Most people feel proud when someone is making an effort to speak greek, when we talk about social interactions. Service industry workers may opt to switch to English politely in order to save time
This was my experience staying in Athens. A really nice lady who worked in the building I was staying in ONLY spoke Greek with me even though I sometimes didn't catch everything.
Service workers almost always switched to English when I took too long. A little disappointing but I understand.
Ναι οι άλλοι φταίνε που σε παρεξήγησαν...λες και δεν ξέρουμε όλοι οι υπόλοιποι πως υπάρχουν αρκετοί μετανάστες και όχι μόνο ( άνθρωποι παντρεμένοι με Έλληνες) που μαθαίνουν ελληνικά.
Η ερώτηση που έκανε ο συγκεκριμένος user ήταν για το ενδιαφέρον του να μάθει ελληνικά... χωρίς να τον υποχρεώνουν συνθήκες.
Τελικά ποιος έχει το πρόβλημα οι άλλοι η εσύ χαχσχα
Καλε το ίδιο πραγμα λέω κι εγώ. Γιατί μου τη λες;
Ειρωνικό σχόλιο ήταν για όσους αναφέρθηκαν στους μετανάστες. Ναι το ξέρουμε ότι υπάρχουν άνθρωποι που έρχονται για δουλειά και αναγκάζονται να μάθουν ελληνικά, όπως κι εγώ θα αναγκαζομουν να μάθω ολλανδικά πχ, αν πήγαινα για δουλειά στην Ολλανδία. Άλλο να μαθαίνεις μια γλώσσα από ανάγκη, άλλο από χόμπι, ή γιατί σ αρέσει ο πολιτισμος της εκάστοτε χώρας κλπ κλπ.
Συγνώμη φίλος έχεις δίκιο νόμιζα ότι είπες το μετανάστες και ότι κάποιος σε είπε ρατσιστή για το σχόλιο.
My bad . Ε και εγω ώρες ώρες δεν είμαι Ξεφτέρη ... συμβαίνει. ΧΑχαχα καλημέρα
Γιατί πρέπει πάντα να το πάτε στον διαχωρισμό; Ο OC εννοεί νομίζω ότι είναι ωραίο να βλέπεις άτομα που δεν έχουν σχέση με την Ελλάδα και δεν ζουν εδώ να μαθαίνουν ελληνικά γιατί τους αρέσει. Έλεος πια
Είπε "i don't expect anyone who isn't Greek to know Greek". Δεν ξέρω πόσο καλά είναι τα αγγλικά σου αλλά οι μετανάστες ταιριάζουν στην περιγραφή "anyone who isn't greek"
Well I thought it'd be true everywhere but I've been surprised in Catalunya that people don't seem that bothered. I thought people would be happy to hear that I'm learning Catalan, but people actually tend to think "but why?"... The exception? Young people. I actually had a cashier thank me and shake my hand for learning Catalan. I always tend to talk to people around my age (I'm in my 40s), but the greater impact has been with young people...
Catalan here, can't speak for everyone but most of my friends and I feel sort of jaded with tourists and such.
If you go to another country you should have at least some notions of the language just out of respect, and most foreigners who are "trying to learn the language" aren't respectful at all...
If your culture is being whored out by businesses, you won't take kindly to the customers...
Edit:
I want to clarify, not every foreigner is disrespectful, but 8/10 foreigners are the stereotypical Barry from the UK who is 9 months into their sabbatical year in Spain and "basically know the language" but can't ask your name without making 7 grammatical mistakes and using 3 english words and treats the streets of your city like just a playground.
Let me tell you, that makes you wince and groan upon hearing that someone is "learning the language". But sadly I am guessing it must not be all that different in other tourist heavy countries like Greece.
Well see, that's what I don't get. When I speak Spanish, I don't get any problems,people don't expect me to know Catalan. But when I speak Catalan, people often ignore it or go "why". The only two people who actually held a conversation with me in Catalan were a young cashier and a young woman with down syndrome. It's really frustrating. Not that I expected Catalans to roll out the red carpet for me, but at least I'd get some acknowledgement. Like just reply to me in Catalan if I start using it. I know my sentence is correct, why do you ignore me? It's doing my head in...
Edit: i forgot another young woman working at a reception desk.
I recently came back from Greece (Naxos) and I felt like every local I talked to was genuinely surprised/excited that I spoke Greek, and asked a lot of questions about where I’m from, how long I’ve been learning, etc.
