Which bus? in Greek
Asking the way at the bus stop in Greek. 7 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Συγγνώμη, ποιο λεωφορείο πάει στο κέντρο;» — Excuse me, which bus goes downtown?; «Το δεκαπέντε. Η στάση είναι απέναντι από την τράπεζα.» — The fifteen. The stop is across from the bank. 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: asking the way at the bus stop. 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.
- Συγγνώμη, ποιο λεωφορείο πάει στο κέντρο;signómi, pio leoforío pái sto kéndro?Excuse me, which bus goes downtown?
- Το δεκαπέντε. Η στάση είναι απέναντι από την τράπεζα.to dekapénde. i stási íne apénandi apó tin trápezaThe fifteen. The stop is across from the bank.
- Δηλαδή πρέπει να περάσω απέναντι από τον δρόμο;diladí prépi na peráso apénandi apó ton drómo?So I need to cross the road?
- Ναι, στη διασταύρωση. Δίπλα στο φανάρι θα δείτε το παγκάκι.ne, sti diastávrosi. dípla sto fanári tha díte to pangákiYes, at the crossing. By the traffic light you'll see a bench.
- Είναι μακριά από δω το κέντρο;íne makriá apó do to kéndro?Is downtown far from here?
- Έξι στάσεις. Στην ώρα αιχμής αργεί, με τα πόδια είναι μισή ώρα.éksi stásis. stin óra ekhmís aryí, me ta pódia íne misí óraSix stops. At rush hour it goes slowly; on foot — half an hour.
- Ευχαριστώ πολύ. Θα περπατήσω, έχει ήλιο.efkharistó polí. tha perpatíso, ékhi ílioThank you very much. I'll walk — it's sunny.
Lines one by one
| Greek | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Συγγνώμη, ποιο λεωφορείο πάει στο κέντρο; | signómi, pio leoforío pái sto kéndro? | Excuse me, which bus goes downtown? |
| Το δεκαπέντε. Η στάση είναι απέναντι από την τράπεζα. | to dekapénde. i stási íne apénandi apó tin trápeza | The fifteen. The stop is across from the bank. |
| Δηλαδή πρέπει να περάσω απέναντι από τον δρόμο; | diladí prépi na peráso apénandi apó ton drómo? | So I need to cross the road? |
| Ναι, στη διασταύρωση. Δίπλα στο φανάρι θα δείτε το παγκάκι. | ne, sti diastávrosi. dípla sto fanári tha díte to pangáki | Yes, at the crossing. By the traffic light you'll see a bench. |
| Είναι μακριά από δω το κέντρο; | íne makriá apó do to kéndro? | Is downtown far from here? |
| Έξι στάσεις. Στην ώρα αιχμής αργεί, με τα πόδια είναι μισή ώρα. | éksi stásis. stin óra ekhmís aryí, me ta pódia íne misí óra | Six stops. At rush hour it goes slowly; on foot — half an hour. |
| Ευχαριστώ πολύ. Θα περπατήσω, έχει ήλιο. | efkharistó polí. tha perpatíso, ékhi ílio | Thank you very much. I'll walk — it's sunny. |
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?
“Συγγνώμη, ποιο λεωφορείο πάει στο κέντρο;” (signómi, pio leoforío pái sto kéndro?) — Excuse me, which bus goes downtown?. 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.