Do you have Greek friends or family?

Maybe you’re planning on visiting Greece or relocating here for work.

Whatever the situation, you’ll certainly have to talk with a Greek on the phone at some point. Here, you’ll learn how to do it like a native speaker!

Making a call or answering the phone in your own language can be scary, but it’s even more so in another language. Each culture has its own rules of etiquette when it comes to talking over the phone, and Greek culture is no exception.

In this blog post, we’ll introduce you to many ready-to-use Greek phone call phrases that you can start practicing right away. You’ll learn how to pick up the phone, state your name and business, keep the call going, and finally end the conversation. By the end of this article, you’ll be able to communicate much more effectively over the phone in Greek.

Make sure to jot down your favorite phrases!

Table of Contents

1. Picking up the Phone
2. Stating Who You Are
3. Stating the Reason of Your Call
4. Asking to Speak to Someone
5. Asking Someone to Wait
6. Leaving a Message
7. Asking for Clarification
8. Ending a Phone Call
9. Sample Phone Conversations
10. Conclusion

1. Picking up the Phone

Answering the phone in Greek is pretty simple. 

If it’s a personal call, you can use either of the following: 

• Greek: Παρακαλώ;
• Romanization: Parakaló?
• English: “(Go ahead) Please?”
• Greek: Ναι;
• Romanization: Ne?
• English: “Yes?”

On the other hand, if it’s a business call, you should adjust to a more formal tone of voice. Try one of these Greek phone greetings instead:

• Greek: Λέγετε, παρακαλώ.
• Romanization: Léyete, parakaló.
• English: “Speak, please.”

• Greek: < Όνομα εταιρείας >, παρακαλώ;
• Romanization: < Ónoma eterías >, parakaló?
• English: “< Company name >, please?”

2. Stating Who You Are

Informing the other person about your identity is important, especially when you’re talking to someone for the first time. The simplest way to do this is: 

• Greek: Είμαι ο/η <Όνομα >.
• Romanization: Íme o/i <Ónoma>.
• English: “I am .”

• Greek: Ονομάζομαι <Όνομα >.
• Romanization: Onomázome <Ónoma>.
• English: “I am named .”

However, if you’re calling on behalf of your company, it’s better to add the name of the company to your short introduction: 

• Greek: Είμαι ο/η <Όνομα > από την εταιρεία <Εταιρεία>.
• Romanization: Íme o/i <Ónoma> apó tin etería .
• English: “I am from the company .”

• Greek: Ονομάζομαι <;Όνομα > και σας τηλεφωνώ από την εταιρεία <Εταιρεία>.
• Romanization: Onomázome <Ónoma> ke sas tilefonó apó tin etería .
• English: “I am named and I am calling from the company .

3. Stating the Reason of Your Call

When calling someone, you’ll probably need to state the reason behind your call. Below, you’ll find some useful ideas: 

• Greek: Σας καλώ για να επιβεβαιώσουμε το ραντεβού μας.
• Romanization: Sas kaló ya na epiveveósume to randevú mas.
• English: “I am calling you to confirm our appointment.”

• Greek: Είχα μια αναπάντητη κλήση από αυτόν τον αριθμό και σας κάλεσα πίσω.
• Romanization: Íha mia anapánditi klísi apó aftón ton arithmó ke sas kálesa píso.
• English: “I had an unanswered call from this number and I’ve called you back.”

• Greek: Σας τηλεφωνώ για να κάνω μια κράτηση.
• Romanization: Sas tilefonó ya na káno mia krátisi.
• English: “I am calling you to make a reservation.”

• Greek: Σε πήρα τηλέφωνο πριν, αλλά δεν απάντησες.
• Romanization: Se píra tiléfono prin, alá den apádises.
• English: “I called you a while ago, but you didn’t answer.” (Informal)

4. Asking to Speak to Someone

When you call a company, a shop, or an office, you might need to state who you want to talk to. Here are a few phrase patterns to memorize: 

• Greek: Θα μπορούσα να μιλήσω με τον κύριο / την κυρία <Όνομα>;
• Romanization: Tha borúsa na milíso me ton kírio / tin kiría <Ónoma>?
• English: “May I speak to Mr. / Mrs. ?

