In the fitting room in Greek
Trying things on at a clothes shop in Greek. 7 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Καλησπέρα, ψάχνετε κάτι συγκεκριμένο;» — Good evening. Are you looking for anything in particular?; «Ένα μαύρο παντελόνι, μέγεθος σαράντα.» — Black trousers, size forty. 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: trying things on at a clothes shop. 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.
- Καλησπέρα, ψάχνετε κάτι συγκεκριμένο;kalispéra, psákhnete káti singekriméno?Good evening. Are you looking for anything in particular?
- Ένα μαύρο παντελόνι, μέγεθος σαράντα.éna mávro pandelóni, méyethos sarándaBlack trousers, size forty.
- Ορίστε. Το δοκιμαστήριο είναι δεξιά.oríste. to dokimastírio íne deksiáHere. The fitting room is on the right.
- Είναι λίγο στενό. Έχετε πιο φαρδύ;íne lígo stenó. ékhete pio fardí?A bit tight. Do you have them wider?
- Έχω ένα σαράντα δύο, αλλά μόνο σε γκρι.ékho éna saránda dío, alá móno se griThere's a forty-two, but only in grey.
- Το γκρι μού κάνει. Θα το πάρω.to gri mu káni. tha to pároThe grey ones suit me. I'll take them.
- Ωραία. Το ταμείο είναι στην είσοδο.oréa. to tamío íne stin ísodoGreat. The till is by the entrance.
Lines one by one
| Greek | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Καλησπέρα, ψάχνετε κάτι συγκεκριμένο; | kalispéra, psákhnete káti singekriméno? | Good evening. Are you looking for anything in particular? |
| Ένα μαύρο παντελόνι, μέγεθος σαράντα. | éna mávro pandelóni, méyethos saránda | Black trousers, size forty. |
| Ορίστε. Το δοκιμαστήριο είναι δεξιά. | oríste. to dokimastírio íne deksiá | Here. The fitting room is on the right. |
| Είναι λίγο στενό. Έχετε πιο φαρδύ; | íne lígo stenó. ékhete pio fardí? | A bit tight. Do you have them wider? |
| Έχω ένα σαράντα δύο, αλλά μόνο σε γκρι. | ékho éna saránda dío, alá móno se gri | There's a forty-two, but only in grey. |
| Το γκρι μού κάνει. Θα το πάρω. | to gri mu káni. tha to páro | The grey ones suit me. I'll take them. |
| Ωραία. Το ταμείο είναι στην είσοδο. | oréa. to tamío íne stin ísodo | Great. The till is by the entrance. |
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?
“Καλησπέρα, ψάχνετε κάτι συγκεκριμένο;” (kalispéra, psákhnete káti singekriméno?) — Good evening. Are you looking for anything in particular?. 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.