This guide is starting to show its age and needs updating. There has been a fair bit of development in applying second-language acquisition to Greek learning since then, including some more early reading material and courseware like Biblingo. Flashcards I found helpful doing a grammar-translation-based Greek course, but some would argue for skipping those in favour of reading content that includes the target vocabulary - if you can get it.
Language learning is hard, but there are some tools that make it possible to basically pick up a language part-time in a year -- and, more importantly, to retain and grow your new skill over the coming years.
The essential tools are:
- Listening
- Requires realistic pronunciation to be useful: choose Modern or 'Imperial'/'Reconstructed'/'Koine' pronunciation
- Reconstructed pronunciation is described briefly and simply in Buth's article below.
- Free audio of whole NT available in links below. John's letters and gospel make an easy start. Maybe Thessalonians next.
- Requires realistic pronunciation to be useful: choose Modern or 'Imperial'/'Reconstructed'/'Koine' pronunciation
- Flashcards
- Vocab (critical -- SRS will give you an order of magnitude advantage)
- Grammar rules (optional -- you can probably internalize these by practice exercises and reading/listening)
- Extensive Reading
- Extensive reading is also critical to becoming proficient. That means reading lots of text at a level you can read comfortably without help; getting up to at least 150-200 words per minute in texts where you understand 95%+ of the words. My Graded Reader or daily emails below might be helpful when starting, but as soon as possible just work through the sections of a Greek Bible that are easiest: John's letters and gospel, and Mark (with no English in it for your eyes to cheat!)
Randall Buth, 'Koine Greek Pronunciation' A strong argument for a reconstructed 1st century Greek pronunciation, preserving the same sound distinctions as 1st century Greek. It's not as hard as you might think. Yoder below provides a tabulated summary of the sound differences between this and Erasmian.
Gwern, 'Spaced repetition' A very detailed case for spaced repetition, including details of how it works and how it is best used.
Keith L. Yoder, 'Euphony in Paul: Sound Matters in Romans 1:18–2:29', 2015 (Download PDF, see section 'Brief Notes on Koinē Greek Pronunciation') A brief summary of Buth's reconstructed Koine pronunciation and rationale, along with a case showing the value of a realistic pronunciation.
Gary G. Cohen and C. Norman Sellers, "The Case for Modern Pronunciation of Biblical Languages," Grace Theological Journal 5.2 (1984): 197-203. A brief and solid argument for a realistic pronunciation (which applies about equally to Modern or Reconstructed pronunciation).
John Schwandt, 'Guide to Greek Pronunciation Conventions' A tabulated comparison between Erasmian, Historic Attic, Historic Koine, and Modern Greek pronunciations, with audio.
Randall Buth, 'Reasons for Including Greek Audio in your Learning Routine'
Justin Slocum Bailey, '20 minutes/day, Why Your Reading Habit Works' Explains the research behind extensive reading.
Justin Slocum Bailey, 'Driving with Dido: How I Came To Read Latin Extensively' An example learning log including narrative, (Latin) texts encountered, and insights distilled into tips.
AnkiVerse A tool for generating flashcards for poems or passages of text for Anki or other SRS flashcard systems (by yours truly).
Anki Top SRS software, free on PC, Mac and Android, and worth every penny on iPhone/iPad.
SRS tips from pioneer developer of SuperMemo https://www.supermemo.com/en/articles/20rules https://www.supermemo.com/help/faq/ks.htm
Greek grammar deck based on Duff (one is by yours truly)
Greek vocab deck based on Duff
Living Biblical Greek immersion audio-based course (available in Ridley library; John's gospel and letters as audio also available here, it's good stuff)
Conversational Koine intro on Youtube (28 short, 2-10 minute, videos, simple and immersive):
Audio: whole NT free online (Texan Koine)
Duolingo (also has built-in SRS flashcards -- an excellent interactive course on Modern Greek which feels like a game -- but Modern Greek does have a fairly different vocabulary)
Graded Reader for Duff -- For each chapter of Duff, lists all verses from the GNT which have become fully parsable (SBL version for licensing reasons; edited by yours truly).
Ridley Daily Greek New Testament email list -- A serial verse and four random verses each day by email from the Greek New Testament (also SBL for copyright reasons).
SBL Greek New Testament on biblia.com (again, this is the free one.)