Fundamental Language Rule
"Do not open the English version next to your new language." Said Father Farrell, my Latin teacher in college, 1966ff. "You will keep focusing on the new language and not learn it." He was correct, and that is how I learned New Testament aka Koine Greek. I began my own translation of John, Mark, Revelation, and Galatians to learn more Greek.
He was right, and I learned a lot about translating - invaluable - now shunned by almost all seminaries, except treated as a joke in "summer Greek" classes. Yuk, yuk.
At this point we will use the most familiar NT passages in Greek, without a pony on the page. A pony in the British version, is small and easily hidden.
The first few steps are learning the alphabet, repeating it out loud to someone and writing it down in order, a good self-test. Use that knowledge to speak the words and sentences out loud. It all makes sense. It a bit tough at first but the language is lasting in one's memory. Most Greek words are cousins to the English version. The DNA is easy to detect.
The three rules of learning are: 1. Repetition. 2. Repetition. 3. Repetition.
Stephanus John 1 -
1 εν αρχη ην ο λογος και ο λογος ην προς τον θεον και θεος ην ο λογος
2 ουτος ην εν αρχη προς τον θεον
3 παντα δι αυτου εγενετο και χωρις αυτου εγενετο ουδε εν ο γεγονεν
4 εν αυτω ζωη ην και η ζωη ην το φως των ανθρωπων.
Stephanus - The Lord's Prayer - Matthew 6
9 ουτως ουν προσευχεσθε υμεις, πατερ ημων ο εν τοις ουρανοις αγιασθητω το ονομα σου
10 ελθετω η βασιλεια σου, γενηθητω το θελημα σου, ως εν ουρανω και επι της γης
11 τον αρτον ημων τον επιουσιον δος ημιν σημερον
12 και αφες ημιν τα οφειληματα ημων ως και ημεις αφιεμεν τοις οφειλεταις ημων
13 και μη εισενεγκης ημας εις πειρασμον αλλα ρυσαι ημας απο του πονηρου οτι σου εστιν η βασιλεια και η δυναμις και η δοξα εις τους αιωνας αμην
