How Greek Tutor Works — A Complete Guide | BMA

Greek Tutor is the learning environment at the heart of every BMA product. This page explains how it works, what each exercise does, and how to use it well. Whether you are just getting started or want to understand a specific feature, use the headings to find what you need.

The big picture

Tutor contains the lesson material, exercises, and exposure to the Greek of the New Testament in a single, fully contained environment. You can even highlight and take notes in the grammar as you go.

The success path

Start wherever your current knowledge is, and progress step by step through to reading the entire Greek New Testament. Tap a level to see the lessons, tap a lesson to see what is in that lesson. Easily review previous lesson material.

This describes the Greek track. The Hebrew track follows the same interface with its own path.

For Greek Mastery and Premium Languages members, Ask in Community and Ask an Instructor buttons appear at every exercise, copying the exercise text and routing directly to the right channel.

Getting started

When you create your account you will be asked if you are starting from scratch or have completed beginning Greek. Starting from scratch means you start at lesson 1. If you have completed beginning Greek, we provide an option to review beginning Greek while you start reading 1 John in Greek. If you get stuck, log a support request and we can move you wherever you want to go.

Grammar lessons

The entire text of Beginning Greek in Small Steps is available in Greek Tutor. Each lesson is broken into sections, which you will find referenced marked with §. For example, §32.3 refers to lesson 32, section 3. Inside each lesson you will see an asterisk next to words that have a glossary entry, in case you want a quick refresh of that term. Footnotes appear as superscript numbers, tap to view without losing your place. Highlight and take notes as you progress.

The Grammar button

Greek Tutor Grammar screen showing the Beginning Greek in Small Steps structure and glossary search

Review the overall structure of Beginning Greek in Small Steps, and search for concepts and terms using the built-in glossary. The glossary is also keyed to words inside the lesson grammar, so you never get lost about what the text is talking about.

Vocabulary

Greek Tutor vocabulary review screen showing a flashcard with the four review action buttons

The four buttons at the bottom of the vocabulary review screen each have a gesture shortcut. Mark a word incorrect (red X, swipe down), correct (single green tick, swipe left), or well known (double tick, swipe up). The blue play button plays the word aloud. Tap anywhere on the card to turn it over.

Vocabulary cards can have up to four sides, configurable in Vocabulary Settings. Tap to cycle through the sides. Tap and hold to see the word in a verse from its lexeme. You can add your own image to any word.

At the end of a review you will see all the words you reviewed. Tap any word for more detail.

Reviewing also supports keyboard shortcuts: a, s, d, f (or j, k, l, semicolon) for the four actions, b to go back, and the space bar to start or resume your review from the main vocabulary screen.

As I accumulated more vocabulary, words started looking similar to other words. I would confuse the meanings of words. Words weren't sticking as well as they used to. I was increasingly frustrated. This caused a chain reaction: trying to move forward reading without mastering the vocabulary caused frustration and anxiety with reading as well. Tutor exposed a bad habit I had developed without realising it. I was consistently moving on to new words too soon. Vocabulary has become easier to retain and less stressful, which improves my reading and overall confidence. Greek has returned to being a labor of love.

Laura Greek Mastery Member

Difficult words

Greek Tutor Difficult Words screen showing a set of words marked as difficult

Words you get wrong more often are automatically added to a difficult words set. You can review these more often, and turn on Reduce interval on difficult review in settings to reduce the interval on these words when you review them by tapping the Difficult words button. This ensures you master even the most challenging and confusing words with ease.

Drill set

Greek Tutor Drill Set screen showing a custom set of words for focused review

Add words to a drill set to review them on your own schedule rather than only when they come up in your review schedule. Great for words you just got wrong and want a few more attempts at, or to compare similar words side by side.

Dictionary

Greek Tutor Dictionary screen showing learned vocabulary with filter options

View all the words you have learned in the dictionary. Tap and hold to select multiple words, add them to a drill set, or review individual words. Numerous filter options help you find exactly what you are looking for.

Mastery points

Greek Tutor Mastery Points screen showing a streak and monthly crown

Every day that you review all the words due for review, you receive a mastery point. Build your streak of mastery points to earn a monthly crown (στεφάνοι μένοντος). Vocabulary consistency is the most foundational activity that will help you keep developing your reading skills.

