Learn some phrases your professor won't teach you
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Intro |
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| Maria: Hello, everyone! Welcome back to GreekPod101.com. I'm Maria. |
| Iro: Geia sas, eímai i Iró. |
| Iro: In this lesson, you will learn five phrases your Greek teacher might never teach you! |
| Maria: No, no don't get the wrong idea; we're not going to teach you any swear words or anything. More like some gritty, real Greek. |
| Iro: I think I might be able to guarantee that you could use each of these phrases every single day if you were in Greece! |
| Maria: Yep. Very high frequency. Everything from how to have road rage in Greek, which in itself is very high frequency…to how to shout in glee, which happens, too! |
| Maria: So, what you're going to get in this lesson is what I think is the most versatile word in the Greek language, good for all occasions. You'll learn how to get your road rage out. When nothing else will do, this is the universal be all and end all in insults for deserving drivers. You will also learn how to express joy and awesomeness in Greek, get better deals at the market, and tell someone to let bygones be bygones!!! |
| Maria: Okay, we're all dying to be up on the lingo, let's get started, Iro. |
| Iro: The top five phrases your teacher might never teach you are… |
| Five Phrases with English |
| Υπέροχο (Ypérocho) "Excellent." |
| Κοιμάσαι όρθιος (Koimásai órthios) "You're slow in the head." |
| Ας το πάρει τό ποτάμι. (As to párei to potámi.) "Never mind, don't worry about it." |
| Μπορείς να το κόψεις λίγο; (Boreís na to kópseis lígo?) "Can you make it a little cheaper?" |
| Τρομερός (Tromerós) "Awesome!" |
| Maria: If you don't know them yet, you're going to be hearing them everywhere now! Let's hear them again, slowly |
| Υπέροχο (Ypérocho) "Excellent." |
| Κοιμάσαι όρθιος (Koimásai órthios) "You're slow in the head." |
| Ας το πάρει τό ποτάμι. (As to párei to potámi.) "Never mind, don't worry about it." |
| Μπορείς να το κόψεις λίγο; (Boreís na to kópseis lígo?) "Can you make it a little cheaper?" |
| Τρομερός (Tromerós) "Awesome!" |
| Vocabulary and usage |
| Maria: Okay, we're starting with the word I still cannot stop using; in fact, I've noticed that everyone who lives in Greece for some period of time can't stop saying this. |
| Iro: Oh really? |
| Maria: It's almost become like a speech tic. I can't stop saying it, and everyone thinks I'm crazy. It's the "ypérocho!" |
| Iro: Haha, "ypérocho!" Yes, (breaks down tones) |
| Maria: "Ypérocho." I can't stop saying, "ypérocho." It's like a terrible habit now. |
| Iro: Now, how can we translate "ypérocho?" |
| Maria: It's like saying something is "excellent." But this word can have many good meanings, such as "great" or "brilliant." |
| Iro: Ah, I see. |
| Maria: It's kind of like one of those exclamations you can generally use for anything from small to outrageous…when there's nothing to be said, but you just need to exclaim. |
| Iro: Yes, I usually use it for food. |
| Maria: Yes! An excellent phrase for excellent food! |
| Iro: But, unfortunately, not everything is excellent. |
| Maria: So, Iro, what do we say when we want to tell someone he's an idiot, or out of his mind, or something to that effect. |
| Iro: Ah, we have the perfect phrase, "koimásai órthios." (breaks down tones) |
| Maria: Oh yes!!! I remember the first time someone said that to me. Oooh, brings back memories. |
| Iro: Basically, it means, "You are sleeping standing up," so you are calling someone crazy or stupid. |
| Maria: Yes, you are kind of saying that someone has "mental problems." |
| Iro: Yes, it's highly effective. |
| Maria: Okay, good. Now, we are going to turn from rage to euphoria. |
| Iro: Yes, let's teach them some nice words! |
| Maria: Yes, nice words are important too. And use this phrase when you want to tell someone that it doesn't matter or to let bygones be bygones. And the phrase is… |
| Iro: "As to párei to potámi." |
| Mara: "As to párei to potámi!" |
| Iro: "As to párei to potámi" you can use whenever you want to say "never mind" to someone. |
| Maria: It literally means, "Let the river take it," so it's rather poetic, but you get the idea right. |
| Iro: Yeah! |
| Maria: Okay, here's another phrase that will prove invaluable because it will save you a lot of money. |
| Iro: Ah yes, the essential bargaining term. |
| Maria: Now, of course, there are many tactics you can try to get the price lower - not all of them verbal. |
| Iro: I usually find that walking away helps. |
| Maria: Yes, perhaps the most effective method, but also risky! |
| Iro: Yes, because if they don't chase after you, too bad. |
| Maria: Yep. Depends on how much of a gambler you are. |
| Iro: Well here is a safe phrase to try if you're not - "boreís na to kópseis lígo?" |
| Maria: Okay, let's break that down. |
| Iro: "Boreís na to kópseis lígo?" |
| Maria: Yes, and using this phrase should definitely get you a discount at the market. These are some magic words. |
| Iro: Okay, this leads to another phrase you will hear a lot, maybe even from the shopkeeper after you bargain hard with him. |
| Maria: Yes, personally, I love this phrase. |
| Iro: The phrase is "tromerós." |
| Maria: "Tromerós" literally means "awful" or "terrible." |
| Iro: Yes, and can be used on many occasions. |
| Maria: Maybe to complain about too much homework. |
| Iro: Or if you can't believe what someone has done. You can say "Eínai tromerós!" |
| Iro: So many occasions! |
| Maria: Yes. |
| Post banter |
| Maria: I would say this is all really handy Greek to know. Sometimes, I think textbooks are too formal so you don't end up learning these things till you really start hanging around with Greek people. |
| Iro: Yeah, you can probably say each of these phrases every day if you liked! |
| Maria: Okay, I know, let me try. So, you're in the market; the seller tells you the price. You say "mporeís na to kópseis lígo?" Then the seller says "he 'eísai tromerós" to ask for a lower price than his already obviously extremely low price. Then you tell him, "Aw, come on, you are so 'ipérochos,' you have to give it to me cheaper." Then the shopkeeper tells you that you are "koimásai órthios" and kicks you out of his shop. Phew! How was that? |
| Iro: Very, very real. |
| Maria: Perfect. |
Outro |
| Maria: Thanks for listening! |
| Iro: Geia sas! |
| Maria: Bye! |
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