Learn how to ask "Can you speak English?"
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| In today's lesson, we'll cover another extremely important phrase, "Do you speak English?" Using this phrase, as opposed to speaking English directly to someone, is important for many reasons. For one, if the party you're speaking to doesn't understand English, at least they'll be able to understand what you're asking. Furthermore, it shows a lot of respect on your part that you've made an effort to learn even a little bit of the language. For these reasons and many more, we're going to cover this very important phrase. |
| In Greek, "Do you speak English?" is Μιλάτε αγγλικά; (Miláte angliká?) |
| Μιλάτε αγγλικά; (Miláte angliká?) |
| Let's break it down by syllable: Mi-lá-te an-gli-ká? |
| And now let's hear it one more time, Μιλάτε αγγλικά; (Miláte angliká?) |
| The first word, Μιλάτε (Miláte), means "do you speak" and comes from the verb μιλάω (miláo) - "to speak." Let's break down this word again and hear it one more time, Mi-lá-te. Mi-lá-te. |
| The following word, αγγλικά (angliká), means "English" in Greek. |
| αγγλικά (angliká) |
| αγγλικά (angliká) |
| The phrase that we just learned is in the formal version. This means you should always use the above phrase in situations with people you don't know or with elders. |
| When speaking to younger people, it's acceptable to use the informal version. In this case, you would say in Greek Μιλάς αγγλικά; (Milás angliká?). While the difference is minimal, the significance is very important. |
| Let's say it slowly now, Μιλάς αγγλικά; (Milás angliká?) |
| Now we'll break it down by syllable: Mi-lás an-gli-ka? |
| Hear it once again, Μιλάς αγγλικά; (Milás angliká?) |
| Before we move on, please remember that Μιλάτε (Miláte) followed by a word for a language is the formal way to ask if somebody speaks that language, while Μιλάς (Milás), again, followed by a word for a language is the informal way to ask "do you speak" that language. Μιλάς (Milás) is more direct. Do not use it with people you don't know or with elders. |
| Now, for a change, let's try a different language. Let's try Spanish. "Do you speak Spanish?" is Μιλάς ισπανικά; (Milás ispaniká?). The word for "Spanish" is ισπανικά (ispaniká). Let's break down this word and hear it one more time, i-spa-ni-ká. |
| ισπανικά (ispaniká) |
| Here, just the word for the language changes, the rest is the same. |
| Okay, to close out today's lesson, we'd like for you to practice what you've just learned. I'll provide you with the English equivalent of the phrase and you're responsible for shouting it out loud. You'll have a few seconds before I give you the answer, so Καλή τύχη (kalí týchi), which means "good luck!" in Greek. |
| "Do you speak English?" formal - Μιλάτε αγγλικά; (Miláte angliká?) |
| Μιλάτε αγγλικά; (Miláte angliká?) |
| Μιλάτε αγγλικά; (Miláte angliká?) |
| "Do you speak English?" informal - Μιλάς αγγλικά; (Milás angliká?) |
| Μιλάς αγγλικά; (Milás angliká?) |
| Μιλάς αγγλικά; (Milás angliká?) |
| All right, that's going to do it for today! |
| Remember to stop by GreekPod101.com and pick up the accompanying PDF. If you stop by, be sure to leave us a comment. Αντίο! (Antío!) |
Comments
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I added these to my "survival phrases" flashcards, only to find out that you need premium access for flashcards :( the sad thing is that I only get access to premium for 7 days...
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😄❤️️ I really found it so beneficial and accurate ,, thank u
Hi Lloyd,
Yes, that's what I meant. All you have to do is follow the instructions found here to install the Greek keyboard on your computer:
https://cdn.innovativelanguage.com/greekpod101/static/media/Greek%20Keyboard.png
I hope this is helpful. Let me know if you have any questions.
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Team GreekPod101.com
Hi. In one of your previous response, you said "Let me know if you need any help installing the Greek keyboard." Do you mean that I can install a Greek keyboard on my presently owned computer? Do I need an app for this? Thanks, Lloyd
Hello David Pallett,
Thank you for your comment.
I am glad you are having a positive experience with GreekPod101.com.
Should you ever have any questions about Greek or the website, please let us know! We are here to help.
Kind regards,
Stefania
Team GreekPod101.com
Loving how this is all put together for a great learning experience. :thumbsup:
Hi Ingolf,
Yeah, I noticed that. Welcome back on board!
