# "You'll be amazed how far a little Greek will go ..."



## MacManiac (Jan 25, 2012)

In preparation for moving to Cyprus, I have been listening to podcasts from Survivalphrases.com in Greek whilst exercising at the gym (which makes me sound very virtuous). Each lesson starts off with the exhortation that "You'll be amazed at how far a little Greek will go" and I cannot help giggling when I hear this.

I know that Cypriot Greek is slightly different from Greek Greek, but it does help us listening and practising phrases to get our ears adjusted to the language.

I suppose I am now wondering just how far a little Greek will go ...


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## Pam n Dave (Jun 11, 2007)

It does go a long way, we've made the effort to learn a little and the rewards are sometimes really surprising.


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## DH59 (Feb 23, 2010)

When we used to visit Cyprus in 'the old days' a little Greek earned us free desserts, drinks, etc, but the last time we came - back in January - it didn't seem to work as well, probably because half the waiting staff are not actually Greek!


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## MacManiac (Jan 25, 2012)

I am hoping that years of studying Classical Greek and Latin may pay dividends but that was forty years ago. We just want to make our transition as smooth as possible in the early days. We would both like to learn Cypriot Greek when we arrive, as - if we intend to spend the rest of our lives on the island - we think we should. But learning a raft of East European languages in order to order food and drink in restaurants and bars is, undoubtedly, beyond us. Here's hoping our mental faculties are up to it.

We understand from many on this forum that an ability to speak Cypriot Greek is not an absolute essential to get by but it would be hypocritical of us not to try, as I particularly get irritated by immigrants to the UK not attempting to learn English.

Only time will tell how successful we will be.


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## Pam n Dave (Jun 11, 2007)

We were irritated by immigrants not learning the language, living in their own communities and not attempting to integrate in the UK so made a decision to live in a village and learn Greek.

We live just outside the village and our Greek is hopeless but the fact that we are trying has paid real dividends.


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## DH59 (Feb 23, 2010)

I think it is appreciated when you try to speak the language. We will definitely be brushing up our (very rusty) Greek before moving out there (which will not be too long, hopefully). But, no, I will not be learning Russian, Polish, Romanian, etc.


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## Guest (Jun 14, 2012)

Noone asks you to learn these languages. You see all these other nationalities are as you really guests to the island. They also have to and will learn some Greek in the long run and then you will be able to communicate.


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## Veronica (Apr 5, 2008)

Most of the Eastern europeans who work in shops and restaurants etc speak English. In fact I havn't come across any that don't. Probably speaking English is a pre-requisite for getting these jobs. 
In Limassol it seems to be a bit different as thy seem to be catering more and more for the Russian market. We went into a restaurant there and everything was in Greek and Russian, No english on the menu at all. Luckily I was able to make out enough from my bit of Greek to know what was on offer.


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## dave&carrie (Oct 20, 2010)

True Cypriots are delighted when you speak a few words of their language.


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## DH59 (Feb 23, 2010)

Vegaanders said:


> Noone asks you to learn these languages. You see all these other nationalities are as you really guests to the island. They also have to and will learn some Greek in the long run and then you will be able to communicate.


True, and as Veronica says, most of them speak English anyway. It was a lady serving in a supermarket that made me wonder how many non-Greeks are in shops and bars, etc. A customer in front of us had struck up a conversation with her, which I didn't really hear, and I heard her mention she was Romanian.

Although one of the maids in our apartments was Russian, and she didn't speak a word of Greek or English.


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## Guest (Jun 14, 2012)

DH59 said:


> True, and as Veronica says, most of them speak English anyway. It was a lady serving in a supermarket that made me wonder how many non-Greeks are in shops and bars, etc. A customer in front of us had struck up a conversation with her, which I didn't really hear, and I heard her mention she was Romanian.
> 
> Although one of the maids in our apartments was Russian, and she didn't speak a word of Greek or English.


These jobs seem to be not wanted by the cypriots so east europeans have to do them instead


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## Pam n Dave (Jun 11, 2007)

We went out for a meal with a Cypriot friend yesterday to a place were we are friendly with the restaurant owner. We normally try out our Greek and the Cypriots love to try their English.

The two Cypriots got into a muddle and finished up speaking English to each other, loads of laughter all round.


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## funmate (Jun 14, 2012)

Hahaha, True, But now more like 99% of the waiting staff is Not Greek.


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## Anna-bel (Jun 17, 2012)

dave&carrie said:


> True Cypriots are delighted when you speak a few words of their language.