• Greek: Είναι ο/η <Όνομα> εκεί;
• Romanization: Íne o/i <Ónoma> ekí?
• English: “Is there?”

• Greek: Θα ήθελα να μιλήσω με τον / την <Όνομα>.
• Romanization: Tha íthela na milíso me ton / tin <Ónoma>.
• English: “I would like to talk to .

• Greek: Θα μπορούσατε να με συνδέσετε με τον / την <Όνομα>, παρακαλώ;
• Romanization: Tha borúsate na me sindésete me ton / tin <Ónoma> parakaló?
• English: “Could you connect me to , please?”

5. Asking Someone to Wait

In addition, you might need to tell the other person to hold the line for a while. Here’s how to do this:

• Greek: Μισό λεπτό, παρακαλώ.
• Romanization: Misó leptó, parakaló.
• English: “Just a minute, please.”

• Greek: Περιμένετε λίγο, παρακαλώ.
• Romanization: Periménete lígo, parakaló.
• English: “Please wait a little.”

• Greek: Σας συνδέω αμέσως. Μείνετε στη γραμμή, παρακαλώ.
• Romanization: Sas sindéo amésos. Mínete sti gramí, parakaló.
• English: “I am connecting you right away. Stay on the line, please.”

• Greek: Δώστε μου ένα λεπτό, παρακαλώ.
• Romanization: Dóste mu éna leptó, parakaló.
• English: “Give me a minute, please.”

6. Leaving a Message

Asking for someone who’s absent might feel frustrating. Nevertheless, you can always ask to leave a message:

• Greek: Θα μπορούσα να του / της αφήσω ένα μήνυμα;
• Romanization: Tha borúsa na tu / tis afíso éna mínima?
• English: “Could I leave him / her a message?”

• Greek: Μπορείτε να τον / την ενημερώσετε ότι κάλεσα;
• Romanization: Boríte na ton / tin enimerósete óti kálesa?
• English: “Can you inform him / her that I called?”

• Greek: Μπορείτε να του / της πείτε να με καλέσει;
• Romanization: Boríte na tu / tis píte na me kalési?
• English: “Can you tell him / her to call me?”

7. Asking for Clarification

As a non-native speaker making a phone call in Greek, you might struggle to understand part of what the other person is saying. This problem could be exacerbated if there’s a bad connection in your area. 

Asking for clarifications shouldn’t be scary. Greeks are always eager to help! Below, you’ll find some phrases you can use when you just need a short revision. 

• Greek: Συγγνώμη, μπορείτε να επαναλάβετε παρακαλώ;
• Romanization: Signómi, boríte na epanalávete, parakaló?
• English: “Sorry, could you repeat, please?”

• Greek: Συγγνώμη, αλλά δεν σας ακούω καθαρά. Νομίζω υπάρχει πρόβλημα με τη σύνδεση.
• Romanization: Signómi, alá den sas akúo kathará. Nomízo ipárhi próvlima me ti síndesi.
• English: “Sorry, but I can’t hear you clearly. I think there’s a problem with the connection.”

• Greek: Μπορείτε να μου πείτε το όνομά σας γράμμα-γράμμα, παρακαλώ;
• Romanization: Boríte na mu píte to ónomá sas gráma-gráma, parakaló?
• English: “Could you spell your name for me, please?”

8. Ending a Phone Call

When you end a call in Greek, it’s crucial that you do so politely. Don’t forget that this is the last impression that the person on the other end will have of you.

• Greek: Θα μπορούσα να σας βοηθήσω με κάτι άλλο;
• Romanization: Tha borúsa na sas voithíso me káti álo?
• English: “Is there anything else I can help you with?”

