Grandfather in Greek
παππούς
pappous — grandfather
Hear παππούς
Grandfather is παππούς (pappous), stressed pa-POUS. When you speak to him directly, the form changes: Παππού! — the final ς drops off, which is how Greek addresses most masculine names and titles.
Take care with a near-identical trap: πάππους with the stress moved does not exist, but ο μπαμπάς (babas) — dad — is close enough in sound that beginners mix the two families up. Παππούς is the grandfather; μπαμπάς is the father.
Greek grandparents are a daily presence rather than an occasional visit. The παππούς doing the school run or holding court outside the kafeneio is a fixture of Greek life, and children commonly grow up in the same building, or the same village street, as their grandparents.
Example sentences
Ο παππούς μου μένει στην Κρήτη.
O pappous mou menei stin Kriti.
My grandfather lives in Crete.
Παππού, πού είναι η γιαγιά;
Pappou, pou einai i yiayia?
Grandad, where is grandma?
Common questions
- Why does παππούς sometimes appear as παππού?
- Παππού is the form used when speaking to him ("Grandad!") and after words like του ("of the"). Masculine nouns in Greek change their ending by role in the sentence; the dictionary form is παππούς.
Quick check
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Related words
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