Learn about good manners in Greece
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Intro |
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| Michael: What are considered good manners in Greece? |
| Chrissi: And what is considered bad manners? |
| Michael: At GreekPod101.com, we hear these questions often. The following situation is typical. Mark Lee and his family are invited to dinner with their neighbors. Mark greets the hosts, hands them a bottle of wine, and says, |
| "I have brought some wine." |
| Mark Lee : Έφερα κρασί. (Éfera krasí.) |
| Dialogue |
| Mark Lee: Έφερα κρασί. (Éfera krasí.) |
| Neighbor: Ευχαριστούμε! (Efharistúme!) |
| Michael: Once more with the English translation. |
| Mark Lee: Έφερα κρασί. (Éfera krasí.) |
| Michael: "I brought some wine." |
| Neighbour: Ευχαριστούμε! (Efharistúme!) |
| Michael: "Thank you!" |
Lesson focus |
| Michael: In this lesson, we will talk about what are considered good manners in Greece and what are considered bad manners. |
| Let’s start at the beginning, which is when you are meeting someone for the first time. In Greece, it is good manners to shake hands firmly with everyone you meet, be they men, women, or children. Once you have passed through this initiation of sorts, you are likely to be treated with more affection by both men and women. A common informal phrase you can use when shaking someone’s hand is, “Hi, I am George,” which sounds like this in Greek: |
| Chrissi: Γεια, είμαι ο Γιώργος. (Ya, íme o Yórgos.) |
| Michael: Naturally, if your name is not George, you should substitute that word with your actual name. If you wish to be more formal, you could say something like: |
| Chrissi: Γεια σας, είμαι ο Γιώργος Παπαδόπουλος. (Ya sas, íme o Yórgos Papadópulos.) |
| Michael: which means, "Hello, I am George Papadopoulos." Again, you must of course, substitute your own name if necessary. |
| In general, Greek people are extremely warm and friendly and enjoy having guests in their homes. Greek hosts really value their guests and want to provide great hospitality. They will shower their guests with attention by offering them drinks, and serving lots of good food. This is their way of showing how hospitable they are. Accepting these offerings from the host is also considered good manners as it will make your host feel delighted. So don't feel you need to say no just to be polite as is common in other cultures. To Greeks, it's not an inconvenience offering you something. It is always a sincere offer and one that is done with pleasure. If you say no just to be polite, but in reality you really want the treat, your host will take it as a sincere no, won't insist, and will immediately withdraw the offer. Because Greeks value forthrightness. So, they take "no" as a "no" and "yes" as a "yes". |
| Speaking of guests and homes, the dialogue from this lesson takes place at a Greek dinner party and the guest, Mark Lee, is displaying excellent manners by bringing a bottle of wine for the occasion. He says: |
| Chrissi: Έφερα κρασί. (Éfera krasí.) |
| Michael: which means: “I have brought some wine.” Arriving with a gift for the host is considered good manners and is always appreciated as a reciprocal gesture. Another way Mark could have phrased this would have been to say: |
| Chrissi: Αυτό είναι για εσάς/εσένα. (Aftó íne ya esás/eséna) |
| Michael: which means: "This is for you." The host will then very likely reply in the same way as in the dialogue, with |
| Chrissi: Ευχαριστούμε! (Efharistúme!) |
| Michael: which means, "Thank you!’’. Bringing a bottle of wine to a small dinner party is great, but one can’t really do that at a large, formal event like a wedding. What exactly would be considered good manners at such an event, you might ask. |
| Well, just as in many other cultures, guests wait to be seated at the table at a formal event. However, because grandparents and the elderly are highly respected in Greece, you should allow them to enter the room and be seated first. Wait for your host to guide you with regard to the seating arrangement. |
| The elderly will be served first, then the guest of honor, then the rest of the guests. Guests begin eating after the host begins. It is acceptable to share food with other guests, so do not be surprised if someone wants to taste some food from your plate! This also means that it is not bad manners for you to taste the food on other people’s plates too as long as you ask first. You may also mop up any gravy left on your plate with a piece of bread as it is good manners to eat all the food on your plate. This compliments the cook and the host. If you want to be more direct with your compliments, you might want to say something like: |
| Chrissi: Ευχαριστώ! Το φαγητό είναι πεντανόστιμο! (Efharistó! To fayitó íne pendanóstimo!) |
| Michael: This means, “Thank you! The food is delicious!” |