In fact, very few are. Even if you speak good Greek, they try to speak to you in their Horrible English - they obviously can not understand How bad it actually is! Only old people in villages prefer to speak Greek (and are usually a pleasure to talk to, if their Cypriot accent / dialect is not Too strong).
Still, it is good to know Greek to understand what is going on around you in case there are any problems. Other than that, it is pretty useless in restaurants / hotels / petrol stations as the majority of stuff are from Eastern Europe - Romania, Bulgaria, Poland, the Baltic states etc.


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## vasiliou (Jun 25, 2012)

There are always opportunities to practice a little Greek, not just in villages. Simply saying hello, please and thank you in Greek in a periptero goes a long way. Also, if you have Cypriot friends with small children it's unlikely the children will speak English and it's very rewarding to be able to make a little small talk with them (no pun intended). Any effort is always appreciated. Being able to say a few pleasantries and read the alphabet is certainly worth the small effort required.


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## Big Mark (Apr 4, 2008)

MacManiac said:


> ... I have been listening to podcasts from Survivalphrases.com in Greek whilst exercising at the gym (which makes me sound very virtuous). Each lesson starts off with the exhortation that *"You'll be amazed at how far a little Greek will go"* and I cannot help giggling when I hear this.
> 
> I know that Cypriot Greek is slightly different from Greek Greek, but it does help us listening and practising phrases to get our ears adjusted to the language.
> 
> I suppose I am now wondering just how far a little Greek will go ...


Speaking modern "Greek" Greek will still be fully understood by Cypriots, it's just a bit more of a challenge to understand them in normal conversation, particularly at full speed. (Understatement is in GREEN )

We visit our ex-pat family in Cyprus very often and intend to move there eventually. Having even a little conversational Greek has made our time there far more enjoyable. The locals REALLY appreciate people who've made an effort to learn their language. We find ourselves seeking out Cypriot owned and staffed shops, restaurants and bars as an opportunity to practise our still limited vocabulary and phrases.

My wife & I have been going to Greek Lessons run by the Adult Education Center in the UK for a few seasons and it has helped us tremendously. 

Within the first few weeks we could phonetically read almost anything in Greek, not that we could understand much of it then. The perceived barrier of the different alphabet really isn't as big a deal as people might think.

If anyone wants to take the first steps into understanding written Greek, the Greek Alphabet is obviously the first nut to crack, I made a reference sheet for myself, and others have found helpful too. I've uploaded it here MacOCD's Greek Alphabet Sheet. It uses colours to differentiate the letters that are the same, those that look the same but sound different, and those with symbols that don't appear in the English Alphabet.

With the alphabet worked out, those symbols all around you in menus and shops start to make sense. Pronunciation is far easier than in English, you are told where the emphasis is on a word by the accent over a vowel. 

As far as the spoken word, I've also looked at a couple of "Teach Yourself Greek" CD Audiobook courses, particularly the BBC's "Get by Greek" and the Michel Thomas Method "Greek Foundation Course".

The BBC one was OK, it comes with a really useful book, but I couldn't always make out what they were saying. The Michel Thomas Method however is excellent, the teacher, Hara Garoufalia-Middle has a wonderfully clear diction to her voice. This makes it really easy to understand what she is saying. I also like the "no writing or notes" method, it really worked for me. It's a little expensive, can get quite complex and doesn't focus very widely on vocabulary, but it's totally worth it. Best value for money Greek language learning I've experienced.

For the _Complete Beginner_ there is also the Michel Thomas Greek Introductory Course, I don't know what that's like, I found the Foundation Course to be a suitable beginning point.

Don't let the 18 words for 'the' that you have to put in the right context and gender put you off , they'll still understand you. 

Good luck,

Mark.


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## MacManiac (Jan 25, 2012)

Thanks for that, Mark. We both fully intend to learn as much Greek as possible, and hope the Government-sponsored courses for non-Greek speakers in Cyprus continue to be funded. I'll investigate the ideas you mention, and am really grateful for the information.


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## Pam n Dave (Jun 11, 2007)

We've done the Earworms and the Michelle Thomas courses plus the EU sponsored course.

They all have their good and bad points but they make a change from each other.


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## Uk-Scots (Jun 28, 2012)

We are moving over at the end of August with our 2 young children and been trying to learn some of the language, I have also used Earworms which I think is very good as it seems to stick with you better as also using Learn Direct online but doesn't seem to have the same impact. 
I think it is always a good idea to learn the basics as you never know when you will be in a situation that you may need it.


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## MacManiac (Jan 25, 2012)

Many thanks for the tip regarding the Michel Thomas course. Both Ann and I have it on iPhones and IPads and iPods at home, as a result of this thread, and I have to say it is terrific. I know we all have different learning styles but this suits us down to the ground.


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