was laid back enough to have a laugh with. George’s mother is Greek, his father English. Soon, we arrived at George’s house, in a suburb of Kavala called Kalamitsa. It was spotless and the balcony looked straight out onto the sea – this is where we ate. After we had settled into our clean, comfortable rooms, lunch was ready – homemade keftedes (meatballs), tzatziki (the best we’ve ever tasted) and Greek salad followed by watermelon. This beautiful meal set the tone for the whole week and George really spoiled us with beautiful breakfasts of fresh bread, fruit and honey and delicious Greek family meals taught to him by his Yiayia (Grandmother). I’ve never eaten so healthily (and heartily) for such an extended period of time.

The lessons were excellent and pitched exactly at our level of ability. We started when we were ready (when we had finished breakfast) and had breaks when necessary. As a teacher myself, I found George’s teaching style well planned without being inflexible. His attitude was positive and encouraging and I felt ’safe’ through the whole experience. This is in marked contrast to a language course I attended in Sevilla in 2006 which was a complete disaster.

When lessons were finished, George took us out to discover the local area, which is beautiful. Again, this was very flexible and geared up to what we wanted and if we didn’t want to go anywhere, we did not have to. We drove to nearby towns, through the countryside and into a mountain village where we gathered natural spring water.

What was also lovely about the whole experience was the distinct lack of tourists. The beach (which was about five minutes walk away) was a narrow but pale golden sanded beach with all the facilities that one would expect to find – clean toilets, refreshments, but inhabited by locals enjoying their siesta and children on their school holidays. This was quite lively – sound system playing ambient music, cool acid jazz and contemporary Greek music. People were enjoying their lemonades and frappes and having fun – not a lager lout to be seen! (Note: If you take a sunbed all you are expected to do is buy a few drinks which are reasonably priced and are brought to you!) George also took us to some other beaches in the vicinity which were gorgeous.

Anyway – I have come back feeling like a new person and guess what, my friend and I, who have been struggling with learning Greek for a couple of years now, can now have a conversation in Greek! However, please note that you can go in as an absolute beginner.

Wonderful!”…..