Speak Basic Greek
Whether travelling on holiday or moving to a foreign country, it's good to know a bit of the local language. This article focuses on Greek (ελληνικά, elliniká), the offical language of Greece and the Republic of Cyprus as well as the lingua franca of the Greek communities in the Balkans, Turkey, Italy, Canada, Australia, England, and the United States. Wherever you go, the locals will really appreciate it if you try to speak their language to them.
Steps
- Know your basic words like hello, goodbye, etc. Hello (for friends or people younger than you) = yiasou (Γεια σου), Hello (for strangers or people older than you) = yiasas (Γεια σας), Goodbye= adi-o(Αντίο), Good morning= Kal-ee-me-ra (Καλημέρα), Good evening= kal-ee-spera (Καλησπέρα), Goodnight= kal-ee-neehta (Καληνύχτα), Please= Para-kal-oh (Παρακαλώ), Thank you= efhar-ist-oh (Ευχαριστώ)
- Know basic sentences, e.g. how to order drinks. I would like a beer, please = Tha eethel-a mee-a bir-a, para-kal-oh. For wine, it is slightly different. All Greek words divide into masculine, feminine and neutral. Wine (krasi - κρασί), is a neutral word, and so we say 'ena (ένα)' instead of 'mee-a (μία)'. So 'I would like a wine please', will be 'Tha eethel-a ena krasi para-kal-oh (Θα ήθελα ένα κρασί παρακαλώ)'. Coca-Cola is the same as the sentence shown for beer, we just replace 'bira - μπύρα' with 'Coca-Cola'.
- Ask people basic questions such as how old are you, etc. 'What is your name?' Greek has a few sentences that all mean the same, but we'll just use one. 'Pos se lene?' is the translation. Whoever you are asking may reply, 'Me lene (their name)', or 'Leg-oh-mai (their name)'. 'Where are you from?' will translate as, 'Apo poo ee-sai?' The person may reply 'Ee-mai apo (their country)'. For this you need to know the countries. England= angl-ee-a, America= amer-ikee, Spain= Eespan-ee-a, France= Gallia, Italy= Italia, Germany= Yermania. So if you said, 'I am from England', it will translate as 'Ee-mai apo teen angl-ee-a'. We add 'teen' because it is quite a compicated rule in Greek language. All the countries above are feminine, so you only need to use 'teen' for the countries listed. E.g. 'Ee-mai apo teen amer-ikee'. There are some exceptions to the "feminine rule". Canada is a masculine so if you're Canadian you will say 'Ee-mai apo ton Kanatha' (th in this case is pronounced like in 'the'). The UK is a neutral 'Ee-mai apo toh Eenomeno Vaseeleeo'. United States are plural. 'Ee-mai apo tees Eenomenes Po-lee-tee-es.
Tips
- You need time to sound it out and just go by one letter at a time and you will eventually get it.
- If you find it difficult pronouncing something, try to use your own voice rather than putting on an accent (although I have met many Greek Cypriots with a London accent).
- It's good to get a native speaker to help you with pronunciation of difficult words or phrases.
- Greek is written in Greek alphabet, which has a lot of common letters with the Latin one but a significant number of differences. Understanding written Greek is impossible from a non-Greek speaker. Before you try it, you should check the Greek alphabet and become familiar with the letters.
- Don't give up. Greek is a very difficult language and even native speakers make tons of mistakes when they speak (even members of the Government). It doesn't matter how bad you speak Greek, your effort will be hugely appreciated.
- Around 50% of Greeks have some knowledge of English. Many people understand basic English (especially younger generations) but they can't actually speak English. If you talk to them in Greek, you will make their life a lot easier.
