Ἀρχαῖα Ἑλληνικὴ Γλῶσσα - Archaîa Hellēnikḕ Glôssa - Ancient Greek!

Once I had gotten Latin and its extremes under my belt, I suddenly realized that I could learn a huge number of languages that I previously thought impossible. Along with that, I also realized that I was fascinated with the ancient world. That said, the next language I decided to undertake was the language of the Greeks. Particularly, the Greek spoken in the classical period.

I. What is it?

Greek is part of its own independent branch of a larger umbrella classification of languages called the Indo-European languages. So, in other words, Greek is classified as a Greek (or "Hellenistic") language. Sounds silly, huh? The language is that unique. Spoken by, you guessed it! The Greeks. For over three thousand years, no less. Greek has the record for the longest recorded history compared to any of the other Indo-European languages.

II. How does it work?

Greek shares some similarities with Latin in its grammar and syntax. It has a case system, as Latin does, but fewer cases; only four instead of six. That makes Hellenistic Greek a fusional language, as Latin is. Like Latin, Greek has a large number of verb inflections, though it has a few more than those that exist in Latin. One of the striking differences is the fact that Greek has its own alphabet, which became the basis for several other alphabets in Europe, such as the Latin alphabet, which is the one you're reading at this very moment. It also has definite articles, a feature that Latin lacks, and one may use the article in Greek for very specific expressions which have very precise nuances that don't exactly exist in English. Very interesting, indeed!

III. Anything peculiar about it?

One less obvious difference between Latin and Greek is that Greek has a particularly tricky tense called the aorist. The aorist tense essentially describes an action as an undivided whole, without relation to its parts. This tense, when it descended into Latin, was absorbed by the Latin perfect tense and therefore does not exist in the language. This tense usually implies a past action, but does not directly assert a past tense; it can be used to indicate present or future actions as well. Confused? Here's a quick example:
Ἦλθον, εἶδον, ἐνίκησα.
(Êlthon, eîdon, eníkēsa.)
"I came, I saw, I conquered."
These three actions are described as single states that have no reference to time and are completely undivided in their completion. If you're still confused, it's alright; you need not to learn this aspect in its entirety; I only aim to illustrate it as a peculiarity.

IV. What do I like about it?

Greek has a very pretty alphabet. One of the most endearing aesthetic factors of the language is the way it looks when written. Another thing I like about Hellenistic Greek is its extensive set of diacritical marks. These marks were instated in the classical period simply for the purpose of making Greek easier to learn for foreigners. Lastly, like Latin, there is that certain air about the language, that certain obscure charm that really draws me in. This language and Latin are like my two best friends. They're more similar than they are different and they're both wonderful languages.

V. Difficulty in learning it?

Also like Latin, this language is considered one of the hardest to learn. Again, like Latin, while it is quite difficult, it is far from impossible.

• Things that make your life hard

1. The alphabet. You will have to learn to read a totally new set of characters, but it's not as difficult as having to learn a syllabic script such as hiragana or katakana.
2. The case system. Though it isn't as extensive as Latin's.
3. The extra verb conjugations and stem and vowel augmentations in said verb conjugations.

• Things that make your life easy

1. Patterns exist in Greek similarly to the way they exist in Latin.
2. Also like Latin, many words are borrowed from Greek. Knowing them can help you learn the Greek words (and may even help you better understand the English derivatives, too). Words that end in -sis are usually of Greek origin: Genesis (from γένεσις [génesis], "birth; beginning; origin" < γίγνεσθαι [gígnesthai] "to become"); stasis (from στάσις [stásis] "standing" < ἱστάναι [histánai] "to stand"); thesis (θέσις [thésis] "placement" < τιθέναι [tithénai] "to place"), etc. 

VI. Sample text

Ἐν τῇ γνώμῃ καὶ ἐνθυμωμένῳ, ἐννοῇς ἣν πλάνην ἐγγράφου σὺ μνήμοσι δέλτοις φρενῶν. Ἁπλῶς πᾶν ᾕρησα γράφειν. Κοτὲ διὰ τὰ πάντα χρώματα ἐπιθυμῶ λέγειν.

(En têᵢ gnṓmēᵢ kaì enthymōménōᵢ, ennoêᵢs hḕn plánēn eñgraphou sỳ mnḗmosi déltois phrenôn. Haplôs pân hḗᵢrēsa gráphein. Kotè dià pánta chrṓmata epithymô légein.)

"In thinking and reflecting, you must consider which wanderings you should write on the tablets of your mind. I simply chose to write everything. Someday, I set my heart on speaking in all the colors of the world."

Links:

Classics Reader: Herodotus in Greek and English
Dedication Ptolemy VI