Renting a car in Greek
Car rental at the airport in Greek. 7 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Καλησπέρα. Έχω κράτηση για ένα μικρό αυτοκίνητο.» — Good evening. I have a booking for a small car.; «Το δίπλωμά σας και μια κάρτα, παρακαλώ.» — Your licence and your card, please. 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: car rental at the airport. 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. Έχω κράτηση για ένα μικρό αυτοκίνητο.kalispéra. ékho krátisi ya éna mikró aftokínitoGood evening. I have a booking for a small car.
- Το δίπλωμά σας και μια κάρτα, παρακαλώ.to díplomá sas ke mia kárta, parakalóYour licence and your card, please.
- Ορίστε. Η ασφάλεια περιλαμβάνεται στην τιμή;oríste. i asfália perilamvánete stin timí?Here. Is the insurance included in the price?
- Η βασική ναι. Για τη ρόδα και τα τζάμια πληρώνετε επιπλέον.i vasikí ne. ya ti róda ke ta dzámia plirónete epipléonThe basic one, yes. Wheels and glass cost extra.
- Και το ρεζερβουάρ; Το επιστρέφω γεμάτο;ke to rezervuár? to epistréfo yemáto?And the tank? Should I return it full?
- Γεμάτο. Αλλιώς χρεώνουμε τη βενζίνη πιο ακριβά.yemáto. aliós khreónume ti venzíni pio akriváFull. Otherwise we bill the fuel at a higher price.
- Κατάλαβα. Πού είναι το πάρκινγκ;katálava. pu íne to párking?Understood. Where is the parking lot?
Lines one by one
| Greek | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Καλησπέρα. Έχω κράτηση για ένα μικρό αυτοκίνητο. | kalispéra. ékho krátisi ya éna mikró aftokínito | Good evening. I have a booking for a small car. |
| Το δίπλωμά σας και μια κάρτα, παρακαλώ. | to díplomá sas ke mia kárta, parakaló | Your licence and your card, please. |
| Ορίστε. Η ασφάλεια περιλαμβάνεται στην τιμή; | oríste. i asfália perilamvánete stin timí? | Here. Is the insurance included in the price? |
| Η βασική ναι. Για τη ρόδα και τα τζάμια πληρώνετε επιπλέον. | i vasikí ne. ya ti róda ke ta dzámia plirónete epipléon | The basic one, yes. Wheels and glass cost extra. |
| Και το ρεζερβουάρ; Το επιστρέφω γεμάτο; | ke to rezervuár? to epistréfo yemáto? | And the tank? Should I return it full? |
| Γεμάτο. Αλλιώς χρεώνουμε τη βενζίνη πιο ακριβά. | yemáto. aliós khreónume ti venzíni pio akrivá | Full. Otherwise we bill the fuel at a higher price. |
| Κατάλαβα. Πού είναι το πάρκινγκ; | katálava. pu íne to párking? | Understood. Where is the parking lot? |
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. Έχω κράτηση για ένα μικρό αυτοκίνητο.” (kalispéra. ékho krátisi ya éna mikró aftokínito) — Good evening. I have a booking for a small car.. 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.