At the bank in Greek
A talk about a loan and installments in Greek. 7 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Καλησπέρα. Θέλω να ρωτήσω για στεγαστικό δάνειο.» — Good evening. I'd like to ask about a mortgage.; «Έχετε λογαριασμό σε εμάς;» — Do you have an account with us? 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 a loan and installments. 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. Θέλω να ρωτήσω για στεγαστικό δάνειο.kalispéra. thélo na rotíso ya stegastikó dánioGood evening. I'd like to ask about a mortgage.
- Έχετε λογαριασμό σε εμάς;ékhete logariazmó se emás?Do you have an account with us?
- Ναι, τρία χρόνια. Ο μισθός μου κατατίθεται εδώ.ne, tría khrónia. o misthós mu katatíthete edóYes, three years. My salary comes here.
- Ωραία. Πόσα χρειάζεστε και για πόσα χρόνια;oréa. pósa khriázeste ke ya pósa khrónia?Good. How much, and for how many years?
- Εκατό χιλιάδες, σε είκοσι χρόνια. Πόσο είναι η δόση;ekató khiliádes, se íkosi khrónia. póso íne i dósi?A hundred thousand over twenty years. What would the payment be?
- Περίπου πεντακόσια τον μήνα. Οι τόκοι είναι σταθεροί.perípu pendakósia ton mína. i tóki íne statheríAbout five hundred a month. The interest is fixed.
- Και αν καθυστερήσω μια πληρωμή;ke an kathisteríso mia pliromí?And if I miss a payment?
Lines one by one
| Greek | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Καλησπέρα. Θέλω να ρωτήσω για στεγαστικό δάνειο. | kalispéra. thélo na rotíso ya stegastikó dánio | Good evening. I'd like to ask about a mortgage. |
| Έχετε λογαριασμό σε εμάς; | ékhete logariazmó se emás? | Do you have an account with us? |
| Ναι, τρία χρόνια. Ο μισθός μου κατατίθεται εδώ. | ne, tría khrónia. o misthós mu katatíthete edó | Yes, three years. My salary comes here. |
| Ωραία. Πόσα χρειάζεστε και για πόσα χρόνια; | oréa. pósa khriázeste ke ya pósa khrónia? | Good. How much, and for how many years? |
| Εκατό χιλιάδες, σε είκοσι χρόνια. Πόσο είναι η δόση; | ekató khiliádes, se íkosi khrónia. póso íne i dósi? | A hundred thousand over twenty years. What would the payment be? |
| Περίπου πεντακόσια τον μήνα. Οι τόκοι είναι σταθεροί. | perípu pendakósia ton mína. i tóki íne statherí | About five hundred a month. The interest is fixed. |
| Και αν καθυστερήσω μια πληρωμή; | ke an kathisteríso mia pliromí? | And if I miss a payment? |
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. Θέλω να ρωτήσω για στεγαστικό δάνειο.” (kalispéra. thélo na rotíso ya stegastikó dánio) — Good evening. I'd like to ask about a mortgage.. 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.