Progression indicator

Greek Tutor progression indicator showing how progression threshold relates to vocabulary mastery

Progress to the next lesson is unlocked by mastering the vocabulary for the current lesson. While you are mastering the vocabulary, use the lesson exercises to master the material. Your progression threshold represents the interval you need to achieve on the words you are learning to progress to the next lesson. Lower progression thresholds mean you progress faster, at the risk of becoming overwhelmed by vocabulary with short intervals. Higher progression thresholds reduce the amount of vocabulary work you need to do each day, but delay lesson progression.

Getting help

Greek Tutor Support Requests screen with the new request button highlighted

Find something not working as you expect? Tap Settings, then Support requests, and tap the new support request button in the bottom corner to let us know. We are here to support you.

Lesson exercises

Greek Tutor lesson exercises screen showing the exercise list for a lesson

Each lesson has exercises to help you internalize the key principles from the lesson, learn how the forms work, and develop your ability to understand the language and grammar of the New Testament. Work through the exercises from top (reading the lesson) to bottom (final translation).

The Alphabet Explorer

The Alphabet Explorer in Greek Tutor showing a Greek letter with audio controls

Scroll between the letters and sounds of the alphabet to hear how each sounds, and practice sounding it out loud.

Pronunciation

Greek Tutor pronunciation tool showing a New Testament verse with audio controls

Learn to put the sounds together into words and sentences. Play the audio, repeat it to yourself. Speed up or slow down the pronunciation and swap between different New Testament texts.

Concept Quiz

Greek Tutor concept quiz showing a multiple choice question

Each lesson has a What to Remember and Practice section at the end summarizing the main points. The concept quiz tests you on these. Once you can recall them, hit the review button to mix this lesson with previous lessons for review.

Identify Forms

Greek Tutor Identify Forms exercise showing a New Testament text with a word highlighted

See the concepts of this lesson in a New Testament text, identify the specified word to improve your recognition, and identify the lexical form behind each word. An explanation is provided for each word to help you learn.

Parsing

Greek Tutor parsing exercise showing a Greek word with form selection options

Learn to identify the form of any word in the New Testament to improve your ability to understand how it functions in the sentence.

Translation to English

Greek Tutor Translation to English exercise showing a Greek sentence with a text input field

Building on your ability to identify and parse words will make translating to English straightforward. Listen to the audio, type your translation, and compare it with the provided translation.

Translation to Greek

Greek Tutor Translation to Greek exercise showing English text with a Greek word cloud

Build your active Greek skills by translating from English back into Greek. Working both directions cements what you know, and deepens your ability to engage the text on its own terms.

Final Translation

Greek Tutor Final Translation exercise showing a Koine Greek text passage

Work directly with text from the Koine period that you can translate based on what you have learned. Once you have completed these exercises and mastered your vocabulary, move on to the next lesson.

The Consistency Score

Greek Tutor Consistency Score screen showing a score of 94 in green

Are you doing enough to expect to make progress? Your Consistency Score answers exactly this. If you have a Consistency Score of 70 or more (green, Consistent), you are practicing the right exercises regularly enough to develop the explicit language skills you need to read and exegete the New Testament faithfully.

Your Activity

Greek Tutor Activity screen showing exercise frequency over the last 30 days

The Activity screen shows exactly what you have done and how frequently over the last thirty days. Every exercise type is tracked individually, so you can see precisely where you are spending your time and where you are not. If your Consistency Score is lower than you expect, the Activity screen tells you why. Use it to find the gap and fill it.

Cohort Review

Greek Tutor Cohort Review showing a class recording alongside the member's own translation work

If you are a Greek Mastery Member and cannot make a live call, you can still benefit through Cohort Review. Each Final Translation exercise has a short video with a cohort discussion of that exercise. Watch it to check your work and benefit from the class discussion.

How live classes work

Account and billing

Under your profile you will find your billing details, which allow you to upgrade, change your card details, and cancel your membership. We hope you do not leave, but if you do, we would love your feedback on how we can improve.