| It is also polite to take small sips of your drink, especially if it is ouzo, a popular Greek drink. Leave your drink half full if you do not want to drink too much. It is good manners for the host to keep offering more to drink, and this will let them know that you do not want any more. It is best not to drink too much as getting drunk is frowned upon. If you want to expressly say, “No thank you, I’ve had enough,” you could say: |
| Chrissi: Όχι, ευχαριστώ. Έχω πιει πολύ. (Óhi, efharistó. Ého pii polí.) |
| Michael: If the event happens to be catered and there are waiters serving the food and drinks, you would be expected to tip the waiters unless expressly told not to by the host. It is customary, in Greece, to tip waiters at restaurants and similar establishments. One way to tip them is to say simply, “Keep the change,” or |
| Chrissi: Κρατήστε τα ρέστα. (Kratíste ta résta.) |
| Michael: Although small talk is common, it is not considered rude to get right down to serious, personal topics very quickly. This is because Greeks like to get to know people as early as possible upon meeting them. Don’t be surprised if, when meeting someone for the first time, they soon begin sharing personal details or asking very personal questions like, “Are you thinking of having children?” |
| Chrissi: Σκέφτεστε να αποκτήσετε παιδιά; (Skéfteste na apoktísete paidiá?) |
| Michael: Be open and honest and ask interesting questions too. Conversations tend to be loud and animated in Greece. People will often talk over each other or engage in loud debates. This is considered normal and even fun. It is important to not criticize culture, economy, or history, no matter how much your Greek friends may complain about it! |
| The host does the first toast, which is usually at the beginning of the meal as a welcome to guests. The honored guest will return the toast at a later stage. Guests toast during dessert, which is when you may toast the host if you want to. |
| The formal toast in Greece is: ‘’To our health!”, or |
| Chrissie: Στην υγειά μας! (Stin iyá mas!) |
| Michael: or you could say |
| Chrissie: Γεια μας! (Ya mas!) |
| Michael: which means the same thing only shortened. After spending some time at a Greek wedding, you will likely feel very relaxed and welcomed. |
| [Summary] |
| We can see that, even though there are a few rules one should follow, Greeks tend to be relaxed and friendly, even at formal events. Among the important things to remember is to have respect for elders and honored guests. Conversations which may seem like a bit of an invasion of privacy to some are completely natural in Greece. There is always lots of food and drink, and appreciation and sharing of food is welcomed. |
| Older generations may adhere more strictly to some of these guidelines about manners than younger people, but, in general, if these guidelines are followed, they will make for a very enjoyable time for everyone. |
| Practice Section |
| Michael: Let's review. Respond to the prompts by speaking aloud. Then, repeat after Chrissi, focusing on pronunciation. |
| Do you remember how to say "I brought some wine."? |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Chrissi: Έφερα κρασί. (Éfera krasí.) |
| Michael: Listen again and repeat. |
| Chrissi: Έφερα κρασί. (Éfera krasí.) |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Chrissi: Έφερα κρασί. (Éfera krasí.) |
| Michael: And do you remember how to say "Thank you!"? |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Chrissi: Ευχαριστούμε! (Efharistúme!) |
| Michael: Listen again and repeat. |
| Chrissi: Ευχαριστούμε! (Efharistúme!) |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Chrissi: Ευχαριστούμε! (Efharistúme!) |
| Cultural Insight |
| Michael: It is furthermore helpful to remember that, if you want to say ‘yes’ in Greece using body language, you should tilt your head slightly forward instead of nodding. To indicate ‘no,’ you should tilt your head a little more vigorously backwards. |
| Another important thing to remember is that certain hand gestures are seen as bad manners and these should be avoided if you do not want to offend anyone. For example, holding your hand up, palm forward with your fingers open or making an OK sign with your thumb and forefinger but with the palm facing up, are both considered to be very rude gestures in Greece. |
| In Greece, the “evil eye” is a charm that symbolizes good luck. Saying "ptooey" three times after receiving a compliment is for the purpose of warding off the ‘’evil eye’’ that, according to superstition, can be caused by either jealous people or even when the compliment was done with good intentions. |
| Chrissi: Φτου φτου φτου! (Ftu ftu ftu!) |
Outro |
| Michael: Do you have any more questions? We’re here to answer them! |
| Chrissi: Γεια χαρά! (Ya hará!) |
| Michael: See you soon! |
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