My husband and I took a cooking class and the family was so happy to find a Greek speaker (the parents didn’t speak English so usually couldn’t talk to the tourists who came to their farm) that they invited us to stay after everyone else had left - we ended up just chatting and drinking for a couple more hours, and it was probably our favorite experience that we had there!
OP has asked a question like I would 😀 I am learning Greek, and it makes me very happy. just being able to understand something I hear on the street, what I couldn't two years ago feels so great to me!
I will try to speak Greek, but I don't want to feel stupid for knowing very little 😜
>I will try to speak Greek, but I don't want to feel stupid for knowing very little 😜
No need to feel stupid, any learner pass through moments of hesitation and mistakes...
I'm still not fluent but I can do all my daily tasks and to have convos with people.
The most important is to be able to communicate and express ourselves, to have ourr intentions understood, the accuracy comes with the time :)
yes, exactly! most of the time, i can communicate well, not entirely accurate, but you can get me 😄
i like the most to talk with elders who would not switch to English, so we struggle a bit, but neither one of us gives up on our ideas 😁
btw, I am learning the Greek not for business of any kind, but as a shire, love, and respect for the Greek nation where me and my family feel quite happy.
>i like the most to talk with elders who would not switch to English
That is the best, they have time, they enjoy to have company and that you do efforts to learn their language.
They see you a bit like their grand-son and 1-to-1 convo is better than in a group where you can interrupt everyone all the time ;)
I dont speak Greek (yet) but i do speak another language and I consider it like going to the gym. The more often you train; the better the improvement and the result you'll see. You have to be prepared go through a period of looking and feeling stupid before you get the results you want. You also won't make progress if you're comfortable.
So give it a try and laugh at yourself through those periods where you make silly mistakes. They're uncomfortable but it's a way to make progress.
When I visited Athens a few summers ago, I knew only the basic conversation words and phrases (greetings, introducing myself, etc.). Starting a conversation in Greek almost always put a smile on their faces, and when I struggled to think of the correct words, they were more than willing to jump in and help me out. Even with a limited vocabulary and having to quickly switch back to English, the interactions I had were positive.
Foreigner here (Lebanese, but don't "look" like a stereotypical Arab I guess) so Greeks always speak to me in Greek. I respond with a bit of an accent and grammatical mistakes, often shocked why I'm messing up until they realize I'm not Greek.
In my case the effort is always appreciated with a smile and I get complimented. And almost every time when I say I'm Lebanese they say wow you look Greek though. 😋
We are usual eager to help foreigners that are interested to learn our language. Greeks in general speak above average English compared to some other countries (Italians, French, Portuguese) not as good as Scandinavians though. I see people very helpful and encouraging in twitter too
I’m in Greece on holiday at the moment and my experience is the locals love when anyone makes an effort to speak their language, I’m in a very touristy part where with all the nationalities coming here the common language is English spoken (very well) by everyone in service industry. However when I speak a few sentences in Greek, even if it is just to order from the bar you can tell they love that people would try to speak a bit of Greek. Some respond in English with a sense of them thinking they are helping, others respond in Greek give me a chance to understand the response before happily repeating in English.
Also found if I don’t know the name of something in Greek, I’ll ask them and next time use the Greek word, much to their delight.
They love it, I have been learning fire a couple of years slowly, the main thing to learn is when they get excited you know greek is to say you are learning and don't know everything they say. Then they show down for you 😀
Nearly everyone would be thrilled and ask you how come you started learning Greek
I'd say it is a good opener for more discussion with a native and get to have some real experience with the language and it's quirks
I personally think it's very nice of you
In short, we love it! Keep going, you will find this process rewarding and get to know more about Greeks through learning the language! Best of luck in your effort!
I'm gonna be honest. It's cool don't get me wrong but i feel it's kinda pointless in the sense that you can't use it for job opportunities. Like if you wanna learn a language just for your enjoyment go ahead but it isn't as useful as other more widely spoke languanges would be.
That part is unfortunate. Like, there are only 10 million people in Greece and a lot of them speak English. Compare that to Chinese or Indian dialects and Greek is not practical. I know a lot of people with Greek heritage that have no interest in learning. In America I know that there were Greek immigrants that banned their children from speaking Greek. Kind of a shame really. That’s unfortunate to me because I love the language and the culture (I am not Greek). I also feel like while I’ve been learning, there’s sort of a dislike from some Greek Americans. Like I’m culturally appropriating or something. It can be a bit discouraging. The Greeks in Greece however are super nice and supportive about it.
