At the airport in Greek
Check-in, baggage and a flight delay in Greek. 7 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Καλημέρα. Το διαβατήριό σας, παρακαλώ.» — Good morning. Your passport, please.; «Ορίστε. Έχω μία βαλίτσα και μία χειραποσκευή.» — Here you are. I have one suitcase and carry-on. 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: check-in, baggage and a flight delay. 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. Το διαβατήριό σας, παρακαλώ.kaliméra. to diavatírió sas, parakalóGood morning. Your passport, please.
- Ορίστε. Έχω μία βαλίτσα και μία χειραποσκευή.oríste. ékho mía valítsa ke mía khiraposkevíHere you are. I have one suitcase and carry-on.
- Η βαλίτσα είναι είκοσι τρία κιλά. Εντάξει. Θέλετε θέση στο παράθυρο;i valítsa íne íkosi tría kilá. endáksi. thélete thési sto paráthiro?The suitcase is twenty-three kilos. Fine. Would you like a window seat?
- Ναι, αν γίνεται. Και έχω ανταπόκριση στη Ρώμη.ne, an yínete. ke ékho andapókrisi sti RómiYes, if possible. And I have a connection in Rome.
- Οι αποσκευές πάνε κατευθείαν. Η πύλη είναι η δώδεκα.i aposkevés páne katefthían. i píli íne i dódekaThe luggage goes straight through. Gate twelve.
- Υπάρχει καθυστέρηση;ipárkhi kathistérisi?Is there a delay?
- Μισή ώρα. Η απογείωση είναι στις έντεκα.misí óra. i apoyíosi íne stis éndekaHalf an hour. Takeoff at eleven.
Lines one by one
| Greek | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Καλημέρα. Το διαβατήριό σας, παρακαλώ. | kaliméra. to diavatírió sas, parakaló | Good morning. Your passport, please. |
| Ορίστε. Έχω μία βαλίτσα και μία χειραποσκευή. | oríste. ékho mía valítsa ke mía khiraposkeví | Here you are. I have one suitcase and carry-on. |
| Η βαλίτσα είναι είκοσι τρία κιλά. Εντάξει. Θέλετε θέση στο παράθυρο; | i valítsa íne íkosi tría kilá. endáksi. thélete thési sto paráthiro? | The suitcase is twenty-three kilos. Fine. Would you like a window seat? |
| Ναι, αν γίνεται. Και έχω ανταπόκριση στη Ρώμη. | ne, an yínete. ke ékho andapókrisi sti Rómi | Yes, if possible. And I have a connection in Rome. |
| Οι αποσκευές πάνε κατευθείαν. Η πύλη είναι η δώδεκα. | i aposkevés páne katefthían. i píli íne i dódeka | The luggage goes straight through. Gate twelve. |
| Υπάρχει καθυστέρηση; | ipárkhi kathistérisi? | Is there a delay? |
| Μισή ώρα. Η απογείωση είναι στις έντεκα. | misí óra. i apoyíosi íne stis éndeka | Half an hour. Takeoff at eleven. |
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. Το διαβατήριό σας, παρακαλώ.” (kaliméra. to diavatírió sas, parakaló) — Good morning. Your passport, please.. 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.