Οδηγίες (Directions)

Once you’ve arrived in Greece, you’ll want to explore!

Asking for directions

Generally, when you’re asking for directions, you’ll be speaking to a stranger. So, it makes sense to start with Συγγνώμη… (Excuse me…).

Remember how to ask ‘Where?’ (as in Where are you from?) And ‘is‘?

What about ‘Please‘?

Put them together, and you can ask ‘Excuse me, where is…, please’:

Συγγνώμη. Πού είναι…, παρακαλώ;

These are the first lines of the dialogue on page 47 of Ελληνικά Τώρα 1.

Listen carefully to the first line. Where does Μάρτιν want to go?

Syntagma (Σύνταγμα) is the central square (and surrounding neighborhood) of Athens. This word means ‘Constitution’ in Greek.

Notice how Martin says το Σύνταγμα, using the neuter article το.

Answer: Left/Right

The simplest answers to a question like this is there (εκεί), left/right.

Around 90% of people worldwide are right-handed. As in English, where the word ‘right’ also means ‘correct’, δεξιά has positive connotations in Greek.

You may be familiar with the word ‘dexterous’ meaning skillful, or ‘ambidextrous’ meaning equally skilled with both hands (i.e. that both hands are the ‘right’ hand). These words are related to δεξιά.

If you’re a lefty though, take comfort in the fact that the Ancient Greek ἀριστερός is related to the word aristocracy – ἄριστος meaning ‘noble’ or ‘best’!

You can hear both directions pronounced in this short:

Now, listen to the Συγγνώμη dialogue again and try to catch the answer the passerby gives Martin. Next, answer the questions at the bottom of the page.