LingoflyHow is the work going? in Greek
Reporting on progress and on the obstacle in Greek. 7 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Πώς (pos) πάει (pái); Ξεκίνησες το (to) δεύτερο (déftero) μέρος (méros);» — How is it coming along? Have you started on the second part?; «Μόλις (mólis) ξεκίνησα. Το (to) πρώτο (próto) τράβηξε (trávikse) σε (se) μάκρος (mákros).» — Just started. The first part dragged on. Every line can be played right on the page.
How the whole thing sounds
The situation: reporting on progress and on the obstacle. First the whole conversation, then each line on its own, with a translation.
- Πώς πάει; Ξεκίνησες το δεύτερο μέρος;pos pái? ksekínises to déftero méros?How is it coming along? Have you started on the second part?
- Μόλις ξεκίνησα. Το πρώτο τράβηξε σε μάκρος.mólis ksekínisa. to próto trávikse se mákrosJust started. The first part dragged on.
- mia vlávi ston sarotí. ékhasa dío méres sta khaménaA scanner failure. Two days went to waste.
- Το έλυσες ή συνεχίζεις με το χέρι;to élises i sinekhízis me to khéri?Did you solve it, or are you still doing it by hand?
Lines one by one
| Greek | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Πώς (pos) πάει (pái); Ξεκίνησες το (to) δεύτερο (déftero) μέρος (méros); | pos pái? ksekínises to déftero méros? | How is it coming along? Have you started on the second part? |
| Μόλις (mólis) ξεκίνησα. Το (to) πρώτο (próto) τράβηξε (trávikse) σε (se) μάκρος (mákros). | mólis ksekínisa. to próto trávikse se mákros | Just started. The first part dragged on. |
| Τι (ti) σε (se) εμπόδισε (embódise); | ti se embódise? | What held you up? |
| Μια (mia) βλάβη (vlávi) στον (ston) σαρωτή. Έχασα (ékhasa) δύο (dío) μέρες (méres) στα χαμένα (sta khaména). | mia vlávi ston sarotí. ékhasa dío méres sta khaména | A scanner failure. Two days went to waste. |
| Το (to) έλυσες ή συνεχίζεις με το χέρι (me to khéri); | to élises i sinekhízis me to khéri? | Did you solve it, or are you still doing it by hand? |
| Το (to) ρύθμισα χθες (khthes). Τώρα (tóra) συνεχίζω (sinekhízo) κανονικά. | to ríthmisa khthes. tóra sinekhízo kanoniká | I got it working yesterday. Now it goes normally. |
| Καλά (kalá). Φέρ’ το (to) βόλτα (vólta) ως (os) την (tin) Παρασκευή (Paraskeví) και (ke) είμαστε (ímaste) εντάξει (endáksi). | kalá. fer’ to vólta os tin Paraskeví ke ímaste endáksi | Good. Polish it off by Friday, and we're in good shape. |
How to prepare for a conversation like this
Memorizing the lines is not enough: the other person will say their own thing, not what is written. What helps more is catching the key words by ear and keeping three rescue phrases ready: “I don't understand”, “repeat, please”, “slower”.
And one more thing phrasebooks do not mention: awkwardness gets in the way more than not knowing the words.
- Fear of making mistakes gets in the way of learning a language, and noticeably so. The link turns up study after study, and together those studies cover almost twenty thousand people.checked many timesTeimouri, Goetze & Plonsky, 2019, Studies in Second Language Acquisition 41(2) · 19,933 participants from 23 countries; correlation with results r = −0.36.
- That fear can be dealt with — the methods have been tested and they work.checked many timesXiong et al., 2024, Journal of Language and Social Psychology · 37 studies, anxiety reduced by −0.61. Of the seven conditions examined, only age turned out to matter.
Frequently asked
How do you start a conversation in Greek in this situation?
“Πώς (pos) πάει (pái); Ξεκίνησες το (to) δεύτερο (déftero) μέρος (méros);” (pos pái? ksekínises to déftero méros?) — How is it coming along? Have you started on the second part? The first line in such a conversation is almost always the same, and that is the one worth learning: the other person will carry it from there.
What if you did not understand the reply?
Say “I don't understand” and “repeat, please” — both are in the rescue set. Admitting your language is still shaky almost always makes the other person more patient.
Should you memorize the dialogue?
No. It is more useful to catch the key words by ear: the other person will say their own thing, and a memorized line will not always fit their reply.