Do you speak Greek Cypriot

[Robert]

I know that English is very widely spoken on the island but thought it might be interesting to see how much Greek Cypriot is used by you all.

At this point I'm the last option. Once we emigrate to Cyprus in the summer of 2018 I'm looking forward to moving myself up the list.

[LouiseCastricum]

Most Greek speaking foreigners speak/write etc in Greek, not in the Cypriot dialect.

[PhotoLady]

I took adult education classes to learn Greek in the UK for 6 months prior to us moving to Cyprus in 2004. But once we got to Cyprus, I took further lessons to carry on with the language and to understand further the local Cypriot dialect. You will find the pronunciation and a lot of words are very different than the modern Greek taught in schools and language courses. Learning to read as well as write Greek will help further to be able to speak what you see written.

Speaking the Cypriot dialect, well that's another learning curve..... I took lessons at one stage in a small class where English Cypriots had joined after locating from London to Cyprus - strange that they could speak the local dialect but not one of them could read or write Greek.

Enjoy! And don't be frightened to have a bash and even more so, don't be put off when you speak in Greek and get answers back in English or get corrected with your pronunciation. They're trying to help - not having a dig at you. You will have lots of laughs

[Dominic]

I am between hello and goodbye and getting by. Much closer to hello and goodbye though.

No matter how bad you are, the locals do appreciate the effort. I am very pleased when I can rattle off my AlphaMega loyalty card number in Greek and they understand what I said.

[Robert]

I took adult education classes to learn Greek in the UK for 6 months prior to us moving to Cyprus in 2004. But once we got to Cyprus, I took further lessons to carry on with the language and to understand further the local Cypriot dialect. You will find the pronunciation and a lot of words are very different than the modern Greek taught in schools and language courses. Learning to read as well as write Greek will help further to be able to speak what you see written.

Speaking the Cypriot dialect, well that's another learning curve..... I took lessons at one stage in a small class where English Cypriots had joined after locating from London to Cyprus - strange that they could speak the local dialect but not one of them could read or write Greek.

Enjoy! And don't be frightened to have a bash and even more so, don't be put off when you speak in Greek and get answers back in English or get corrected with your pronunciation. They're trying to help - not having a dig at you. You will have lots of laughs

Thanks for that. I'm very much looking forward to giving it a go. I'll be 45 when I arrive so I have plenty of time to learn.

[PhotoLady]

That was about the age I started too

[PaphosAL]

I went into the bakery shop that used to be in the Limnari centre frontage opposite the ATG Hotel. Said "Yiasou" to the lovely young gal behind the counter. She replied "Yiasas". I looked behind me and the shop was empty, apart from me.

I said to her "Excuse me, but I thought Yiasas was meant to say Hallo to a group of people?"

She replied "It is also used as a mark of respect when saying hallo to a person much older than yourself"

I bought my filled roll, sausage rolls and meat pies, and went out feeling a lot older than when I came in...

AL

[cyprusmax47]

I went into the bakery shop that used to be in the Limnari centre frontage opposite the ATG Hotel. Said "Yiasou" to the lovely young gal behind the counter. She replied "Yiasas". I looked behind me and the shop was empty, apart from me.

I said to her "Excuse me, but I thought Yiasas was meant to say Hallo to a group of people?"

She replied "It is also used as a mark of respect when saying hallo to a person much older than yourself"

I bought my filled roll, sausage rolls and meat pies, and went out feeling a lot older than when I came in...

AL

Alan,
You say to a child or to a friend "yia sou" to all the other people you use "yia sas".....

Max

[STELIOSBWFC]

I try to speak Greek Cypriot when ever I can. I was in Alphamega today and got asked if I was Cypriot. Must be grey hair and dark complection. But yeah Max I do try out of respect and I do get corrected at times which helps me learn

[PaphosAL]

I know that English is very widely spoken on the island but thought it might be interesting to see how much Greek Cypriot is used by you all.

At this point I'm the last option. Once we emigrate to Cyprus in the summer of 2018 I'm looking forward to moving myself up the list.

