Who are we?
Ellis
I am a language enthusiast from the Netherlands. Besides my native language Dutch, I also speak English, German, Spanish, and now Greek! Greek is a language I wanted to learn ever since I was 13, but I never really did it back then. It looked very difficult, and I couldn’t find a lot of resources.
It wasn’t until July 2022 that I started learning Greek, and I’m so glad I did! It’s not as difficult as I thought. I’ve traveled often to Greece, and I fell in love with the country, and the people!
There is nothing more exciting in life than being able to have a conversation in Greek with a local! Now that I have discovered methods and ways to learn Greek, I’m very excited to share this with other people who learn it.
Yiuli
I will be your Greek language tutor throughout the podcast. My idea is to replace the traditional “classroom” teaching method with a more natural one. A teaching method that feels like a friendly conversation because this was how I learned Italian.
I’ve never been to a proper Italian school, studying with grammar books and learning complicated rules by heart. I listened to my friends speaking in Italian while I was in Italy for a student exchange program.
As an etymology nerd, I started to search for the stories behind the words. My professional point of view and Ellis’ student curiosity will help you discover the meaning behind Greek words and accompany you through your Greek language journey.
How it all started
It was January 2023 when Ellis was looking for a Greek teacher. She was trying to learn Greek by herself, but she was having a hard time finding a structure. She started looking for a teacher and found Yiuli online. We planned Greek lessons every week and quickly started talking about the lack of resources to learn Greek. Ellis was missing a podcast that served as a complete guide through the Greek language. That’s where the idea of Unlocking Greek Potential started.
We started recording episodes, and we decided to meet each other in Greece.
It’s funny how a decision to learn a language can take your life in a new direction!
