How to Talk About Your Occupation

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Vocabulary (Review)

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Lesson Transcript

Welcome to Can-Do Greek by GreekPod101.com.

In this lesson, you’ll learn how to talk about your occupation in Greek.

For example, "I’m an investor." is

Είμαι επενδυτής. (Íme ependitís)

Two passengers, Martha Asimakis and Panagiotis Papakonstantinou , are seated next to each other on a plane to Greece.

Before you hear their conversation, let's preview some of its key components.

φοιτητής (fititís)

"student"

φοιτητής

επενδυτής (ependitís)

"investor"

επενδυτής

Listen to the conversation, and focus on Panagiotis’ response.

Note: the speakers in this conversation are using formal Greek.

Ready?

Είστε φοιτητής; (Íste fititís?)

Όχι, δεν είμαι φοιτητής. Είμαι επενδυτής. (Óhi, den íme fititís. Íme ependitís.)

Once more with the English translation.

Είστε φοιτητής; (Íste fititís?)

"Are you a student?"

Όχι, δεν είμαι φοιτητής. Είμαι επενδυτής. (Óhi, den íme fititís. Íme ependitís.)

"No, I'm not a student. I'm an investor."

Let's take a closer look at the conversation.

Do you remember how Martha asks,

"Are you a student?"

Είστε φοιτητής; (Íste fititís?)

First is είστε (íste), "[you] are" when using formal Greek. Είστε . Είστε.

Note: είστε (íste) is a shortened form of εσείς είστε (esís íste), "you are," plural, as in "you all are." It's also the formal way to address a single person, as is the case here, where Martha is addressing Panagiotis.

In Greek, εσείς (esís), "you”, is usually omitted, as it’s understood from context.

Είστε is from the verb είμαι (íme), “am.” Είμαι.

Next is φοιτητής (fititís), "student." Φοιτητής . Φοιτητής.

In Greek, all nouns have grammatical gender and case, and are either singular or plural.

As Martha is addressing Panagiotis Papakonstantinou , Φοιτητής is masculine and singular.

Note: this word is only used for university students.

All together, Είστε φοιτητής; (Íste fititís?) literally, “Are [you] student,” but translates as "Are you a student?"

Είστε φοιτητής; (Íste fititís?)

Now, let's take a closer look at the response.

Do you remember how Panagiotis says,

"No, I'm not a student. I'm an investor."

Όχι, δεν είμαι φοιτητής. Είμαι επενδυτής. (Óhi, den íme fititís. Íme ependitís.)

First is the expression, όχι (óhi), meaning, "no." Όχι . Όχι.

It answers Martha's yes-or-no question, "Are you a student?" Είστε φοιτητής; (Íste fititís?)

After this, Panagiotis specifies that he’s not a student. Δεν είμαι φοιτητής. (Den íme fititís.) "I'm not a student." Δεν είμαι φοιτητής.

First is δεν (den), "not." Δεν . Δεν.

Next is είμαι (íme). "[I] am." Είμαι . Είμαι.

Note: here είμαι (íme) is a shortened form of εγώ είμαι (egó íme), "I am." In Greek, εγώ (egó), "I," is usually omitted, as it’s understood from context.

Είμαι is also the dictionary form of the verb "I am." Είμαι.

Together, it's δεν είμαι (den íme), literally "Not [I] am," but it translates as "I'm not." Δεν είμαι.

Next is φοιτητής (fititís). "Student." Φοιτητής.

Recall, in Greek, all nouns have grammatical gender and are either singular or plural.

As Panagiotis is responding to the question, Φοιτητής (Fititís) is masculine singular.

All together, Όχι, δεν είμαι φοιτητής. (Óhi, den íme fititís.) literally, “No, not [I] am student,” but translates as "No, I'm not a student." Όχι, δεν είμαι φοιτητής.

Panagiotis then tells Martha his actual occupation. Είμαι επενδυτής. (Íme ependitís.) "I'm an investor." Είμαι επενδυτής.