Interesting topic and vote call, Robert. Something like this freebie might help help you get up and running at speed between now and Summer 2018, when you move over there:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/greek/

All the best- AL

[JimX]

Over the years on my old now defunct forum just about every new ex-pat says they will learn Greek Cypriot, none to my knowledge ever has mastered this language, usually when I tried when we first arrived in 2000 they always replied in English, so eventually we both gave up as most do, I learned some Greek from watching local TV and my SILaw telling me what the words meant, but it is almost impossible to learn and be accepted say at shops where they always answer back in English, so the best of luck if you do try you will need it!

[Dominic]

I would disagree. The trouble I have is if I say something in Greek they answer in Greek and I have no idea what they are saying.

For me, one of the toughest things was to overcome the natural assumption that I had that Nai meant No.

[cyprusmax47]

For me, one of the toughest things was to overcome the natural assumption that I had that Nai meant No.

This happened also to me the time I lived in Italy, with the word "caldo" which is translated "hot". In German language it is "kalt" (English cold)...
On the other hand it was much more easy to learn and read Italian the four years I was there. I try since more than 35 years to improve my "Cypriot", but I am stuck at a certain level. I can read the paper and pronounce it OK without understanding it in full, but this is the first step to learn this language I was told in the past. But I think you have to have the talent to speak any language well. In my case unfortunately I was never any good in languages like English,French,Russian. But back to Greek Cypriot: it always helps if you pronounce village names correct. (like Panagia = Panayia) or
Pegeia = Peyia.....

Max

[Uncle D]

Both me and my wife attended Greek classes for several years.
After 2 years I stopped but my wife carried on for another 5, she can read and write but not quite speak totally fluently.
It is frustrating in Paphos when the local people either respond back in English or speak Kypriaka too quickly, however we often visit Greece and we have no problems at all there.

[Jim B]

The wife reads, writes and speaks Greek so I use her as my interpreter, being honest I can't even say the name of our village properly and I've lived here fifteen years (not proud of it but there you go). I can after a fashion say the everyday words like thank you, excuse me and ask for the bill in a restaurant but I can do that in Russian, Hindi, Arabic, Kazakh etc and I've managed OK. As Allesley said I've also seen hundreds come and go with the intention of learning Greek but most have given up in the end.

Jim

[2QuarterPints]

I am another one who can't even get the names of villages right. I wonder how viable it would be for a sound file to be uploaded, by someone who speaks both English and the Cypriot Greek dialect, pronouncing the names of the more prominent villages as they should be? So many of us would benefit if that were possible.

In the same vein, when sorting out our car insurance and giving the name of the street we live on, the girls in the office were highly amused by my attempt at the name. I was taught the correct way, but it had gone out of my head within in minutes! It's an age thing.

[cyprusmax47]

I am another one who can't even get the names of villages right. I wonder how viable it would be for a sound file to be uploaded, by someone who speaks both English and the Cypriot Greek dialect, pronouncing the names of the more prominent villages as they should be? So many of us would benefit if that were possible.

Sometimes Mr.Google helps if you click on Listen. https://translate.google.com/#el/en/panagia
And yes you are absolutely right: It's an age thing


Max

[Cactuslil]

French & Italian I can manage ok but for me the biggest problem with Greek was the alphabet. When I went to lessons the young Russian girls & older couple from Israel picked things up much quicker than the English attending. In capitals the letter looks so different & then there's 5 different e sound! To us oldies it does seem daunting - but then English must be hard for foreigners especially with all our local dialects!

[Dominic]

French & Italian I can manage ok but for me the biggest problem with Greek was the alphabet. When I went to lessons the young Russian girls & older couple from Israel picked things up much quicker than the English attending. In capitals the letter looks so different & then there's 5 different e sound! To us oldies it does seem daunting - but then English must be hard for foreigners especially with all our local dialects!

I know what you mean about the alphabet, but the weird this is, ours is exactly the same. Capital and lower case letters often look totally different in reality, yet we see them as the same:

Aa - not similar at all.
Bb - sort of
Cc - the same
Dd - not similar at all.
Ee - not similar at all.
Ff - pretty similar.
Gg - oh come off it!

Etc

The biggest confusion re the alphabet though, is our extra letters, which we didn't stick at the end. Oh no, that would have been far too simple. Instead we added them and shifted the others along, so that P became R, that sort of thing.

[memory man]

That's the typed alphabet.

Written English is different.