The interview in Greek
A job interview in Greek. 7 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Καλησπέρα. Πείτε μου λίγα λόγια για τον εαυτό σας.» — Good evening. Tell us a little about yourself.; «Δουλεύω πέντε χρόνια στον ίδιο τομέα. Έχω κάνει και πρακτική άσκηση εδώ.» — I've been working in this field for five years. And I did my internship here. 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 job interview. 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. Πείτε μου λίγα λόγια για τον εαυτό σας.kalispéra. píte mu líga lóya ya ton eaftó sasGood evening. Tell us a little about yourself.
- Δουλεύω πέντε χρόνια στον ίδιο τομέα. Έχω κάνει και πρακτική άσκηση εδώ.dulévo pénde khrónia ston ídio toméa. ékho káni ke praktikí áskisi edóI've been working in this field for five years. And I did my internship here.
- Γιατί αφήσατε την προηγούμενη θέση;yatí afísate tin proigúmeni thési?Why did you leave your previous position?
- Έγινε μείωση προσωπικού. Δεν ήταν δική μου απόφαση.éyine míosi prosopikú. den ítan dikí mu apófasiThere were layoffs. It wasn't my decision.
- Ξέρετε να δουλεύετε με προθεσμίες;ksérete na dulévete me prothezmíes?Do you know how to work to deadlines?
- Ναι. Στο τελευταίο έργο είχα την ευθύνη της παράδοσης.ne. sto teleftéo érgo íkha tin efthíni tis parádosisYes. In my last project I was in charge of the handover.
- Ωραία. Η δοκιμαστική περίοδος είναι τρεις μήνες.oréa. i dokimastikí períodos íne tris mínesGood. The probation period is three months.
Lines one by one
| Greek | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Καλησπέρα. Πείτε μου λίγα λόγια για τον εαυτό σας. | kalispéra. píte mu líga lóya ya ton eaftó sas | Good evening. Tell us a little about yourself. |
| Δουλεύω πέντε χρόνια στον ίδιο τομέα. Έχω κάνει και πρακτική άσκηση εδώ. | dulévo pénde khrónia ston ídio toméa. ékho káni ke praktikí áskisi edó | I've been working in this field for five years. And I did my internship here. |
| Γιατί αφήσατε την προηγούμενη θέση; | yatí afísate tin proigúmeni thési? | Why did you leave your previous position? |
| Έγινε μείωση προσωπικού. Δεν ήταν δική μου απόφαση. | éyine míosi prosopikú. den ítan dikí mu apófasi | There were layoffs. It wasn't my decision. |
| Ξέρετε να δουλεύετε με προθεσμίες; | ksérete na dulévete me prothezmíes? | Do you know how to work to deadlines? |
| Ναι. Στο τελευταίο έργο είχα την ευθύνη της παράδοσης. | ne. sto teleftéo érgo íkha tin efthíni tis parádosis | Yes. In my last project I was in charge of the handover. |
| Ωραία. Η δοκιμαστική περίοδος είναι τρεις μήνες. | oréa. i dokimastikí períodos íne tris mínes | Good. The probation period is three months. |
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. Πείτε μου λίγα λόγια για τον εαυτό σας.” (kalispéra. píte mu líga lóya ya ton eaftó sas) — Good evening. Tell us a little about yourself.. 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.