First, είμαι (íme) "[I] am." Είμαι.

Next is επενδυτής (ependitís), "investor." Επενδυτής . Επενδυτής.

Επενδυτής (Ependitís) is masculine singular.

Together, Είμαι επενδυτής. (Íme ependitís.) "I'm an investor." Είμαι επενδυτής.

All together, Όχι, δεν είμαι φοιτητής. Είμαι επενδυτής. (Óhi, den íme fititís. Íme ependitís.)

"No, I'm not a student. I'm an investor."

Όχι, δεν είμαι φοιτητής. Είμαι επενδυτής. (Óhi, den íme fititís. Íme ependitís.)

The pattern is

Όχι, δεν είμαι OCCUPATION. Είμαι ACTUAL OCCUPATION. (Óhi, den íme {occupation}. Íme {actual occupation}.)

"No, I'm not OCCUPATION. I'm ACTUAL OCCUPATION."

To use this pattern, simply replace the OCCUPATION and ACTUAL OCCUPATION placeholders with the occupations that are appropriate to the conversation.

Note: This pattern requires nouns to be in their dictionary form, which is also known as the nominative form. Their gender will depend on the gender of the speaker.

Imagine you’re Emma Efthimiou , a student. The word for a female student is φοιτήτρια (fitítria). Φοιτήτρια . Φοιτήτρια.

Panagiotis asks you if you’re a teacher, δασκάλα (daskála). “A female teacher.” Δασκάλα . Δασκάλα.

Say

"No, I'm not a teacher. I'm a student."

Ready?

Όχι, δεν είμαι δασκάλα. Είμαι φοιτήτρια. (Óhi, den íme daskála. Íme fitítria.)

"No, I'm not a teacher. I'm a student."

Όχι, δεν είμαι δασκάλα. Είμαι φοιτήτρια. (Óhi, den íme daskála. Íme fitítria.)

In Greek, there are some rules of thumb for gender of nouns.

Nouns that end in -ς (sigma) tend to be masculine.

δάσκαλος (dáskalos). “Teacher.”

φοιτητής (fititís). “Student.”

While nouns that end in -α (alpha) tend to be feminine.

δασκάλα (daskála). "Teacher."

φοιτήτρια (fitítria). “Student.”

Some occupations have the same word for both genders. For example, γιατρός (yatrós), "doctor."

Again, the key pattern is,

Όχι, δεν είμαι OCCUPATION. Είμαι ACTUAL OCCUPATION. (Óhi, den íme {occupation}. Íme {actual occupation}.)

"No, I'm not OCCUPATION. I'm ACTUAL OCCUPATION."

Let's look at some examples.

Listen and repeat or speak along with the native speakers.

Όχι, δεν είμαι φοιτητής. Είμαι επενδυτής. (Óhi, den íme fititís. Íme ependitís.)

"No, I'm not a student. I'm an investor."

Όχι, δεν είμαι φοιτητής. Είμαι επενδυτής. (Óhi, den íme fititís. Íme ependitís.)

Όχι, δεν είμαι δασκάλα. Είμαι φοιτήτρια. (Óhi, den íme daskála. Íme fitítria.)

"No, I'm not a teacher. I'm a student."

Όχι, δεν είμαι δασκάλα. Είμαι φοιτήτρια. (Óhi, den íme daskála. Íme fitítria.)

Όχι, δεν είμαι γιατρός. Είμαι επιστήμονας. (Óhi, den íme yatrós. Íme epistímonas.)

“No, I'm not a doctor. I'm a scientist.”

Όχι, δεν είμαι γιατρός. Είμαι επιστήμονας. (Óhi, den íme yatrós. Íme epistímonas.)

Όχι, δεν είμαι νοσοκόμα. Είμαι γιατρός. (Óhi, den íme nosokóma. Íme yatrós.)

"No, I'm not a nurse. I'm a doctor."

Όχι, δεν είμαι νοσοκόμα. Είμαι γιατρός. (Óhi, den íme nosokóma. Íme yatrós.)

