Calling a technician in Greek
A house call: no hot water in the apartment in Greek. 7 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Καλημέρα. Στο διαμέρισμά μου δεν έχει ζεστό νερό.» — Good morning. There's no hot water in my apartment.; «Από πότε περίπου;» — Since about what time? 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: a house call: no hot water in the apartment. 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.
- Καλημέρα. Στο διαμέρισμά μου δεν έχει ζεστό νερό.kaliméra. sto diamérizmá mu den ékhi zestó neróGood morning. There's no hot water in my apartment.
- Από πότε περίπου;apó póte perípu?Since about what time?
- Από χθες. Και στο μπάνιο στάζει το νερό.apó khthes. ke sto bánio stázi to neróSince yesterday. And water is leaking in the bathroom.
- Κατάλαβα. Ποια είναι η διεύθυνσή σας;katálava. pia íne i diéfthinsí sas?I see. What is your address?
- Οδός Ερμού, τρίτος όροφος. Πότε θα έρθετε;odós Ermú, trítos órofos. póte tha érthete?Ermou Street, third floor. When will you come?
- Αύριο το απόγευμα. Περιμένετε στο σπίτι, παρακαλώ.ávrio to apóyevma. periménete sto spíti, parakalóTomorrow afternoon. Please wait at home.
- Τέλεια. Ευχαριστώ πολύ.télia. efkharistó políGreat. Thank you very much.
Lines one by one
| Greek | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Καλημέρα. Στο διαμέρισμά μου δεν έχει ζεστό νερό. | kaliméra. sto diamérizmá mu den ékhi zestó neró | Good morning. There's no hot water in my apartment. |
| Από πότε περίπου; | apó póte perípu? | Since about what time? |
| Από χθες. Και στο μπάνιο στάζει το νερό. | apó khthes. ke sto bánio stázi to neró | Since yesterday. And water is leaking in the bathroom. |
| Κατάλαβα. Ποια είναι η διεύθυνσή σας; | katálava. pia íne i diéfthinsí sas? | I see. What is your address? |
| Οδός Ερμού, τρίτος όροφος. Πότε θα έρθετε; | odós Ermú, trítos órofos. póte tha érthete? | Ermou Street, third floor. When will you come? |
| Αύριο το απόγευμα. Περιμένετε στο σπίτι, παρακαλώ. | ávrio to apóyevma. periménete sto spíti, parakaló | Tomorrow afternoon. Please wait at home. |
| Τέλεια. Ευχαριστώ πολύ. | télia. efkharistó polí | Great. Thank you very much. |
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?
“Καλημέρα. Στο διαμέρισμά μου δεν έχει ζεστό νερό.” (kaliméra. sto diamérizmá mu den ékhi zestó neró) — Good morning. There's no hot water in my apartment.. 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.