My sister is a lawyer in Greek
A talk about professions in the family in Greek. 7 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Τι δουλειά κάνει η αδερφή σου τώρα;» — What does your sister do these days?; «Είναι δικηγόρος σε ένα μεγάλο γραφείο.» — She's a lawyer at a big firm. 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 professions in the family. 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.
- Τι δουλειά κάνει η αδερφή σου τώρα;ti duliá káni i aderfí su tóra?What does your sister do these days?
- Είναι δικηγόρος σε ένα μεγάλο γραφείο.íne dikigóros se éna megálo grafíoShe's a lawyer at a big firm.
- Και ο αδερφός σου; Νόμιζα ότι σπούδαζε ψυχολογία.ke o aderfós su? nómiza óti spúdaze psikholoyíaAnd your brother? I thought he studied to be a psychologist.
- Τελείωσε και δουλεύει ψυχολόγος σε παιδικό σταθμό.telíose ke dulévi psikhológos se pedikó stathmóHe finished his studies and works as a psychologist at a kindergarten.
- Εγώ ψάχνω ακόμα. Είδα μια αγγελία για μεταφραστή.egó psákhno akóma. ída mia angelía ya metafrastíAnd I'm still looking. I saw an ad for a translator.
- Οι αγγελίες συνήθως δεν λένε άντρα ή γυναίκα.i angelíes siníthos den léne ándra i yinékaAds usually don't say whether they want a man or a woman.
- Σωστά. Θα στείλω το βιογραφικό μου απόψε.sostá. tha stílo to viografikó mu apópseRight. I'll send my resume tonight.
Lines one by one
| Greek | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Τι δουλειά κάνει η αδερφή σου τώρα; | ti duliá káni i aderfí su tóra? | What does your sister do these days? |
| Είναι δικηγόρος σε ένα μεγάλο γραφείο. | íne dikigóros se éna megálo grafío | She's a lawyer at a big firm. |
| Και ο αδερφός σου; Νόμιζα ότι σπούδαζε ψυχολογία. | ke o aderfós su? nómiza óti spúdaze psikholoyía | And your brother? I thought he studied to be a psychologist. |
| Τελείωσε και δουλεύει ψυχολόγος σε παιδικό σταθμό. | telíose ke dulévi psikhológos se pedikó stathmó | He finished his studies and works as a psychologist at a kindergarten. |
| Εγώ ψάχνω ακόμα. Είδα μια αγγελία για μεταφραστή. | egó psákhno akóma. ída mia angelía ya metafrastí | And I'm still looking. I saw an ad for a translator. |
| Οι αγγελίες συνήθως δεν λένε άντρα ή γυναίκα. | i angelíes siníthos den léne ándra i yinéka | Ads usually don't say whether they want a man or a woman. |
| Σωστά. Θα στείλω το βιογραφικό μου απόψε. | sostá. tha stílo to viografikó mu apópse | Right. I'll send my resume tonight. |
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?
“Τι δουλειά κάνει η αδερφή σου τώρα;” (ti duliá káni i aderfí su tóra?) — What does your sister do these days?. 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.