How to pronounce ντ in Greek
At the start of a word, ντ is a plain d, as in “dog”. You don’t say the n and the t.
Two letters, one sound: ντομάτα is [do-MAH-tah], tomato. Inside a word you often hear a short n before the d: πάντα is [PAHN-dah], always.
Why Greek spells d with two letters
The letter δ is the Greek delta, so you would expect it to say d. In modern Greek it doesn’t: δ is a soft dh, the th of “this”. δέκα is [DHEH-kah], ten. So the plain d of “dog” is written ντ. It looks like the “nt” of “want”, but it is one sound, and at the start of a word there is no n and no t in it.
Examples
In the first two words ντ comes at the start, in the rest it sits inside the word.
- ντομάταdo-MAH-tah · tomato
- νταντάdahn-DAH · nanny
- πάνταPAHN-dah · always
- άντραςAHN-drahs · man; husband
- Αντώνηςahn-DO-nees · Antonis, a man’s name
- αντίοah-DEE-o · goodbye
The capitals in a respelling mark the stressed syllable: say MAH louder than do and tah.
What you hear inside a word
At the start of a word it is always d. Inside a word you often hear a short n before the d: πάντα is [PAHN-dah], άντρας is [AHN-drahs]. Not always, though: in αντίο the n almost disappears, and you get [ah-DEE-o]. Don’t try to learn this as a rule. Listen to the words, and your ear will sort it out with time. What matters for reading: ντ is never a t.
Check yourself
How do you say ντροπή (shame)?
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ντροπή is [dro-PEE]: ντ at the start gives d, π is p, and ή says ee.
Which word starts with a d sound?
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A d at the start of a word is written ντ: ντόπιος is [DO-pyos]. δάσκαλος starts with dh, and τόπος with t.
How do you say ντάμα (the queen in cards; also the game of draughts)?
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ντάμα is [DAH-mah]: ντ at the start of a word gives a plain d.