LingoflyThe language of instructions: how to read what nobody says
There is the Greek people speak and the Greek that paperwork is written in. The second one you will have to read: instructions, notices, rules and contracts all use it. For example: “Απαγορεύεται (apagorévete) η είσοδος (ísodos) στους (stus) μη (mi) εργαζομένους” — Outsiders are forbidden to enter. A rule from the Greek course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
There is the Greek people speak and the Greek that paperwork is written in. The second one you will have to read: instructions, notices, rules and contracts all use it.
First sign — words in -όμενος and -ούμενος: ο αιτών (the applicant), τα (ta) αναγραφόμενα (the stated items), ο ενδιαφερόμενος (the interested party). Nobody says these out loud, and a form is half made of them.
Second — an "of" ending where speech would put a preposition: η χρήση της (tis) συσκευής (i khrísi tis siskevís), κατόπιν αιτήσεως. Third — turns that never say who acts: απαγορεύεται (apagorévete), επιτρέπεται (epitrépete), συνιστάται (it is recommended).
Fourth — short words of the old language: εν (en) (in), δια (through), περί (about). They survive only in frozen turns: εν τω μεταξύ (en to metaksí) (meanwhile), εν (en) πάση (pási) περιπτώσει (in any case). This is not to be learned as a language, only recognized.
Table
| the sign | on paper | in speech |
|---|---|---|
| a word in -όμενος | ο ενδιαφερόμενος | αυτός (aftós) που (pu) ενδιαφέρεται |
| an "of" ending | κατόπιν αιτήσεως | μετά από (metá apó) αίτηση (étisi) |
| nobody named | συνιστάται | σας (sas) συμβουλεύουμε |
| the old preposition | εν τω μεταξύ (en to metaksí) | στο (sto) μεταξύ (metaksí) |
By example
- Απαγορεύεται η είσοδος στους μη εργαζομένουςapagorévete i ísodos stus mi ergazoménusOutsiders are forbidden to enter
- Εν τω μεταξύ, η παραγγελία καθυστέρησεen to metaksí, i parangelía kathistériseMeanwhile the order was delayed
- Η χρήση της συσκευής επιτρέπεται μόνο σε ενήλικεςi khrísi tis siskevís epitrépete móno se enílikesThe use of the device is permitted to adults only
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
The language of instructions: how does it work in Greek?
There is the Greek people speak and the Greek that paperwork is written in. The second one you will have to read: instructions, notices, rules and contracts all use it.
What does it look like in a Greek example sentence?
“Απαγορεύεται (apagorévete) η είσοδος (ísodos) στους (stus) μη (mi) εργαζομένους” (apagorévete i ísodos stus mi ergazoménus) — Outsiders are forbidden to enter. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.