Thank you for reporting this. I have corrected it. Languages in Greek, like ελληνικά, αγγλικά, ισπανικά etc., come from adjectives, but function like nouns, most of the times neuter nouns, like the examples I provided.
Regards,
Stefania
Team GreekPod101.com
Hi,
I have had a long break from studying Greek, good to be back.
In the PDF lesson material under "Vocabulery" English is called a noun and Spanish an adjective.
Just a detail, but should be correct.
Hi Dhionisis,
I must say I got confused at first because I didn't know where you saw the double "j" for αγγλικά (the romanization is angliká)
So I guess you don't have a Greek keyboard and you meant double "γ"?
In that case γγ makes a "g" sound like "go", just like γκ makes a "g" sound. BUT the pronunciation of Greeks sometimes sounds a bit nasal, so in the case of γγ, it's more of a "ng" sound, just like the way you say eNGlish.
Some people pronounce it always as a hard "g" (sounds more colloquial) and some as a soft and more refined "ng". I prefer the latter sound as it sounds more rounded, less harsh and more... sophisticated (dare I say). Although both are 100% OK Greek!
The same thing happens with φεγγάρι --> fengári (or fegári)
So yes, you were right, there is an N :wink:
When you will become more accustomed to how the Greek sounds, you will be able to notice these mild phonetic differences instantly.
I hope this helps! Let me know if you need any help installing the Greek keyboard.
Stefania,
Team GreekPod101.com
Hi again!!
Sorry for the first comment. I wasn't clear in the first comment.
What I would like to know is this: the sound jj you write it jj ajjlika and pronounced with an N. Am I correct?
it is the same in the word fejjari- moon.
thanks
Hi,
thank you very much for this course.
i dont get the sound jj you anglika
Hi Jenya,
thank you for bringing this to our attention.
Yes you are right. It sould be "διευθυντής τομέα". You spotted that one right:wink:
Our customer service department has received the email you sent previously and we have made the correction on the database.
We are only waiting for the tech team now to re-publish the database so that the updated word can appear on the website. This process might take a few days.
My apologies for the inconvenience.
In the future don't hesitate to contact us for any questions or issues you might have!
Happy studying!
Stefania,
Team GreekPod101.com
Since mistakes are fixed faster when they are mentioned in the comments, I'd like to bring one to your attention too.
As I was exploring your Greek Core Word Lists a couple of days ago, I came across word διευθυντής. I do not speak Greek at all (yet), but I have a feeling that there is a spelling mistake in the phrase in the Sample Sentences & Phrases for this word: διεθυντής τομέα. I think it should be spelled διευθυντής τομέα. Please correct me if I am wrong.
Thank you and best regards,
Jenya
Hi Jacek,
good luch with your studies!
Seems to me that you are interested in learning a variety of different alphabets and writing systems.
I am too fascinated in learning languages, but Japanese has been a very painfull language for me:roll:
All the best,
Stefania,
Team GreekPod101.com
はい。そうですね。
انا ادرس العربية ايدا.
Yes, I'm trying to study Japanese and Arabic as well.
どういたしまして Jakek san!
Are you studying Japanese as well?!:shock:
Stefania,
Team GreekPod101.com
Ευχαριστώ πάρα πολύ. ありがとうございます。:wink:
Hi Jacek,
thank you for spotting that question mark. I am sorry for the mistakes:oops:
Actually the words that take capital letter in Greek has been a very confusing issue even for Greeks. There are just so many rules to remember and a lot of misinformation and negligence of our grammar rules from teachers in schools. A lot of people write languages with capital, but the correct is with lower case, the opposite as in the English language.
I have corrected the lesson material according to that. Unfortunately I cannot correct at the moment all other lessons that contain language names with capital, but I have informed the team responsible for these things and it is something will will work on. I apologize for the inconvenience. Please do let us know in case you find any other mistakes.
So, keep in mind though that the correct way to write ισπανικά, αγγλικά etc. is with lowercase for the reason that these words are actually adjecives.
ex. ισπανικά τραγούδια = Spanish songs
μιλάω ισπανικά = I speak Spanish
Here is a page (unfortunately only in Greek) that mentions all these rules about the lowercase and uppercase words I mentioned before. This is for reference only, but have a look just to get an idea of how complicated this system is and why it is impossible for the average everyday Greek person to follow this without any mistakes.
http://publications.europa.eu/code/el/el-4100300el.htm
I hope this helps!
Stefania,
Team GreekPod101.com