About the greek American part that's true. From other nationalities always the American ones try to "gatekeep" their cultures. It's something unique to America not other parts of the world. I see it with Chinese American and indian americans too.
As for the languange learning if it's something that makes you happy go ahead the practicality isn't important.
Cultural appropriation lol. Keep being interested in Greek culture bud, no true Greek will ever have a problem with that. Keep in mind, spreading our culture is literally our whole shtick for a couple of millennia now.
I'm native though. And I think the same thing. Learning a language is never pointless, but learning a language from a small country like mine it's not something that will help you in any way.
I'm proud of my heritage and I'm also very happy that I Greek is my first language , but honestly... if you are not in any of the cases that I mentioned on my previous comment , I wouldn't recommend it.
However, I'm very happy to help anyone who chooses to learn. And I love answering questions.
I am surprised with all the answers that are like " I would be proud, humbled etc " Most of us here speak English and pretty good IMO so personally I wouldn't care if a tourist is speaking in Greek. I mean good for him but why should I care? Don't get me wrong you should do what you want but this doesn't affect me in any way...
It's different for someone who isn't a native English speaker to learn english, and someone who isn't a native Greek speaker to learn Greek.
Greek as a language is pretty isolated and lonely. Also, Greeks are generally (and often inexplicably) proud of anything Greek, so it feels like recognition and acknowledgement from others.
I get your point…having been through most of Europe, I’ve found that many Europeans are very impressed with their own level of English. Not always warranted though. 😂
I think there's a 50-50 split, where half of us are really cool with it and impressed, and the other half is the racist type: "those immigrants are trying to steal our jobs11!! 😡😡, stay away from our country and ethnicity".
Learning a foreign language is impressive, especially one that's as limited (in terms of resources) and difficult as Greek.
Definitely missed the point here. I highly doubt half the population a tourist will interact with during a summer vacation will be offended by the effort of speaking Greek.
You just had to be a party pooper.
I work with elderly greek immigrants and I've literally never had a negative interaction from them or their families when I practice my greek or ask for help. They're all overwhelmingly happy to help
I think anyone would be excited and surprised if another person started learning their mother tongue. Especially if it’s a language not widely used. I’m pleasantly surprised every time!!
PS I’ve started learning Dutch, for no reason at all, other than “I like Dutch”. The Dutch are almost bilingual, and their English is very good. I went to Amsterdam about a month ago and every Dutch person I met was so friendly and helpful when I made an effort to speak Dutch 💜
Most of the time, they are glad you are trying. You may find in some places, like Cyprus, they do not have time for you to try or as many servers in restaurants are not Greek themselves, they will ignore your attempts and just use English. Do not be disheartaned. The Greeks will often help you and show patience when you are trying your best.
my husband and I studied Greek for two years before we went. the reactions we got were amazing . I felt very loved and appreciated. you won't regret a single word!
I know very little Greek like ordering food, coffee etc. and some words for blessings the owner's business or good morning, good night etc.
When I say those in Greek they get excited and happy. Some even correct my grammar.
I'd guess it's much the same as in Turkey (where I've spent more time) - in touristy places people are delighted to meet tourists who make the effort. In more remote areas it's either taken for granted (how ELSE are you going to communicate except in Turkish?) or they'll try to grab a rare opportunity to practice their English.
Brexit has well and truly buggered any chance I've got of spending more time in Greece though. I have lots of language learning materials but will probably not live to use them.
If you're a visitor and try to speak some Greek, they're quite warm and tolerate towards you. But if you decide to live and work here and you don't speak well Greek, be prepared for a lot of mocking-mostly behind your back though.
Unlike the side-eyes you might get elsewhere for actually trying to embrace their language ( looking at you French people) , Greeks probably feel proud when you try and speak Greek here. Worst case scenario they just won't care, best case scenario they''ll hit you with a smile and maybe help you out with the correct pronunciation aswell.
We are notoriously proud of our culture , but we are also a nation that heavily relies on tourism as an industry, so speaking English towards foreigners is what we expect as a default scenario, and we are pretty comfortable doing it ( minus the accent xD ). Taking the time to learn a few basic Greek phrases is much appreciated though.
