How to Remember Greek Vocabulary (When Nothing Seems to Stick)

The Forgetting Problem

How to remember Greek vocabulary is one of the most common questions learners ask. And for good reason. You learn ten new words on Tuesday, feel good about them, and by the following Tuesday you can barely remember three.

It's frustrating. You start wondering if you're just bad at languages, if Greek is too hard, if maybe this isn't for you.

But here's the thing. Forgetting isn't a sign that something is wrong with you. Forgetting is what brains do. The question is what you do between learning something and needing to remember it.

Why Most Vocabulary Practice Doesn't Work

The standard advice for how to remember Greek vocabulary is to use flashcards or a vocabulary app. Download Anki. Use Duolingo. Review words every day.

This works, sort of. But there's a problem most people don't talk about: the vocabulary you're reviewing often has nothing to do with what you're actually learning.

Think about it. You spend an hour in Greek class learning food vocabulary. You practice ordering at a restaurant, you learn the words for bread, water, coffee, the bill. Then you open your vocabulary app and it quizzes you on... colors. Animals. Words for furniture you've never seen before.

You're practicing, but you're not reinforcing. The words from class fade while you memorize random vocabulary you might never use.

How Memory Actually Works

Your brain doesn't remember words in isolation. It remembers words in context, connected to other things you know.

When you learn "νερό" (water) in a lesson about ordering at a café, your brain links it to that context: the café, the waiter, the phrase "ένα νερό, παρακαλώ." When you encounter that word again in a similar context, the memory strengthens.

But when you see "νερό" on a random flashcard with no connection to anything, it's just floating. Your brain has nowhere to put it. So it doesn't stick.

This is why people can study vocabulary for months and still freeze up in real conversations. They memorized words in one context (an app) that has nothing to do with another context (actually speaking Greek).

What Actually Helps You Remember Greek Vocabulary

1. Practice the words you're actually learning

This sounds obvious, but almost nobody does it. If your class covered past tense verbs this week, practice past tense verbs. If your textbook chapter was about travel, practice travel vocabulary.

Don't let an app decide what you should review. You already have a syllabus (whether from a teacher, a textbook, or a course like Language Transfer). Follow it.

2. Use words in sentences, not isolation

Memorizing "ψωμί = bread" is weak. Practicing "Θέλω λίγο ψωμί, παρακαλώ" is strong. Your brain remembers phrases better than individual words because phrases have rhythm, context, and meaning.

When you review vocabulary, always put words into sentences. Even simple ones.

3. Space out your practice

Cramming doesn't work for vocabulary. Reviewing 50 words once is less effective than reviewing 10 words five times over a week.

The ideal pattern: review new words the day you learn them, then again after one day, then after three days, then after a week. Each review strengthens the memory.

4. Connect words to your life

The words that stick fastest are words you actually need. If you're learning Greek for travel, focus on travel vocabulary. If you're learning for a Greek partner, focus on words you'll use at home.

Generic vocabulary lists try to cover everything. But you don't need everything. You need the words that matter to your life.

The Real Solution: Practice What You Study

Here's what changed everything for many learners: instead of using a generic app, they started creating practice exercises from their actual class notes.

Learned about food vocabulary? Practice sentences about ordering food. Covered the accusative case? Do exercises using the accusative case. Working through chapter 5 of your textbook? Review chapter 5 vocabulary, not random words from the internet.

When your practice matches your learning, vocabulary stops disappearing. You're reinforcing the same material from multiple angles: you saw it in class, you wrote it in your notes, you practiced it in exercises. That's how words move from short-term to long-term memory.

This is exactly what Grego is built for. You add your class notes or textbook material, and it generates exercises from that content. No random vocabulary. No disconnected practice. Just focused reinforcement of what you're actually trying to learn.

A Simple System That Works

If you want to remember Greek vocabulary, here's a straightforward approach:

1. After each class or study session: Write down the new words and phrases you learned. Keep them organized by topic or date.
2. Within 24 hours: Practice those specific words. Use them in sentences. Quiz yourself.
3. Before your next class: Review last week's vocabulary again. See what stuck and what didn't.
4. Repeat: Keep cycling through recent vocabulary. Words you know well can be reviewed less often. Words you keep forgetting need more repetition.

The key is consistency and alignment. Practice a little bit every day, and make sure what you practice matches what you're learning.

Stop Blaming Your Memory

If Greek vocabulary isn't sticking, it's not because you have a bad memory. It's because your practice isn't connected to your learning.

Fix that connection, and you'll be surprised how much you can remember.

Looking for the right tools to support your learning? Check out our guide to the best apps to learn Greek. And for more on building a sustainable practice, read our thoughts on whether Greek is actually hard to learn.