We're coming in the evening in Greek
Agreeing on what to bring when visiting in Greek. 7 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Ερχόμαστε το βράδυ. Τι να φέρουμε;» — We'll come in the evening. What should we bring?; «Τίποτα, όλα έτοιμα. Το τραπέζι είναι στρωμένο.» — Nothing, it's all ready. The table is set. 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: agreeing on what to bring when visiting. 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.
- Ερχόμαστε το βράδυ. Τι να φέρουμε;erkhómaste to vrádi. ti na férume?We'll come in the evening. What should we bring?
- Τίποτα, όλα έτοιμα. Το τραπέζι είναι στρωμένο.típota, óla étima. to trapézi íne stroménoNothing, it's all ready. The table is set.
- Έτσι δεν γίνεται. Ένα μπουκέτο τουλάχιστον.étsi den yínete. éna bukéto tulákhistonThat won't do. At least a bunch of flowers.
- Καλά. Αλλά όχι χρήματα σε φάκελο, δεν είναι γάμος.kalá. alá ókhi khrímata se fákelo, den íne gámosFine. But no money in an envelope — this isn't a wedding.
- Να βγάλουμε τα παπούτσια στην πόρτα;na vgálume ta papútsia stin pórta?Do we take our shoes off at the door?
- Όπως θέλετε. Εδώ δεν είναι υποχρεωτικό, αλλά έτσι συνηθίζεται.ópos thélete. edó den íne ipokhreotikó, alá étsi sinithízeteAs you like. It's not required here, but it's the custom.
- Τότε τα λέμε στις οκτώ. Θα είμαστε στην ώρα μας.tóte ta léme stis októ. tha ímaste stin óra masThen see you by eight. We'll be on time.
Lines one by one
| Greek | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Ερχόμαστε το βράδυ. Τι να φέρουμε; | erkhómaste to vrádi. ti na férume? | We'll come in the evening. What should we bring? |
| Τίποτα, όλα έτοιμα. Το τραπέζι είναι στρωμένο. | típota, óla étima. to trapézi íne stroméno | Nothing, it's all ready. The table is set. |
| Έτσι δεν γίνεται. Ένα μπουκέτο τουλάχιστον. | étsi den yínete. éna bukéto tulákhiston | That won't do. At least a bunch of flowers. |
| Καλά. Αλλά όχι χρήματα σε φάκελο, δεν είναι γάμος. | kalá. alá ókhi khrímata se fákelo, den íne gámos | Fine. But no money in an envelope — this isn't a wedding. |
| Να βγάλουμε τα παπούτσια στην πόρτα; | na vgálume ta papútsia stin pórta? | Do we take our shoes off at the door? |
| Όπως θέλετε. Εδώ δεν είναι υποχρεωτικό, αλλά έτσι συνηθίζεται. | ópos thélete. edó den íne ipokhreotikó, alá étsi sinithízete | As you like. It's not required here, but it's the custom. |
| Τότε τα λέμε στις οκτώ. Θα είμαστε στην ώρα μας. | tóte ta léme stis októ. tha ímaste stin óra mas | Then see you by eight. We'll be on time. |
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?
“Ερχόμαστε το βράδυ. Τι να φέρουμε;” (erkhómaste to vrádi. ti na férume?) — We'll come in the evening. What should we bring?. 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.