• Greek: Καλή συνέχεια!
• Romanization: Kalí sinéhia!
• English: “(Have a) Good continuation!”

• Greek: Σας ευχαριστώ πολύ!
• Romanization: Sas efharistó polí!
• English: “Thank you very much!”

• Greek: Καλή σας ημέρα!
• Romanization: Kalí sas iméra!
• English: “(Have) A good day!”

9. Sample Phone Conversations

All the phrases mentioned above can be mixed-and-matched during a dialogue. In this section, we’ve created some pretty common yet simple Greek phone call conversations.

	Greek	Romanization	Translation
1	– Παρακαλώ; – Είμαι η Μαρία από την εταιρεία Informatics. Σας καλώ για να επιβεβαιώσουμε το ραντεβού μας για αύριο. – Ευχαριστώ πολύ! Στις 5 θα είμαι εκεί.	– Parakaló? – Íme i María apó tin etería Informatics. Sas kaló ya na epiveveósume to radevú mas ya ávrio. – Efharistó polí! Stis péde tha íme ekí.	– Hello? – I am Maria from Informatics. I am calling you to confirm our appointment for tomorrow. – Thank you very much! I will be there at five.
2	– Informatics, παρακαλώ; – Καλησπέρα, θα μπορούσα να μιλήσω  με τον κύριο Γεωργίου; – Σας συνδέω αμέσως. Μείνετε στη γραμμή, παρακαλώ.	– Informatics, parakaló? – Kalispéra, tha borúsa na milíso me ton kírio Yeoryíu? – Sas sindéo amésos. Mínete sti gramí, parakaló.	– Informatics, (go ahead) please? – Good afternoon, may I speak to Mr. Georgiou? – I am connecting you right away. Stay on the line, please.
3	– Γεια σας! Σας τηλεφωνώ για να κάνω μια κράτηση. Θα ήθελα ένα τραπέζι για τέσσερα άτομα για αύριο στις 8 στο όνομα Παπαδόπουλος. – Ωραία, θα σας περιμένουμε. Καλή σας ημέρα!	– Ya sas! Sas tilefonó ya na káno mia krátisi. Tha íthela éna trapézi ya tésera átoma ya ávrio stis októ sto ónoma Papadópulos. – Oréa, tha sas periménume. Kalí sas iméra!	– Hello! I am calling to make a reservation. I would like a table for four people for tomorrow at eight under the name Papadopoulos.  – Great, we will be waiting for you. Have a nice day!
4	– Καλημέρα, είναι ο Αντώνης εκεί; – Μισό λεπτό, παρακαλώ. Δυστυχώς δεν είναι εδώ. – Μπορείτε να του πείτε να με καλέσει; – Βεβαίως. Καλή συνέχεια!	– Kaliméra, íne o Andónis ekí? – Misó leptó, parakaló. Distihós, den íne edó. – Boríte na tu píte na me kalési? – Vevéos. Kalí sinéhia!	– Good morning, is Antonis there? – One moment, please. Unfortunately, he’s not here. – Can you tell him that I called? – Of course. (Have a) Good continuation (of the day)!
5	– Γεια σας! Μέχρι τι ώρα είστε ανοιχτά; – Είμαστε ανοιχτά μέχρι τις 12 το βράδυ. Θα μπορούσα να σας βοηθήσω με κάτι άλλο; – Όχι, σας ευχαριστώ πολύ!	– Ya sas! Méhri ti óra íste anihtá? – Ímaste anihtá méhri tis dódeka to vrádi. Tha borúsa na sas voithíso me káti álo? – Óhi, sas efharistó polí!	– Hello! Until what time are you open? – We are open until twelve at night. Is there anything else I can help you with? – No, thank you very much!

10. Conclusion

Talking on the phone in Greek might feel intimidating for a novice learner, but we hope that you feel more confident after reading this blog post. 

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In the meantime, is there a Greek phone call phrase you want to use that we didn’t cover?

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