LingoflyI didn't hear well in Greek
Asking again and clarifying over the phone in Greek. 7 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Καλημέρα (kaliméra), σας (sas) παίρνω (pérno) σχετικά με (skhetiká me) το ραντεβού (to randevú) της (tis) Τρίτης.» — Good morning, I'm calling about the meeting on Tuesday; «Μάλιστα, σας ακούω (sas akúo).» — Yes, I'm listening. Every line can be played right on the page.
How the whole thing sounds
The situation: asking again and clarifying over the phone. First the whole conversation, then each line on its own, with a translation.
- kaliméra, sas pérno skhetiká me to randevú tis TrítisGood morning, I'm calling about the meeting on Tuesday.
- signómi, den ákusa kalá. ti ípate?Sorry, I didn't catch that. What did you say?
- Αν κατάλαβα καλά, εννοείτε την Πέμπτη το απόγευμα;an katálava kalá, enoíte tin Pémpti to apóyevma?If I understood correctly, you mean Thursday afternoon?
- Μου κάνει. Θα το σημειώσω, θα είμαι στην ώρα μου.mu káni. tha to simióso, tha íme stin óra muThat works. I'll write it down and be on time.
Lines one by one
| Greek | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Καλημέρα (kaliméra), σας (sas) παίρνω (pérno) σχετικά με (skhetiká me) το ραντεβού (to randevú) της (tis) Τρίτης. | kaliméra, sas pérno skhetiká me to randevú tis Trítis | Good morning, I'm calling about the meeting on Tuesday. |
| Μάλιστα, σας ακούω (sas akúo). | málista, sas akúo | Yes, I'm listening. |
| Συγγνώμη (signómi), δεν άκουσα καλά (den ákusa kalá). Τι είπατε; (ti ípate) | signómi, den ákusa kalá. ti ípate? | Sorry, I didn't catch that. What did you say? |
| Είπα (ípa) ότι (óti) μπορούμε (borúme) να (na) τη (ti) μεταθέσουμε για (ya) την (tin) Πέμπτη (Pémpti). | ípa óti borúme na ti metathésume ya tin Pémpti | I said we can move it to Thursday. |
| Αν κατάλαβα καλά (an katálava kalá), εννοείτε (enoíte) την (tin) Πέμπτη (Pémpti) το απόγευμα (to apóyevma); | an katálava kalá, enoíte tin Pémpti to apóyevma? | If I understood correctly, you mean Thursday afternoon? |
| Ακριβώς (akrivós). Στις (stis) πέντε (pénde), αν (an) σας (sas) βολεύει. | akrivós. stis pénde, an sas volévi | Exactly. At five, if it suits you. |
| Μου κάνει (mu káni). Θα (tha) το (to) σημειώσω, θα είμαι στην ώρα μου (tha íme stin óra mu). | mu káni. tha to simióso, tha íme stin óra mu | That works. I'll write it down and be on time. |
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?
“Καλημέρα (kaliméra), σας (sas) παίρνω (pérno) σχετικά με (skhetiká me) το ραντεβού (to randevú) της (tis) Τρίτης.” (kaliméra, sas pérno skhetiká me to randevú tis Trítis) — Good morning, I'm calling about the meeting on Tuesday. 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.