Learning Some Greek phrases
Learning Greek is not easy but a few words and phrases can take you a long way. The difficulty of course is that you then need to understand the response to your question! There are numerous phrase books which can help and I use several, as well as a dictionary. I'm sure that proper classes is the most effective way to learn because you are then encouraged to persevere regularly. Another route is to learn phrases, but I'd still recommend trying to read and write as well as speak.
You may have learnt Greek in order to buy a property or to conduct other business in the country. Many people who arrive in Greece, though, need to start from scratch or a smattering of words relating to travel and food. In the beginning you will have probably sought help from someone fluent in Greek; either professionally or via friendship. Eventually, though, the day will come when you either want or need to conduct business on your own behalf. Although many Greek people learn English and other languages, especially European languages, they may feel as uncomfortable about making a mistake in our language as we do with theirs and to be able to at least speak a little of the language of the country you are in is not only polite but will also help to break down barriers and show that you recognise and value their culture.
Asking
The aim here is to give phrases for conducting business rather than for tourism.
Note: I have tried to express letters as Greek equivalents.
The first word I learnt was "AvtO" (this) and it will take you a long way in a shop ot other places where you can you can point and gesture - but it won't work too well when you are asking for help with labour at your local taverna or other meeting place.
In the present tense "I want" is thElo (e.g. thElo ena Nescafe..I want a nescafe (now)
I am planning my work for the Winter so I want to ask to do something in the future:
"I want to..." is "thElo na "
Actually I want to be very polite so I'll say:
"I would like to..." which is "tha Ithela na..."
You may then add one of the following: send... stElnO, pay...plirOno, wait...prosmEno, buy...agorAzo
income tax
= fOros eisodImatosOnce you own land you'll be liable to tax, even though you may not be earning much from the land. The bill usually arrives in about September.
I may not be in Greece in September this year so I need to call my to my "tax preparer" and say:
"I would like to pay my income tax later" -
tha ithEla na plirOno to fOros eisodImatos mu (my) argOtera
I can then explain:
"I am sorry I will not be travelling to Greece in September. May I pay in December? and also your fee?"
In greek this is:
"SignOmi, den (pronounced almost like "then") tha taxideUo se Ellada stin(?) SeptEmvriou. MborO na plirOno stin DekEmvrios parakalO;"
This may not be an option - so I'll offer the alternative of
"If you prefer I can send payment via the post office"
"An prOtimeis, mborO stElno plironI mEso to takhidromeIo"
Once I have paid I'll need to ask for a receipt.
"mia apOdikhi parakalO" ("a receipt please")
Note: The Greek tax year runs from January 1st to December 31st. Methoni has a tax preparer who will complete your annual tax return for a reasonable fee. There is a tax office in Pylos and, under EU double taxation rules, if you take money from the UK to Greece it is offest against your tax liability in Greece. You should take expert advice on your tax affairs). Submission of tax declarations take place in Spring, demands arrive in late Summer and must be paid by December.
Other asking phrases are:
When do I have to be at...? = "pOte prEpi na Ime sto..;"
"I need..." is "hriazome..."
"Ineed Somebody to clear (tidy up) my grove" is
"hriazome kApoios katharIzo to Alsos mu" Do you have a tractor? - Ehete Ena traktEr; ( note the use of the ; when asking a question instead of the ? in Greek)
When may I ...? POte mborO...;
May I see...? borO na dho...;
Is there...? ipArhi...;
Have you...? Ehete kAni...;
How much do I owe you? ti sas ofIlo;
I Help - boItho, a helpful person - BoIthos (note the b is pronounced almost as a v)
Finding someone to harvest my olive crop
My most pressing task each year is to find someone who has a team of olive pickers and is willing to harvest my Olive crop
In a good year this can be very profitable for the harvest team as the agreement is usually 50% for the team owner and 50% for the owner of the crop. In a bad year it is more difficult to find a team.
I now own more than 100 trees on two adjacent groves and an efficient team can harvest that number in two days if the weather is good. So I'll call the team who did them last year.
I plan my words: ( Note - the following is literally word for word using a dictionary - if you are a Greek speaker reading it you may be smiling at all the errors! Feel free to Contact me and I'll amend any inaccuracies.
"I am looking for a team willing to harvest my olives in late November or early December".
PsAkno yia mia omAda prOthimos se therIzei to eli-es mu stin Noemvrios oUte Dekemvrios.
I will arrive at the end of November. Would your team be available then please?
Tha fthAno tElos Noemvrios. Ta omAda tous einai diathEsmos; What are your terms this year please? ti einai schEseis avto chronos parakalo;
Half/half? - mEso /mEso;
"OK" - entaxi
Note:
Help with speaking Greek
It is a brave soul who attempts to write a page on the Greek language using the latin alphabet!Alexandra Fiada went further and wrote a book "Greek for Xenophobes" Published by Oval Books ( copyright Oval projects 2006, ISBN-13:978-I-903096-27-7, ISBN-10: I-903096-278. It takes a humerous approach and is very effective!
If you are buying land in Greece, here are some words using this method. The accent syllable is in upper case
Estate Agent = Ktima toe mess EAT is
Landowner = kti mut EE ass
olive = elly AHH
olive oil = el ay OH lard oh
I have to say that this is not as easy as it looks so I recommend the expert and her humerous book
Alternatively you could study the greek alphabet and learn Greek!