Who is he? in Greek
Describing a person the other one can't place in Greek. 7 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Θυμάσαι τον Νίκο; Ήταν στο τραπέζι μαζί μας.» — Do you remember Nikos? He sat at our table.; «Ποιος από τους δύο; Ο ψηλός με τα σγουρά;» — Which of the two? The tall one with curls? 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: describing a person the other one can't place. 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.
- Θυμάσαι τον Νίκο; Ήταν στο τραπέζι μαζί μας.thimáse ton Níko? ítan sto trapézi mazí masDo you remember Nikos? He sat at our table.
- Ποιος από τους δύο; Ο ψηλός με τα σγουρά;pios apó tus dío? o psilós me ta zgurá?Which of the two? The tall one with curls?
- Όχι, ο άλλος. Μεσαίου αναστήματος, με γένια.ókhi, o álos. meséu anastímatos, me yéniaNo, the other one. Medium height, with a beard.
- Α, ο κοινωνικός που μιλούσε συνέχεια;a, o kinonikós pu milúse sinékhia?Ah, the sociable one, who talked all the time?
- Αυτός. Λίγο φλύαρος, αλλά πολύ καλός άνθρωπος.aftós. lígo flíaros, alá polí kalós ánthroposThat's the one. A bit talkative, but a very good person.
- Τώρα τον θυμήθηκα. Μου άρεσε η αίσθηση του χιούμορ του.tóra ton thimíthika. mu árese i ésthisi tu khiúmor tuNow I remember. I liked his sense of humor.
- Θα έρθει και την Κυριακή. Θα τα πείτε.tha érthi ke tin Kiriakí. tha ta píteHe'll come on Sunday too. You'll have your talk.
Lines one by one
| Greek | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Θυμάσαι τον Νίκο; Ήταν στο τραπέζι μαζί μας. | thimáse ton Níko? ítan sto trapézi mazí mas | Do you remember Nikos? He sat at our table. |
| Ποιος από τους δύο; Ο ψηλός με τα σγουρά; | pios apó tus dío? o psilós me ta zgurá? | Which of the two? The tall one with curls? |
| Όχι, ο άλλος. Μεσαίου αναστήματος, με γένια. | ókhi, o álos. meséu anastímatos, me yénia | No, the other one. Medium height, with a beard. |
| Α, ο κοινωνικός που μιλούσε συνέχεια; | a, o kinonikós pu milúse sinékhia? | Ah, the sociable one, who talked all the time? |
| Αυτός. Λίγο φλύαρος, αλλά πολύ καλός άνθρωπος. | aftós. lígo flíaros, alá polí kalós ánthropos | That's the one. A bit talkative, but a very good person. |
| Τώρα τον θυμήθηκα. Μου άρεσε η αίσθηση του χιούμορ του. | tóra ton thimíthika. mu árese i ésthisi tu khiúmor tu | Now I remember. I liked his sense of humor. |
| Θα έρθει και την Κυριακή. Θα τα πείτε. | tha érthi ke tin Kiriakí. tha ta píte | He'll come on Sunday too. You'll have your talk. |
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?
“Θυμάσαι τον Νίκο; Ήταν στο τραπέζι μαζί μας.” (thimáse ton Níko? ítan sto trapézi mazí mas) — Do you remember Nikos? He sat at our table.. 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.