How long have you been here? in Greek
A talk about the years spent in the country in Greek. 7 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Πόσο καιρό μένεις στην Ελλάδα;» — How long have you been living in Greece?; «Πέντε χρόνια. Ήρθα το δύο χιλιάδες είκοσι ένα.» — Five years. I came in twenty twenty-one. 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 talk about the years spent in the country. 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.
- Πόσο καιρό μένεις στην Ελλάδα;póso keró ménis stin Eláda?How long have you been living in Greece?
- Πέντε χρόνια. Ήρθα το δύο χιλιάδες είκοσι ένα.pénde khrónia. írtha to dío khiliádes íkosi énaFive years. I came in twenty twenty-one.
- Και σε πόσο καιρό άρχισες να καταλαβαίνεις;ke se póso keró árkhises na katalavénis?And how long before you began to understand?
- Σχεδόν έναν χρόνο δεν καταλάβαινα τίποτα στον δρόμο.skhedón énan khróno den katalávena típota ston drómoFor almost a year I understood nothing in the street.
- Και τώρα; Μιλάς κάθε μέρα ελληνικά;ke tóra? milás káthe méra eliniká?And now? Do you speak Greek every day?
- Καθημερινά στη δουλειά. Στο σπίτι όμως μιλάμε ρωσικά.kathimeriná sti duliá. sto spíti ómos miláme rosikáEvery day at work. At home, though, we speak our own language.
- Από παλιά έτσι γίνεται. Η γλώσσα του σπιτιού μένει τελευταία.apó paliá étsi yínete. i glósa tu spitiú méni teleftéaIt has always been so. The home language is the last to go.
Lines one by one
| Greek | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Πόσο καιρό μένεις στην Ελλάδα; | póso keró ménis stin Eláda? | How long have you been living in Greece? |
| Πέντε χρόνια. Ήρθα το δύο χιλιάδες είκοσι ένα. | pénde khrónia. írtha to dío khiliádes íkosi éna | Five years. I came in twenty twenty-one. |
| Και σε πόσο καιρό άρχισες να καταλαβαίνεις; | ke se póso keró árkhises na katalavénis? | And how long before you began to understand? |
| Σχεδόν έναν χρόνο δεν καταλάβαινα τίποτα στον δρόμο. | skhedón énan khróno den katalávena típota ston drómo | For almost a year I understood nothing in the street. |
| Και τώρα; Μιλάς κάθε μέρα ελληνικά; | ke tóra? milás káthe méra eliniká? | And now? Do you speak Greek every day? |
| Καθημερινά στη δουλειά. Στο σπίτι όμως μιλάμε ρωσικά. | kathimeriná sti duliá. sto spíti ómos miláme rosiká | Every day at work. At home, though, we speak our own language. |
| Από παλιά έτσι γίνεται. Η γλώσσα του σπιτιού μένει τελευταία. | apó paliá étsi yínete. i glósa tu spitiú méni teleftéa | It has always been so. The home language is the last to go. |
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?
“Πόσο καιρό μένεις στην Ελλάδα;” (póso keró ménis stin Eláda?) — How long have you been living in Greece?. 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.