Learn how to say the five most common Greek phrases used in classrooms
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| Maria: Hello everybody! Welcome back to GreekPod101.com. I'm Maria. |
| Iro: Geia sas! EíImaie i Iróo. |
| In this lesson, we will review the five most useful classroom phrases for learning Greek. |
| Iro: There's no better way to learn Greek than to use Greek. |
| Maria: So whether you're attending a class, you're studying with some friends, or you're even studying at GreekPod101.com, these phrases will be a wealth of helpfulness to you. |
| Marketing |
| But before we get to the phrases… Insert cookie cutter marketing piece here. |
| Maria: Now here they are, as promised. The top five phrases for you as you begin to learn Greek are… |
| Five Phrases with English |
| "Μπορείς να το επαναλάβεις" ("Please repeat that.") |
| "Πως λέμε…στα Ελληνικά" ("How do you say… in Greek") |
| "Μπορώ να ρωτήσω…" ("May I ask…") |
| "Δεν καταλαβαίνω." ("I don't understand.") |
| "Μπορείτε να το επαναλάβετε πιο αργά" ("Can you repeat that a bit more slowly?") |
| Did you recognize any phrases? Let's hear these phrases one more time slowly. |
| "Μπορείς να το επαναλάβεις" (slow) |
| "Πως λέμε…στα Ελληνικά" (slow) |
| "Μπορώ να ρωτήσω…" (slow) |
| "Δεν καταλαβαίνω." (slow) |
| "Μπορείτε να το επαναλάβετε πιο αργά" (slow) |
| Maria: Let's take a closer look at these phrases. |
| Vocab and usage |
| Maria: First we have. |
| Iro: "Μπορείς να το επαναλάβεις" |
| Maria: And this is so useful because you can use it anytime…outside the classroom, too. |
| Iro: Yes, any time you can't understand something someone has said and you would like to hear it again. "Μπορείς να το επαναλάβεις" |
| Maria: The first word, "Mporeís," means "Can you." The next word, "Na," means "to" or "that." "To" means "it," and the last word, "Epanaláveis," means "repeat." |
| Iro: Yes, so a literal translation would be something along the lines of "Can you to it repeat?" |
| Maria: OK, next phrase. |
| Iro: "Πώς λέμε…στα Ελληνικά" |
| Maria: Now this is a great phrase. You get to rediscover the world again through Greek eyes. |
| Iro: Yes, you will learn very quickly if you point at things and ask lots of questions. |
| Maria: Right, so you can either use the "point" method…just point and say "Πώς λέμε…στα Ελληνικά." Or, if your counterpart knows some English, you can try it like this…"Πώς λέμε 'apple' στα Ελληνικά." |
| Iro: Yes, either way works. |
| Maria: And my advice is to write it down when you get the answer. Then you can review it later and you won't forget. |
| Iro: This phrase will really help you learn more Greek faster. "Πώς λέμε…στα Ελληνικά." Here we have "Pós," which means "how," in Greek. This is followed by "Léme," which is the verb for "you say." After that, you insert the word or point at what you want to know, and last, you say "in Greek," which in Greek is "Sta Elliniká." |
| Maria: Piece of cake! Learn this phrase and you'll never have a boring walk in Greece! |
| Maria: Next phrase, |
| "Μπορώ να ρωτήσω…" |
| Maria: Now, not only is this a great phrase to learn so that you can ask the teacher a question, but it's also a great phrase to get you what you want! |
| Iro: Oh yes, especially if you need to ask for favors! |
| Maria: Okay, so take us through this one, please. |
| Iro: "Μπορώ να ρωτήσω…" "Boró," in this case, means "May I," or "Can I." "Na rotíso" means "to ask." So literally, this means "May I to ask…" |
| Maria: Okay, well that phrase might come in handy as well if you really need to ask politely where the toilet is. |
| Iro: Yes, very useful! |
| Maria: Okay, next phrase. "Δεν καταλαβαίνω." |
| Maria: This phrase, too, can be used on all occasions. It's one of my personal favorites! |
| Iro: Yes, sometimes Greek people assume you can understand everything if you know how to say "geia sas." |
| Maria: Yes, everyone will forgive you for that blank look on your face immediately. |
| Iro: So let's have a closer look. |
| "Δεν καταλαβαίνω." "Den" here is a negative and translates as "not." "Understand" is "katalavaíno" in Greek, so this sentence literally means "I not understand." |
| Maria: Seriously, this is probably the phrase I have used the most during my Greek studies! It's so useful and easy to say so you will never be confused again! |
| Iro: The next phrase is also very handy because Greek people tend to speak very quickly at times. "Μπορείτε να το επαναλάβετε πιο αργά." |
| Maria: So this useful little number means "Can you repeat that a bit more slowly." Now, when you're in a group of Greeks, you will be very thankful to us for teaching you this phrase! |
| Iro: Yeah, we speed like rockets when we talk to each other. |
| Maria: So, Iro, get us through this one please! |
| Iro: Sure. First, we have "Mporeíte," which can be both the polite way of asking or asking in plural, means "Can you." "Na," as we mentioned earlier, is "to" or "that." "To" is "the," and "Epanalávete" means "repeat." So far so good! Just like the first phrase, but we have added "a little slower," which is "Pio argá." "Pio" means "more" and "Argá" is "slow." So literally, we have "Can you to it repeat more slow?" |
| Maria: Yeah, crazy literal translations! It's really fun when Greek people slow down Greek for you too. Iro, can you demonstrate? |
| Iro: (says a sentence very slowly) |
| Maria: It kind of feels like you're a little kid again, but actually it really helps to have the slower pace. |
| Post banter |
| Maria: The great thing about these phrases is that you can use them right away. |
| Iro: Yes, they're so practical! |
| Maria: Hope they helped everyone. Whether you're in a Greek class, on the streets of Greece, or in your local Greek community, try them out. |
| Closing |
| Maria: Thanks for listening! |
| Iro: Geia sas! |
| Maria: Bye! |
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