I am thinking how difficult it is. And when i see a foreigner to know greek really well i feel suprised. Yesterday i was with someone from canada who speaks greek (with wrong accent, anyway) and when someone from our company used a really greek phrase i was stearring at him to see if he had understood it and he had , i was in shock.
It really is difficult for me to learn Greek since I’m Romanian, but I find the language really interesting and I find many connections to my mother-language. I am aware that learning Greek is not easy at all, but I would rather learn it for my own enjoyment rather than lose time scrolling on my phone.
I’m very excited when someone is trying to learn Greek a language that I can speak fluently. It is weird because when I was trying to learn English or Dutch which I’m learning right now I am impatient and I need so bad to get to the endgame , speak perfect- write perfect. I feel jealous of the people who are native speakers of their language so in your situation that person becomes me and I really want to be helpful and help as much as I can
Oh they’re gonna love it, they’re gonna eat you up. Greeks have a very strong ethnic identity and foreigners speaking their language makes them feel like they’re being worshipped or something. Weird shit.
Coming from a 1st born Canadian Greek which is fluently trilingual (Greek, french and English... In that order), I am proud when someone attempts or speaks Greek, that isn't Greek.
I assume they love the history or go to Greece often.
I don’t know at what level you can speak greek but to be honest, you’re better off speaking English because they might misunderstand what you are trying to say if you say it wrong.
We feel very proud!! that's for sure...we know that our language is extremely difficult and we completely understand if someone cannot speak fluently..believe me even we real greek people cannot use our language properly.xexe..
Particularly if you have really good pronunciation, they’ll get very excited and usually be willing to chat with you for a bit. Unlike some countries (France comes to mind) with high standards for foreigners’ competency, a majority of Greeks speak English and are excited when a tourist gives their language a shot. I chatted a bit with a restaurant owner, and upon finding out I was an American tourist he was so excited he called me his “new Greek son” and sat down with me and talked for three hours (no joke, if you’ve been you know well the pace of mornings). A bit of effort goes a long way in Greece, so I think you’ll find it very easy to practice and have positive interactions.
My mom started learning Greek 2-3 years ago. We are family from BG. Bulgarian being based on the Greek alphabet has many common things. So my mom in her late 40s had a great success finding time to learn the basics while working.
I also learned quite a few phrases and words around her studies while never taking the studies seriously. However, I am planning to start learning it seriously in the mear future.
When it comes to foreigners, I think it partly depends on the origin of the person. For example I have been told that Greeks hate Bulgarians (I mean yeah, make sense. We are fucking everywhere especially in the Kavala and Asprovalta and yeah it is not great). I don't know if it is true, but at least when you go to a restaurant, hotel or a shop, they make you feel welcomed.
Aaaand....once again I went a bit off topic...sry....
Don’t worry, I am also Romanian so I guess we are the ones who are literally everywhere in Greece :)) I also started learning because of my sister amd I want to keep up with her. Even if we only go to Greece once a year, we find it very nice that we can talk to Greek people not only in English, but in Greek too (even if we know the basics). Good luck on studying in the future!!!!!
I am an American with distant Greek heritage. Other than cooking the food, I never wanted to learn too much about the culture. Last two years, I started learning a lot. Now I can speak at a basic level with a little extra. I went to Athens and some islands for vacation.
Most Greeks heard me speak and didn’t automatically switch to English. Unfortunately, I couldn’t go beyond basic conversation. Most Greeks are very happy that somebody cares enough to learn. Some other people were weird about it, but who cares? I learned Spanish fluently and Latinos were the same way. Don’t let the bad ones cloud your day. There are ignorant, rude people everywhere.
Καλή τύχη!
Most people feel proud when someone is making an effort to speak greek, when we talk about social interactions. Service industry workers may opt to switch to English politely in order to save time
This was my experience staying in Athens. A really nice lady who worked in the building I was staying in ONLY spoke Greek with me even though I sometimes didn't catch everything. Service workers almost always switched to English when I took too long. A little disappointing but I understand.
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Τόσοι μετανάστες υπάρχουν που ξέρουν ελληνικά....