Όχι, δεν είμαι φοιτήτρια. Είμαι δασκάλα. (Óhi, den íme fitítria. Íme daskála.)

“No, I'm not a student. I'm a teacher.”

Όχι, δεν είμαι φοιτήτρια. Είμαι δασκάλα. (Óhi, den íme fitítria. Íme daskála.)

Όχι, είμαι μπαρίστα. (Óhi, íme barísta.)

"No, I'm a barista."

Όχι, είμαι μπαρίστα. (Óhi, íme barísta.)

Did you notice how the last speaker omits part of the response?

Όχι, είμαι μπαρίστα. (Óhi, íme barísta). "No, I’m a barista." Όχι, είμαι μπαρίστα.

When directly responding to someone's question, it’s often possible to omit part of the response.

Here by simply answering Όχι (Óhi), "no," there’s no need to say δεν είμαι μπαρίστα (den íme barísta), "I’m not a barista."

This pattern is

Όχι, είμαι ACTUAL OCCUPATION. (Óhi, íme {actual occupation})

"No, I'm ACTUAL OCCUPATION."

Remember this pattern. You’ll need it for the practice section.

Let's review the key vocabulary.

In Greek, occupation terms can vary based on gender. In these cases, we provide the masculine word for the occupation followed by the feminine one.

"student"

φοιτητής (fititís) , φοιτητής.

φοιτήτρια (fitítria) , φοιτήτρια.

"teacher"

δάσκαλος (dáskalos) , δάσκαλος.

δασκάλα (daskála) , δασκάλα.

"scientist"

επιστήμονας (epistímonas) , επιστήμονας.

"nurse"

νοσοκόμος (nosokómos) , νοσοκόμος.

νοσοκόμα (nosokóma) , νοσοκόμα.

"doctor"

γιατρός , γιατρός.

"barista"

μπαρίστας (barístas) , μπαρίστας.

μπαρίστα (barísta) , μπαρίστα.

Let's review.

Respond to the prompts by speaking aloud. Then repeat after the native speaker, focusing on pronunciation.

Ready?

Do you remember the word for a male "investor?"

επενδυτής (ependitís)

And how Panagiotis says,

"I'm an investor."

Είμαι επενδυτής. (Íme ependitís.)

Do you remember the word for a male "student?"

φοιτητής (fititís)

Do you remember how Panagiotis says,

"I'm not a student."

Δεν είμαι φοιτητής. (Den íme fititís.)

And how to say "no?"

όχι (óhi)

Do you remember how Panagiotis says,

"No, I'm not a student. I'm an investor."

Όχι, δεν είμαι φοιτητής. Είμαι επενδυτής. (Óhi, den íme fititís. Íme ependitís.)

Do you remember how Martha asks,

"Are you a student?"

Remember Martha uses formal Greek.

Είστε φοιτητής; (Íste fititís?)

Do you remember the word for a female "student?"

φοιτήτρια (fitítria)

And the word for a female "teacher?"

δασκάλα (daskála)

Do you remember the word for a "scientist?"

επιστήμονας (epistímonas)

Let's practice.

Imagine you're Martha Asimakis , and you’re a scientist.

Respond to Panagiotis’ question.

Ready?

Είστε γιατρός; (Íste yatrós?)

Όχι, δεν είμαι γιατρός. Είμαι επιστήμονας. (Óhi, den íme yatrós. Íme epistímonas.)

Listen again and repeat.

Όχι, δεν είμαι γιατρός. Είμαι επιστήμονας. (Óhi, den íme yatrós. Íme epistímonas.)

Όχι, δεν είμαι γιατρός. Είμαι επιστήμονας / επιστημόνισσα. (Óhi, den íme yatrós. Íme epistímonas.)

Let's try another.

Imagine you're Chrissi , and you’re a teacher or δασκάλα (daskála) in Greek.

Ready?

Είστε φοιτήτρια; (Íste fitítria?)

