What's the weather like? in Greek
The weather and weekend plans in Greek. 7 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Τι καιρό κάνει τώρα στην Αθήνα;» — What's the weather like in Athens now?; «Κάνει πολλή ζέστη. Ιούλιος είναι.» — Very hot. It is July, after all. Every line can be played right on the page. The conversation is predictable: few lines, and almost all of them repeat from one exchange to the next.
How the whole thing sounds
The situation: the weather and weekend plans. The conversation is short and predictable — which is exactly what makes it good for a first try: few lines, and almost all of them repeat from one exchange to the next.
- Τι καιρό κάνει τώρα στην Αθήνα;ti keró káni tóra stin Athína?What's the weather like in Athens now?
- Κάνει πολλή ζέστη. Ιούλιος είναι.káni polí zésti. iúlios íneVery hot. It is July, after all.
- Και το Σαββατοκύριακο;ke to Savatokíriako?And at the weekend?
- Το Σάββατο βρέχει, αλλά την Κυριακή έχει λιακάδα.to Sávato vrékhi, alá tin Kiriakí ékhi liakádaRain on Saturday, sunny on Sunday.
- Τότε τα λέμε την Κυριακή. Τι ώρα;tóte ta léme tin Kiriakí. ti óra?Then let's meet on Sunday. What time?
- Στις έντεκα, όταν δεν κάνει πια δροσιά.stis éndeka, ótan den káni pia drosiáAt eleven, when it's no longer cool.
- Εντάξει. Και αν βρέξει, καλύτερα αύριο.endáksi. ke an vréksi, kalítera ávrioFine. And if it rains — let's make it tomorrow.
Lines one by one
| Greek | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Τι καιρό κάνει τώρα στην Αθήνα; | ti keró káni tóra stin Athína? | What's the weather like in Athens now? |
| Κάνει πολλή ζέστη. Ιούλιος είναι. | káni polí zésti. iúlios íne | Very hot. It is July, after all. |
| Και το Σαββατοκύριακο; | ke to Savatokíriako? | And at the weekend? |
| Το Σάββατο βρέχει, αλλά την Κυριακή έχει λιακάδα. | to Sávato vrékhi, alá tin Kiriakí ékhi liakáda | Rain on Saturday, sunny on Sunday. |
| Τότε τα λέμε την Κυριακή. Τι ώρα; | tóte ta léme tin Kiriakí. ti óra? | Then let's meet on Sunday. What time? |
| Στις έντεκα, όταν δεν κάνει πια δροσιά. | stis éndeka, ótan den káni pia drosiá | At eleven, when it's no longer cool. |
| Εντάξει. Και αν βρέξει, καλύτερα αύριο. | endáksi. ke an vréksi, kalítera ávrio | Fine. And if it rains — let's make it tomorrow. |
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 it gets in the way badly. It is one of the most reliably measured findings in the entire field.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?
“Τι καιρό κάνει τώρα στην Αθήνα;” (ti keró káni tóra stin Athína?) — What's the weather like in Athens now?. 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.