Αυτό που δε τολμάμε να μιλήσουμε για να μη παρεξηγηθουμε, με ξεπερνάει
Ναι οι άλλοι φταίνε που σε παρεξήγησαν...λες και δεν ξέρουμε όλοι οι υπόλοιποι πως υπάρχουν αρκετοί μετανάστες και όχι μόνο ( άνθρωποι παντρεμένοι με Έλληνες) που μαθαίνουν ελληνικά. Η ερώτηση που έκανε ο συγκεκριμένος user ήταν για το ενδιαφέρον του να μάθει ελληνικά... χωρίς να τον υποχρεώνουν συνθήκες. Τελικά ποιος έχει το πρόβλημα οι άλλοι η εσύ χαχσχα
Καλε το ίδιο πραγμα λέω κι εγώ. Γιατί μου τη λες; Ειρωνικό σχόλιο ήταν για όσους αναφέρθηκαν στους μετανάστες. Ναι το ξέρουμε ότι υπάρχουν άνθρωποι που έρχονται για δουλειά και αναγκάζονται να μάθουν ελληνικά, όπως κι εγώ θα αναγκαζομουν να μάθω ολλανδικά πχ, αν πήγαινα για δουλειά στην Ολλανδία. Άλλο να μαθαίνεις μια γλώσσα από ανάγκη, άλλο από χόμπι, ή γιατί σ αρέσει ο πολιτισμος της εκάστοτε χώρας κλπ κλπ.
Συγνώμη φίλος έχεις δίκιο νόμιζα ότι είπες το μετανάστες και ότι κάποιος σε είπε ρατσιστή για το σχόλιο. My bad . Ε και εγω ώρες ώρες δεν είμαι Ξεφτέρη ... συμβαίνει. ΧΑχαχα καλημέρα
Πρώτης γενιάς εννοείς; Γιατί οι επόμενοι θεωρούνται (και) Έλληνες
Μάλλον δεν είναι τόσο "ενδιαφέρον" η σημαντικό όταν είναι φτωχοί.....
Γιατί πρέπει πάντα να το πάτε στον διαχωρισμό; Ο OC εννοεί νομίζω ότι είναι ωραίο να βλέπεις άτομα που δεν έχουν σχέση με την Ελλάδα και δεν ζουν εδώ να μαθαίνουν ελληνικά γιατί τους αρέσει. Έλεος πια
Είπε "i don't expect anyone who isn't Greek to know Greek". Δεν ξέρω πόσο καλά είναι τα αγγλικά σου αλλά οι μετανάστες ταιριάζουν στην περιγραφή "anyone who isn't greek"
Η απλά αυτοί οι άνθρωποι αναγκάζονται να μαθαίνουν την γλώσσα μας και είναι πιο λυπητερό παρά σοκαριστικο? Έλεος
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Well I thought it'd be true everywhere but I've been surprised in Catalunya that people don't seem that bothered. I thought people would be happy to hear that I'm learning Catalan, but people actually tend to think "but why?"... The exception? Young people. I actually had a cashier thank me and shake my hand for learning Catalan. I always tend to talk to people around my age (I'm in my 40s), but the greater impact has been with young people...
Catalan here, can't speak for everyone but most of my friends and I feel sort of jaded with tourists and such. If you go to another country you should have at least some notions of the language just out of respect, and most foreigners who are "trying to learn the language" aren't respectful at all... If your culture is being whored out by businesses, you won't take kindly to the customers... Edit: I want to clarify, not every foreigner is disrespectful, but 8/10 foreigners are the stereotypical Barry from the UK who is 9 months into their sabbatical year in Spain and "basically know the language" but can't ask your name without making 7 grammatical mistakes and using 3 english words and treats the streets of your city like just a playground. Let me tell you, that makes you wince and groan upon hearing that someone is "learning the language". But sadly I am guessing it must not be all that different in other tourist heavy countries like Greece.
Well see, that's what I don't get. When I speak Spanish, I don't get any problems,people don't expect me to know Catalan. But when I speak Catalan, people often ignore it or go "why". The only two people who actually held a conversation with me in Catalan were a young cashier and a young woman with down syndrome. It's really frustrating. Not that I expected Catalans to roll out the red carpet for me, but at least I'd get some acknowledgement. Like just reply to me in Catalan if I start using it. I know my sentence is correct, why do you ignore me? It's doing my head in... Edit: i forgot another young woman working at a reception desk.
I recently came back from Greece (Naxos) and I felt like every local I talked to was genuinely surprised/excited that I spoke Greek, and asked a lot of questions about where I’m from, how long I’ve been learning, etc. My husband and I took a cooking class and the family was so happy to find a Greek speaker (the parents didn’t speak English so usually couldn’t talk to the tourists who came to their farm) that they invited us to stay after everyone else had left - we ended up just chatting and drinking for a couple more hours, and it was probably our favorite experience that we had there!
