LingoflyPhrases that save you in Greek
15 words in Greek on the topic “phrases that save you”: Δεν καταλαβαίνω (den katalavéno) — I don't understand, Επαναλάβετε, παρακαλώ (epanalávete, parakaló) — please repeat, αργά (argá) — slowly, Βοήθεια! (voíthia) — help! 15 words can be played from recordings.
15 words on the topic
- Δεν καταλαβαίνωden katalavénoI don't understandnegation is a separate word, den, placed before the verb — no prefixes here. Remove den and you get I understand
- Επαναλάβετε, παρακαλώepanalávete, parakalóplease repeatthe polite plural imperative of 'repeat'. In conversation people more often say Páli, parakaló — again, please
- αργάargáslowlyboth 'slowly' and 'late': argá to vrádi — late in the evening. The classic request: pio argá, parakaló — more slowly, please
- Βοήθεια!voíthiahelp!shouted as a noun — help! — not as a verb. The β reads v: vo-EE-thia
- ΧάθηκαkháthikaI'm lostfrom chánome, to get lost, about a person. About a thing you say it differently: ékhasa to klidí — I lost the key
- Περιμένετε λίγοperiménete lígowait a minuteliterally 'wait a little'. To your own people: perímene lígo
- Δεν μπορώ να ανοίξωden boró na aníksoI can't open itGreek has no infinitive: after boró comes na plus a personal form
- Χρειάζομαι γιατρόkhriázome yatróI need a doctorkhriázome means to need; the object form follows straight away, with no preposition
- Προσοχή!prosokhí!cautionprinted on signs and announced in the metro. Literally 'attention'
- επικίνδυνοepikíndinodangerfrom kíndynos, danger. On signs it stands in the neuter
- Καλέστε την αστυνομίαkaléste tin astinomíacall the policethe police number is 100. Astinomía is from ásty, city, and nómos, law
- Έχασα το διαβατήριό μουékhasa to diavatírió muI lost my passportdiavatírio comes from diavéno, to cross: the document for crossing a border
- Δεν νιώθω καλάden niótho kaláI feel badniótho means to feel. Literally 'I do not feel well'
- Μην αγγίζετεmin angízetedo not touchthe ban is built with min, not den: den is plain negation
- Μιλάτε αγγλικά;miláte anglikádo you speak English?the question mark is a raised semicolon. To a friend: milás angliká?
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How it sounds in a sentence
A word list is a blank. Conversation is made of sentences, and these are the ones the words fit into most often.
What is worth knowing about these words
Δεν καταλαβαίνω (den katalavéno) — I don't understand. Negation is a separate word, den, placed before the verb — no prefixes here. Remove den and you get I understand.
Επαναλάβετε, παρακαλώ (epanalávete, parakaló) — please repeat. The polite plural imperative of 'repeat'. In conversation people more often say Páli, parakaló — again, please.
αργά (argá) — slowly. Both 'slowly' and 'late': argá to vrádi — late in the evening. The classic request: pio argá, parakaló — more slowly, please.
Βοήθεια! (voíthia) — help! Shouted as a noun — help! — not as a verb. The β reads v: vo-EE-thia.
Test yourself
First by ear — the way you will meet the word in conversation. Click the speaker and pick the translation.
- What is this word?
It is Δεν καταλαβαίνω (den katalavéno) — I don't understand.
- What is this word?
It is Χρειάζομαι γιατρό (khriázome yatró) — I need a doctor.
- What is this word?
It is Μιλάτε αγγλικά; (miláte angliká) — do you speak English?
- What is this word?
It is Δεν μπορώ να ανοίξω (den boró na aníkso) — I can't open it.
- What is this word?
It is Μην αγγίζετε (min angízete) — do not touch.
Now the other way around: recall the spelling from the meaning. That is harder, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “I don't understand” in Greek?
negation is a separate word, den, placed before the verb — no prefixes here. Remove den and you get I understand
- How do you say “I need a doctor” in Greek?
khriázome means to need; the object form follows straight away, with no preposition
- How do you say “do you speak English?” in Greek?
the question mark is a raised semicolon. To a friend: milás angliká?
- How do you say “I can't open it” in Greek?
Greek has no infinitive: after boró comes na plus a personal form
- How do you say “do not touch” in Greek?
the ban is built with min, not den: den is plain negation
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
“I don't understand”, “say that again”, “slower, please”, “help”. They are learned first for a reason: they bring back a conversation that has already gone wrong.
A list is read in a minute and forgotten in a day. What works: hide the translation, try to recall, get it wrong — and come back to the same words tomorrow.
- Recalling beats re-reading. Covering the translation and trying to remember it does more than reading it ten more times.checked many timesAdesope, Trevisan & Sundararajan, 2017, Review of Educational Research 87(3) · 188 experiments, 272 comparisons. g = 0.61; against plain re-reading 0.51, against passive review 0.93.
- Study spread over days wins not only in experiments but in ordinary classrooms, with real students.checked many timesMawson & Kang, 2025, Behavioral Sciences 15(6):771 · 22 studies, d = 0.54 (confidence interval 0.31–0.77). The authors warn that individual studies disagree widely.
Frequently asked
How do you say “I don't understand” in Greek?
«Δεν καταλαβαίνω» (den katalavéno), read “den katalavéno”. Negation is a separate word, den, placed before the verb — no prefixes here. Remove den and you get I understand. It is one of 15 words in the set “phrases that save you” — the rest are in the table above.
How many emergency phrases do you need to start?
The whole set on this page is 15 words, but there is no need to start with all of it: the words you will need in the next few days are enough. Take them a few at a time — five to seven new ones per session.
Is there audio?
Yes, 15 words on this page can be played — click the speaker next to the word. The sound works on any phone, and nothing needs to be installed.