Where is the town hall? in Greek
The way to the town hall and sending a parcel in Greek. 7 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Συγγνώμη, ξέρετε πού είναι το δημαρχείο;» — Excuse me, do you happen to know where the town hall is?; «Μετά το φανάρι, δίπλα στη βιβλιοθήκη.» — After the traffic light, next to the library. 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 way to the town hall and sending a parcel. 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.
- Συγγνώμη, ξέρετε πού είναι το δημαρχείο;signómi, ksérete pu íne to dimarkhío?Excuse me, do you happen to know where the town hall is?
- Μετά το φανάρι, δίπλα στη βιβλιοθήκη.metá to fanári, dípla sti vivliothíkiAfter the traffic light, next to the library.
- Να πάω με τα πόδια ή με το λεωφορείο;na páo me ta pódia i me to leoforío?Should I walk, or take the bus?
- Με τα πόδια, δέκα λεπτά. Η στάση είναι πιο μακριά.me ta pódia, déka leptá. i stási íne pio makriáWalk, ten minutes. The stop is further on.
- Και πού μπορώ να στείλω ένα δέμα;ke pu boró na stílo éna déma?And where can I send a parcel?
- Στο ίδιο κτίριο, δεξιά από την είσοδο. Ανοίγει στις οκτώ.sto ídio ktírio, deksiá apó tin ísodo. aníyi stis októIn the same building, to the right of the entrance. It opens at eight.
- Τέλεια, θα περάσω το πρωί. Ευχαριστώ πολύ.télia, tha peráso to proí. efkharistó políGreat, I'll come by in the morning. Thank you very much.
Lines one by one
| Greek | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Συγγνώμη, ξέρετε πού είναι το δημαρχείο; | signómi, ksérete pu íne to dimarkhío? | Excuse me, do you happen to know where the town hall is? |
| Μετά το φανάρι, δίπλα στη βιβλιοθήκη. | metá to fanári, dípla sti vivliothíki | After the traffic light, next to the library. |
| Να πάω με τα πόδια ή με το λεωφορείο; | na páo me ta pódia i me to leoforío? | Should I walk, or take the bus? |
| Με τα πόδια, δέκα λεπτά. Η στάση είναι πιο μακριά. | me ta pódia, déka leptá. i stási íne pio makriá | Walk, ten minutes. The stop is further on. |
| Και πού μπορώ να στείλω ένα δέμα; | ke pu boró na stílo éna déma? | And where can I send a parcel? |
| Στο ίδιο κτίριο, δεξιά από την είσοδο. Ανοίγει στις οκτώ. | sto ídio ktírio, deksiá apó tin ísodo. aníyi stis októ | In the same building, to the right of the entrance. It opens at eight. |
| Τέλεια, θα περάσω το πρωί. Ευχαριστώ πολύ. | télia, tha peráso to proí. efkharistó polí | Great, I'll come by in the morning. 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?
“Συγγνώμη, ξέρετε πού είναι το δημαρχείο;” (signómi, ksérete pu íne to dimarkhío?) — Excuse me, do you happen to know where the town hall is?. 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.