LingoflyI don't agree in Greek
An argument about a decision and the search for a compromise in Greek. 7 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Κατά τη γνώμη μου (katá ti gnómi mu) πρέπει να (prépi na) αλλάξουμε (aláksume) όλο (ólo) το (to) σχέδιο (skhédio).» — In my opinion the whole plan should be changed; «Εν μέρει συμφωνώ (en méri simfonó), αλλά (alá) όχι (ókhi) όλο (ólo). Ποια (pia) είναι (íne) η αιτία (i etía);» — I partly agree, but not all of it. What's the reason?
How the whole thing sounds
The situation: an argument about a decision and the search for a compromise. First the whole conversation, then each line on its own, with a translation.
- katá ti gnómi mu prépi na aláksume ólo to skhédioIn my opinion the whole plan should be changed.
- to apotélezma eksartáte apó mía móno etería. aftó íne kíndinosThe result depends on one single company. That's a risk.
- Αυτό είναι συζητήσιμο. Έχουμε εφεδρικό σχέδιο.aftó íne sizitísimo. ékhume efedrikó skhédioThat's debatable. We have a backup plan.
- den íme síguros óti tha dulépsi. ya parádigma, périsi apétikheI'm not sure it will work. Last year, for example, it failed.
- Τότε ας βρούμε συμβιβασμό: αλλάζουμε τα μισά.tóte as vrúme simvivazmó: alázume ta misáThen let's find a compromise: we change half of it.
- endáksi. me ála lóya, dokimázume ke vlépumeAll right. In other words, we try and we see.
Lines one by one
| Greek | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Κατά τη γνώμη μου (katá ti gnómi mu) πρέπει να (prépi na) αλλάξουμε (aláksume) όλο (ólo) το (to) σχέδιο (skhédio). | katá ti gnómi mu prépi na aláksume ólo to skhédio | In my opinion the whole plan should be changed. |
| Εν μέρει συμφωνώ (en méri simfonó), αλλά (alá) όχι (ókhi) όλο (ólo). Ποια (pia) είναι (íne) η αιτία (i etía); | en méri simfonó, alá ókhi ólo. pia íne i etía? | I partly agree, but not all of it. What's the reason? |
| Το αποτέλεσμα (to apotélezma) εξαρτάται από (apó) μία (mía) μόνο (móno) εταιρεία (etería). Αυτό (aftó) είναι (íne) κίνδυνος (kíndinos). | to apotélezma eksartáte apó mía móno etería. aftó íne kíndinos | The result depends on one single company. That's a risk. |
| Αυτό είναι συζητήσιμο (aftó íne sizitísimo). Έχουμε (ékhume) εφεδρικό (efedrikó) σχέδιο (skhédio). | aftó íne sizitísimo. ékhume efedrikó skhédio | That's debatable. We have a backup plan. |
| Δεν είμαι σίγουρος (den íme síguros) ότι (óti) θα (tha) δουλέψει. Για παράδειγμα (ya parádigma), πέρυσι (périsi) απέτυχε. | den íme síguros óti tha dulépsi. ya parádigma, périsi apétikhe | I'm not sure it will work. Last year, for example, it failed. |
| Τότε (tóte) ας (as) βρούμε συμβιβασμό (simvivazmó): αλλάζουμε (alázume) τα (ta) μισά. | tóte as vrúme simvivazmó: alázume ta misá | Then let's find a compromise: we change half of it. |
| Εντάξει (endáksi). Με άλλα λόγια (me ála lóya), δοκιμάζουμε και (ke) βλέπουμε (vlépume). | endáksi. me ála lóya, dokimázume ke vlépume | All right. In other words, we try and we see. |
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?
“Κατά τη γνώμη μου (katá ti gnómi mu) πρέπει να (prépi na) αλλάξουμε (aláksume) όλο (ólo) το (to) σχέδιο (skhédio).” (katá ti gnómi mu prépi na aláksume ólo to skhédio) — In my opinion the whole plan should be changed. 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.