A1
Lesson 2 · Προσωπικές πληροφορίες — Personal information
A first polite conversation: names, where you are from, and what you do.
Read each line aloud: the sentence, how it sounds, then what it means.
Γεια σας! Πώς σας λένε;
Yia sas! Pos sas léne?
Hello! What is your name?
Με λένε Γιώργο. Εσάς;
Me léne Yiórgo. Esás?
My name is Giorgos. And you?
Μαρία. Από πού είστε;
María. Apó pou íste?
Maria. Where are you from?
Είμαι από την Ελλάδα, από τη Θεσσαλονίκη. Εσείς;
Íme apó tin Eláda, apó ti Thessaloníki. Esís?
I am from Greece, from Thessaloniki. And you?
Είμαι από το Βιετνάμ. Μένω στην Αθήνα τώρα.
Íme apó to Vietnám. Méno stin Athína tóra.
I am from Vietnam. I live in Athens now.
Τι δουλειά κάνετε;
Ti douliá kánete?
What do you do for a living?
Είμαι δασκάλα. Εσείς;
Íme daskála. Esís?
I am a teacher. And you?
Είμαι γιατρός. Μιλάτε ελληνικά πολύ καλά!
Íme yiatrós. Miláte eliniká polí kalá!
I am a doctor. You speak Greek very well!
Ευχαριστώ! Μαθαίνω ελληνικά.
Efharistó! Mathéno eliniká.
Thank you! I am learning Greek.
Grammar notes
Speaking politely — the plural you
To a stranger, use the plural: Πώς σας λένε; Από πού είστε; Τι δουλειά κάνετε; With friends it is the singular: Πώς σε λένε; Από πού είσαι;
από — from, and its article
The article after από changes with the noun: από την Ελλάδα (feminine), από το Βιετνάμ (neuter), από τον Πειραιά (masculine).
Verbs ending in -ω
Most verbs end in -ω for I: μένω (I live), δουλεύω (I work), μαθαίνω (I learn). For you it becomes -εις: μένεις, δουλεύεις.
A job needs no a
Είμαι δασκάλα = I am a teacher — Greek leaves out a. Many jobs have two forms: δάσκαλος (m) / δασκάλα (f).
Three things about the culture
A surname tells you where the family is from
Greek surnames carry a map inside them. An ending in -άκης points to Crete, -όπουλος to the Peloponnese, -ίδης or -άδης to families who came from Pontus and Asia Minor, and -άτος to Cephalonia. Greeks read each other's origins the moment they are introduced.
Children are named after their grandparents
The first son traditionally takes the name of his father's father, and the first daughter that of his father's mother. It is why a single family gathering can hold four people called Γιώργος — and why nicknames do so much work in Greece.
Women keep their own surname
Since the family law reform of 1983, a Greek woman keeps the surname she was born with for life. Married couples routinely have two different surnames, and the children usually take the father's.
Now lock in the words
This lesson has its own flashcard folder — every new word and grammar point from the conversation.
Study this lesson's cards