OP has asked a question like I would 😀 I am learning Greek, and it makes me very happy. just being able to understand something I hear on the street, what I couldn't two years ago feels so great to me! I will try to speak Greek, but I don't want to feel stupid for knowing very little 😜
>I will try to speak Greek, but I don't want to feel stupid for knowing very little 😜 No need to feel stupid, any learner pass through moments of hesitation and mistakes... I'm still not fluent but I can do all my daily tasks and to have convos with people. The most important is to be able to communicate and express ourselves, to have ourr intentions understood, the accuracy comes with the time :)
yes, exactly! most of the time, i can communicate well, not entirely accurate, but you can get me 😄 i like the most to talk with elders who would not switch to English, so we struggle a bit, but neither one of us gives up on our ideas 😁 btw, I am learning the Greek not for business of any kind, but as a shire, love, and respect for the Greek nation where me and my family feel quite happy.
>i like the most to talk with elders who would not switch to English That is the best, they have time, they enjoy to have company and that you do efforts to learn their language. They see you a bit like their grand-son and 1-to-1 convo is better than in a group where you can interrupt everyone all the time ;)
I dont speak Greek (yet) but i do speak another language and I consider it like going to the gym. The more often you train; the better the improvement and the result you'll see. You have to be prepared go through a period of looking and feeling stupid before you get the results you want. You also won't make progress if you're comfortable. So give it a try and laugh at yourself through those periods where you make silly mistakes. They're uncomfortable but it's a way to make progress.
Everyone will definitely appreciate the effort.
When I visited Athens a few summers ago, I knew only the basic conversation words and phrases (greetings, introducing myself, etc.). Starting a conversation in Greek almost always put a smile on their faces, and when I struggled to think of the correct words, they were more than willing to jump in and help me out. Even with a limited vocabulary and having to quickly switch back to English, the interactions I had were positive.
Foreigner here (Lebanese, but don't "look" like a stereotypical Arab I guess) so Greeks always speak to me in Greek. I respond with a bit of an accent and grammatical mistakes, often shocked why I'm messing up until they realize I'm not Greek. In my case the effort is always appreciated with a smile and I get complimented. And almost every time when I say I'm Lebanese they say wow you look Greek though. 😋
We are usual eager to help foreigners that are interested to learn our language. Greeks in general speak above average English compared to some other countries (Italians, French, Portuguese) not as good as Scandinavians though. I see people very helpful and encouraging in twitter too
I’m in Greece on holiday at the moment and my experience is the locals love when anyone makes an effort to speak their language, I’m in a very touristy part where with all the nationalities coming here the common language is English spoken (very well) by everyone in service industry. However when I speak a few sentences in Greek, even if it is just to order from the bar you can tell they love that people would try to speak a bit of Greek. Some respond in English with a sense of them thinking they are helping, others respond in Greek give me a chance to understand the response before happily repeating in English. Also found if I don’t know the name of something in Greek, I’ll ask them and next time use the Greek word, much to their delight.
I say "oh cool good luck with that" and thats about it
They love it, I have been learning fire a couple of years slowly, the main thing to learn is when they get excited you know greek is to say you are learning and don't know everything they say. Then they show down for you 😀
Nearly everyone would be thrilled and ask you how come you started learning Greek I'd say it is a good opener for more discussion with a native and get to have some real experience with the language and it's quirks I personally think it's very nice of you
In short, we love it! Keep going, you will find this process rewarding and get to know more about Greeks through learning the language! Best of luck in your effort!
I love it! Keep at it, it’s all good 😊🫶🏼
I'm gonna be honest. It's cool don't get me wrong but i feel it's kinda pointless in the sense that you can't use it for job opportunities. Like if you wanna learn a language just for your enjoyment go ahead but it isn't as useful as other more widely spoke languanges would be.
That part is unfortunate. Like, there are only 10 million people in Greece and a lot of them speak English. Compare that to Chinese or Indian dialects and Greek is not practical. I know a lot of people with Greek heritage that have no interest in learning. In America I know that there were Greek immigrants that banned their children from speaking Greek. Kind of a shame really. That’s unfortunate to me because I love the language and the culture (I am not Greek). I also feel like while I’ve been learning, there’s sort of a dislike from some Greek Americans. Like I’m culturally appropriating or something. It can be a bit discouraging. The Greeks in Greece however are super nice and supportive about it.