Όχι, δεν είμαι φοιτήτρια. Είμαι δασκάλα. (Óhi, den íme fitítria. Íme daskála.)

Listen again and repeat.

Όχι, δεν είμαι φοιτήτρια. Είμαι δασκάλα. (Óhi, den íme fitítria. Íme daskála.)

Let's try one more.

Now, imagine you're Emma Efthimiou , and you’re a student.

Use the shortened variation pattern.

Ready?

Είστε δασκάλα; (Íste daskála?)

Όχι, είμαι φοιτήτρια. (Óhi, íme fitítria.)

Listen again and repeat.

Όχι, είμαι φοιτήτρια. (Óhi, íme fitítria.)

In this lesson, you learned how to talk about your occupation in Greek. This plays an essential role in the larger skill of introducing yourself. Let’s review.

Do you remember how Martha Asimakis says,

"I’m Martha."

Είμαι η Μάρθα. (Íme i Mártha.)

And do you remember how Martha says

"I’m Martha. Nice to meet you."

Είμαι η Μάρθα. Χαίρω πολύ. (Íme i Mártha. Héro polí.)

And do you remember how Martha says,

"I am from Florida."

Είμαι από τη Φλόριντα. (Íme apó ti Flórinda.)

And do you remember how Panagiotis asks,

"Where are you from?"

Από πού είστε; (Apó pú íste?)

Do you remember the word for an "American" woman?

Αμερικανίδα (Amerikanída)

Αμερικανίδα (Amerikanída).

And do you remember how Martha Asimakis says,

"Yes, I'm American?"

Ναι, είμαι Αμερικανίδα. (Ne, íme Amerikanída.)

Do you remember how Panagiotis Papakonstantinou asks,

"Are you American?"

Είστε Αμερικανίδα; (Íste Amerikanída?)

Imagine you're Jack Jones , a student from London, and you're English.

Do you remember how to pronounce "Jack Jones" in Greek?

Τζακ Τζόουνς (Jack Jóuns)

Respond to Panagiotis' self-introduction and follow-up questions.

Ready?

Γεια! Είμαι ο Παναγιώτης. Χαίρω πολύ. (Ya! Íme o Panayótis. Héro polí.)

Είμαι ο Τζακ. Χαίρω πολύ! (Íme o Jack. Héro polí!)

Listen again, and repeat.

Είμαι ο Τζακ. Χαίρω πολύ! (Íme o Jack. Héro polí!)

Do you remember how to say "London" in Greek?

Λονδίνο (Londíno)

Now respond that you’re from London.

Από πού είστε; (Apó pú íste?)

Είμαι από το Λονδίνο. (Íme apó to Londíno.)

Listen again and repeat.

Είμαι από το Λονδίνο. (Íme apó to Londíno.)

And do you remember how to say "English" in Greek?

Άγγλος (Ánglos)

Now respond that you’re English.

Είστε Άγγλος; (Íste Ánglos?)

Ναι, είμαι Άγγλος. (Ne, íme Ánglos.)

Listen again and repeat.

Ναι, είμαι Άγγλος. (Ne, íme Ánglos.)

Now, do you remember how to say "student" when talking about a man in Greek?

φοιτητής (fititís)

Respond that you're a student.

Είστε δάσκαλος; (Íste dáskalos?)

Όχι, δεν είμαι δάσκαλος. Είμαι φοιτητής. (Óhi, den íme dáskalos. Íme fititís.)

Listen again and repeat.

Όχι, δεν είμαι δάσκαλος. Είμαι φοιτητής. (Óhi, den íme dáskalos. Íme fititís.)

Well done! This is the end of the lesson and the Can Introduce Yourself unit of this course.

Remember, these Can Do lessons are about learning practical language skills.

What's next?

Show us what you can do.

When you're ready, take your assessment.

You can take it again and again, so try anytime you like.

Our teachers will assess it, and give you your results.

Now you know how to talk about your nationality in Greek. That’s all there is to it!

Keep practicing — and move on to the next lesson!

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