How old is he? in Greek
Meeting the neighbors' children in the yard in Greek. 7 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Αυτά είναι τα παιδιά σου; Πόσων χρονών είναι;» — Are these your children? How old are they?; «Το αγόρι είναι δέκα και το κορίτσι επτά.» — The boy is ten, and the girl is seven. 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: meeting the neighbors' children in the yard. 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.
- Αυτά είναι τα παιδιά σου; Πόσων χρονών είναι;aftá íne ta pediá su? póson khronón íne?Are these your children? How old are they?
- Το αγόρι είναι δέκα και το κορίτσι επτά.to agóri íne déka ke to korítsi eptáThe boy is ten, and the girl is seven.
- Η κόρη μου είναι στην ίδια ηλικία. Παίζουν μαζί;i kóri mu íne stin ídia ilikía. pézun mazí?My daughter is the same age. Do they play together?
- Κάθε απόγευμα στην αυλή, με τον ξάδελφό τους.káthe apóyevma stin avlí, me ton ksádelfó tusEvery day after lunch in the yard, with their cousin.
- Και ο μεγάλος σου; Είναι ήδη έφηβος;ke o megálos su? íne ídi éfivos?And your eldest? Is he a teenager already?
- Ναι, δεκαπέντε. Το καλοκαίρι μένει με τη γιαγιά.ne, dekapénde. to kalokéri méni me ti yayiáYes, fifteen. In summer he lives at his grandmother's.
- Τυχεροί. Οι δικοί μου συγγενείς μένουν πολύ μακριά.tikherí. i dikí mu singenís ménun polí makriáLucky you. My relatives live very far away.
Lines one by one
| Greek | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Αυτά είναι τα παιδιά σου; Πόσων χρονών είναι; | aftá íne ta pediá su? póson khronón íne? | Are these your children? How old are they? |
| Το αγόρι είναι δέκα και το κορίτσι επτά. | to agóri íne déka ke to korítsi eptá | The boy is ten, and the girl is seven. |
| Η κόρη μου είναι στην ίδια ηλικία. Παίζουν μαζί; | i kóri mu íne stin ídia ilikía. pézun mazí? | My daughter is the same age. Do they play together? |
| Κάθε απόγευμα στην αυλή, με τον ξάδελφό τους. | káthe apóyevma stin avlí, me ton ksádelfó tus | Every day after lunch in the yard, with their cousin. |
| Και ο μεγάλος σου; Είναι ήδη έφηβος; | ke o megálos su? íne ídi éfivos? | And your eldest? Is he a teenager already? |
| Ναι, δεκαπέντε. Το καλοκαίρι μένει με τη γιαγιά. | ne, dekapénde. to kalokéri méni me ti yayiá | Yes, fifteen. In summer he lives at his grandmother's. |
| Τυχεροί. Οι δικοί μου συγγενείς μένουν πολύ μακριά. | tikherí. i dikí mu singenís ménun polí makriá | Lucky you. My relatives live very far away. |
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?
“Αυτά είναι τα παιδιά σου; Πόσων χρονών είναι;” (aftá íne ta pediá su? póson khronón íne?) — Are these your children? How old are they?. 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.