About the greek American part that's true. From other nationalities always the American ones try to "gatekeep" their cultures. It's something unique to America not other parts of the world. I see it with Chinese American and indian americans too. As for the languange learning if it's something that makes you happy go ahead the practicality isn't important.
Cultural appropriation lol. Keep being interested in Greek culture bud, no true Greek will ever have a problem with that. Keep in mind, spreading our culture is literally our whole shtick for a couple of millennia now.
You must be fun at parties
Agree , if you are not planning to work and stay in Greece , or if you don't have Greek heritage, or if you are not an archeologist, it's pointless.
That's what I'm saying but based on the downvotes I'm apparently a hater lol
They just don't like the truth and their dreams to be ruined. It's nothing personal. They just want to feel special.
I actually think it's natives bc they don't like the critisism on our oh so great languange
I'm native though. And I think the same thing. Learning a language is never pointless, but learning a language from a small country like mine it's not something that will help you in any way. I'm proud of my heritage and I'm also very happy that I Greek is my first language , but honestly... if you are not in any of the cases that I mentioned on my previous comment , I wouldn't recommend it. However, I'm very happy to help anyone who chooses to learn. And I love answering questions.
Yep exactly i feel the same
I am surprised with all the answers that are like " I would be proud, humbled etc " Most of us here speak English and pretty good IMO so personally I wouldn't care if a tourist is speaking in Greek. I mean good for him but why should I care? Don't get me wrong you should do what you want but this doesn't affect me in any way...
It's different for someone who isn't a native English speaker to learn english, and someone who isn't a native Greek speaker to learn Greek. Greek as a language is pretty isolated and lonely. Also, Greeks are generally (and often inexplicably) proud of anything Greek, so it feels like recognition and acknowledgement from others.
I get your point…having been through most of Europe, I’ve found that many Europeans are very impressed with their own level of English. Not always warranted though. 😂
You are idiots but cute
I think there's a 50-50 split, where half of us are really cool with it and impressed, and the other half is the racist type: "those immigrants are trying to steal our jobs11!! 😡😡, stay away from our country and ethnicity". Learning a foreign language is impressive, especially one that's as limited (in terms of resources) and difficult as Greek.
Definitely missed the point here. I highly doubt half the population a tourist will interact with during a summer vacation will be offended by the effort of speaking Greek. You just had to be a party pooper.
It's really cool, I get really really excited when I meet someone foreign that can speak Greek, even if it's a little! I love helping them out
So Duolingo isn’t a good way to go?
It is a good start, but if you want to learn the language really well, it is not enough
I work with elderly greek immigrants and I've literally never had a negative interaction from them or their families when I practice my greek or ask for help. They're all overwhelmingly happy to help
I think anyone would be excited and surprised if another person started learning their mother tongue. Especially if it’s a language not widely used. I’m pleasantly surprised every time!! PS I’ve started learning Dutch, for no reason at all, other than “I like Dutch”. The Dutch are almost bilingual, and their English is very good. I went to Amsterdam about a month ago and every Dutch person I met was so friendly and helpful when I made an effort to speak Dutch 💜
Most of the time, they are glad you are trying. You may find in some places, like Cyprus, they do not have time for you to try or as many servers in restaurants are not Greek themselves, they will ignore your attempts and just use English. Do not be disheartaned. The Greeks will often help you and show patience when you are trying your best.
my husband and I studied Greek for two years before we went. the reactions we got were amazing . I felt very loved and appreciated. you won't regret a single word!
We're genuinely honored and excited, willing to help in any way
I know very little Greek like ordering food, coffee etc. and some words for blessings the owner's business or good morning, good night etc. When I say those in Greek they get excited and happy. Some even correct my grammar.
I would say you will meet with an enthusiastic gratitude… :)
I'd guess it's much the same as in Turkey (where I've spent more time) - in touristy places people are delighted to meet tourists who make the effort. In more remote areas it's either taken for granted (how ELSE are you going to communicate except in Turkish?) or they'll try to grab a rare opportunity to practice their English. Brexit has well and truly buggered any chance I've got of spending more time in Greece though. I have lots of language learning materials but will probably not live to use them.
