When you are speaking Greek, are you feeling frustrated at what sounds to you as “mechanical speech”? It’s perfectly normal for a person to feel limited in expression in the first years of speaking a foreign language. And it’s not only the grammar and vocabulary that may be missing, but also the flow, the sense of the language, the juicy bits that you know in your own native language, the humor, the nuances: all the things that make a person communicate in a way that matches their thoughts. In this post, I will present 10 expressions that you can use even from level A1 to add flair to your speech.

1. Ας πούμε: let’s say / hypothetically speaking / for example

You can use it in an explanatory way.

Μπορούμε να κάνουμε κάτι ωραίο σήμερα, ας πούμε, να πάμε βόλτα στην παραλία.

2. Γενικά: generally

It is used mainly at the beginning of the sentence.

Γενικά δεν μου αρέσει το κρέας, αλλά καμιά φορά τρώω κοτόπουλο.

3. Πι-χι: for example

It is an abbreviation of the expression παραδείγματος χάρη or για παράδειγμα (for example). It is written π.χ.

Μου αρέσει η ροκ μουσική του ‘90, πχ οι Nirvana, οι Pearl Jam..

4. Iσχύει / όντως: indeed / it is true

They are used by people mostly under 50 to express agreement. They are used as standalone words.

– Δεν ξέρω γιατί, αλλά όλοι είναι άρρωστοι εδώ και 10 μέρες. Είναι η εποχή. – Ισχύει.

5. Μπορεί: maybe

Μπορεί is more casual and informal than ίσως. It can be used as a standalone word or with να.

– Τελικά θα πας το βράδυ σινεμά; – Δεν ξέρω. Μπορεί.

6. Εξαρτάται: it depends

It can be used with από+ noun or as a standalone word. There is also a well-known song by Haris Alexiou with this title  ♬

– Θα πάτε εκδρομή το Σαββατοκύριακο στο βουνό; – Δεν ξέρουμε ακόμα. Εξαρτάται από τον καιρό / Εξαρτάται.

7. Κοίτα: look…

You can use it when you want to give an answer about a difficult or complicated subject.

– Πιστεύεις στο Θεό; – Κοίτα… είναι μεγάλο θέμα.

8. Εντάξει: alright / ok

Many learners may say καλά in its place, but the best is to use εντάξει and even οκέι, since they are both widely used.

 – Θα έρθω σπίτι σου κατά τις 8. – Εντάξει. Σε περιμένω!

9. Καλή συνέχεια: have a good rest of day

Many learners will say αντίο, but καλή συνέχεια is the most common way to end an interaction with a person in an everyday, out-and-about setting, for example while paying for your coffee, when you exit a taxi, when you buy from a clothes store etc. Do not use it with friends and family, because they will think that you don’t want to see them again!

 – Ο λογαριασμός είναι 15 ευρώ. – Ορίστε. Ευχαριστώ, καλή συνέχεια!

10. Αυτά: that’s it

When you are finished talking and don’t have anything more to say, you can close your answer with αυτά.

 – Τι χόμπι έχεις; – Μου αρέσει ο χορός, η μαγειρική, το μπάσκετ, να είμαι στη φύση… Αυτά.

 

Which of them did you like and want to start using immediately? Stay tuned for the second part!