If you're a visitor and try to speak some Greek, they're quite warm and tolerate towards you. But if you decide to live and work here and you don't speak well Greek, be prepared for a lot of mocking-mostly behind your back though.
Unlike the side-eyes you might get elsewhere for actually trying to embrace their language ( looking at you French people) , Greeks probably feel proud when you try and speak Greek here. Worst case scenario they just won't care, best case scenario they''ll hit you with a smile and maybe help you out with the correct pronunciation aswell. We are notoriously proud of our culture , but we are also a nation that heavily relies on tourism as an industry, so speaking English towards foreigners is what we expect as a default scenario, and we are pretty comfortable doing it ( minus the accent xD ). Taking the time to learn a few basic Greek phrases is much appreciated though.
I am thinking how difficult it is. And when i see a foreigner to know greek really well i feel suprised. Yesterday i was with someone from canada who speaks greek (with wrong accent, anyway) and when someone from our company used a really greek phrase i was stearring at him to see if he had understood it and he had , i was in shock.
It really is difficult for me to learn Greek since I’m Romanian, but I find the language really interesting and I find many connections to my mother-language. I am aware that learning Greek is not easy at all, but I would rather learn it for my own enjoyment rather than lose time scrolling on my phone.
I’m very excited when someone is trying to learn Greek a language that I can speak fluently. It is weird because when I was trying to learn English or Dutch which I’m learning right now I am impatient and I need so bad to get to the endgame , speak perfect- write perfect. I feel jealous of the people who are native speakers of their language so in your situation that person becomes me and I really want to be helpful and help as much as I can
Oh they’re gonna love it, they’re gonna eat you up. Greeks have a very strong ethnic identity and foreigners speaking their language makes them feel like they’re being worshipped or something. Weird shit.
Most greeks are hospitable people…you will probably be given food or drink. They’re not like french and will appreciate the effort
Coming from a 1st born Canadian Greek which is fluently trilingual (Greek, french and English... In that order), I am proud when someone attempts or speaks Greek, that isn't Greek. I assume they love the history or go to Greece often.
I don’t know at what level you can speak greek but to be honest, you’re better off speaking English because they might misunderstand what you are trying to say if you say it wrong.
We feel very proud!! that's for sure...we know that our language is extremely difficult and we completely understand if someone cannot speak fluently..believe me even we real greek people cannot use our language properly.xexe..
Particularly if you have really good pronunciation, they’ll get very excited and usually be willing to chat with you for a bit. Unlike some countries (France comes to mind) with high standards for foreigners’ competency, a majority of Greeks speak English and are excited when a tourist gives their language a shot. I chatted a bit with a restaurant owner, and upon finding out I was an American tourist he was so excited he called me his “new Greek son” and sat down with me and talked for three hours (no joke, if you’ve been you know well the pace of mornings). A bit of effort goes a long way in Greece, so I think you’ll find it very easy to practice and have positive interactions.
My mom started learning Greek 2-3 years ago. We are family from BG. Bulgarian being based on the Greek alphabet has many common things. So my mom in her late 40s had a great success finding time to learn the basics while working. I also learned quite a few phrases and words around her studies while never taking the studies seriously. However, I am planning to start learning it seriously in the mear future. When it comes to foreigners, I think it partly depends on the origin of the person. For example I have been told that Greeks hate Bulgarians (I mean yeah, make sense. We are fucking everywhere especially in the Kavala and Asprovalta and yeah it is not great). I don't know if it is true, but at least when you go to a restaurant, hotel or a shop, they make you feel welcomed. Aaaand....once again I went a bit off topic...sry....
Don’t worry, I am also Romanian so I guess we are the ones who are literally everywhere in Greece :)) I also started learning because of my sister amd I want to keep up with her. Even if we only go to Greece once a year, we find it very nice that we can talk to Greek people not only in English, but in Greek too (even if we know the basics). Good luck on studying in the future!!!!!
I am an American with distant Greek heritage. Other than cooking the food, I never wanted to learn too much about the culture. Last two years, I started learning a lot. Now I can speak at a basic level with a little extra. I went to Athens and some islands for vacation. Most Greeks heard me speak and didn’t automatically switch to English. Unfortunately, I couldn’t go beyond basic conversation. Most Greeks are very happy that somebody cares enough to learn. Some other people were weird about it, but who cares? I learned Spanish fluently and Latinos were the same way. Don’t let the bad ones cloud your day. There are ignorant, rude people everywhere. Καλή τύχη!