Re: speaking the lingo
186 Posts
Thanks Shell, I can sleep now... just need to start using it so I can drum it into my brain...
So now Steve you will have noticed the Cypriot dialect involves dropping half of a word or using different pronunciations of the Greek language.
ΕιÃαι καλα - "eesay gahla" as in the Greek pronunciation becomes "say galah" is an everyday occurrence and said a trillion times a day.
There isn't a such a massive vocabulary, which is one good thing! But it takes a while to get a listening ear around it all. At work when the "locals" get together by the kitchen area it's easy to pick up on the everyday words but others are extremely difficult.
One good way to learn the vocabulary when you are here is to pick up an object and ask: Äι ειναι "tee eenay" - What is it?
thanks again... I've noticed odd little bits of words being changed, but as I'm only just dipping my toe in the Sea of Greek, let alone bathing in the Pool of Cypriot .. good grief that chocolate bar has gone right to me head.. . 
... as I wasn't saying.. as I've only really picked up a few words so far... couldn't claim to hold a conversation yet... I'm a long way from being skilled .... but I'm trying.. I keep listing to the app I bought... I keep thinking about things.. keep trying to remember,...keep getting it wrong... !... I think I can count to 19 but keep having to think hard for 20.. ik thee oss ? ??... iks key oss.. nope will have to check again.....
... as I wasn't saying.. as I've only really picked up a few words so far... couldn't claim to hold a conversation yet... I'm a long way from being skilled .... but I'm trying.. I keep listing to the app I bought... I keep thinking about things.. keep trying to remember,...keep getting it wrong... !... I think I can count to 19 but keep having to think hard for 20.. ik thee oss ? ??... iks key oss.. nope will have to check again.....
I' ko see
ah thats it.... ta
days of the week.. another thing I'm having problems remembering because some of them are just oddball and I can't get a "memory hook" for them...
Friday is just a crazy sounding word so I half remember it - Para-ska-vee
Saturday makes me think of Sabbath - sav-a-toe
then sunday makes me think of curry you key (yeah I know I'm mad, so shoot me lol) - kirry-ya-key
but then you get monday... something with lots of similar letters to tuesday, but said completely differently.. ? trit-tea ?
days of the week.. another thing I'm having problems remembering because some of them are just oddball and I can't get a "memory hook" for them...
Friday is just a crazy sounding word so I half remember it - Para-ska-vee
Saturday makes me think of Sabbath - sav-a-toe
then sunday makes me think of curry you key (yeah I know I'm mad, so shoot me lol) - kirry-ya-key
but then you get monday... something with lots of similar letters to tuesday, but said completely differently.. ? trit-tea ?
Devterrah = ÃŽâ€ÃŽÂµÃ…ÄÎÂÃÂα = Monday
AskCy wrote:Parakalo, he pronounced Paragalo ! this was similar for quite a few words, slightly different letter sounds used, but both could understand each other.
It took me a couple of minutes before I worked out what Dough Yoda Go Rollla was at the Petsas desk at PFO.
I'm struggling to decipher that one ?.. Dough ? toe ?... the rest is a mystery ?
I'm randomly putting words into google translate now.. just to see if anything sinks in etc...
Bacon - baycon think I can manage that....
Bacon - baycon
think I can manage that....
The clue is "Petsas".AskCy wrote:I'm struggling to decipher that one ?.. Dough ? toe ?... the rest is a mystery ?
God Grief... I thought it was something in Greek, and as my knowledge of that is very very limited and new, I've been really struggling..
got it now !
the "dough yoda go rolla" that is...
got it now !
the "dough yoda go rolla" that is...
Love it "dough yoda go rolla"
Yes, cars do get some strange sounding names and it doesn't help that they change the names of them either!
A Nissan Micra is a Nissan March for instance....
Yes, cars do get some strange sounding names and it doesn't help that they change the names of them either!
A Nissan Micra is a Nissan March for instance....
it does make me wonder how we must sound trying to pronounce Greek words though... 
Don't worry, if you get it wrong - the Cypriots aren't shy at pointing out how it should be said or having a good giggle too. 
I keep playing this app thing while I'm asleep... hoping i'll wake up fluent... but I'm sure if nothing else its helping me to hear words and I find I'm able to say them quicker (at first it was taking me a lot of trying and re-trying to get the sounds in the right place etc)...
yeah still using Earworms, seems to be about the best thing for me... keep listening and listening.. eventually I pick up another word... and then suddenly I realise I know all the numbers from 1 to 19.. work on 20 and suddenly find I can get to at least 29.. and could guess vaguely some of the others etc.. so it must be working somewhere....
Good stuff
I'm just wondering about this new (well used) greeting...
so I could approach someone and say "yassou, ee say gala" ( hello how are you)
but I could also and possibly more normal for Cyprus say "yassou sigala" (hello how are you)
the most likely return to this would be "kala eh see" (I'm good, you ?)
now should I reply to that ?... what would it be ?... would I just say "kala" or "polee kala" , "polee kali efkaristo" ?
or should there be some "I'm" "I'm ok thanks" ??
efkaristo
ΕιÃαι καλα - eesay gahla
How are you?
Reply is: καλα εÃει = gahla ehsee?
I'm good. You?
so I could approach someone and say "yassou, ee say gala" ( hello how are you)
but I could also and possibly more normal for Cyprus say "yassou sigala" (hello how are you)
the most likely return to this would be "kala eh see" (I'm good, you ?)
now should I reply to that ?... what would it be ?... would I just say "kala" or "polee kala" , "polee kali efkaristo" ?
or should there be some "I'm" "I'm ok thanks" ??
efkaristo
Most would just reply "kala" or even "eemeh kala" or "neh, kala eemeh"
If you're not sure if you're good or bad - you can use "ehtsee kehtsee" which means "so, so"
Sometimes, backwards is good..... as in "kala eemeh" or "good, I am" is the literal translation...
If I answer the phone to an unknown caller I usually say "ee Michele eemeh" and more often not then have to ask " meelahteh angleekah?" as they will babble on in Greek....
But usually, my response will be "ochi, lathos areethmoh" or "nope, wrong number".
I regularly get a call from Larnaca demanding to speak with Pambo! You think he might have learned to double check the number by now, wouldn't you?
If you're not sure if you're good or bad - you can use "ehtsee kehtsee" which means "so, so"
Sometimes, backwards is good..... as in "kala eemeh" or "good, I am" is the literal translation...
If I answer the phone to an unknown caller I usually say "ee Michele eemeh" and more often not then have to ask " meelahteh angleekah?" as they will babble on in Greek....
But usually, my response will be "ochi, lathos areethmoh" or "nope, wrong number".
I regularly get a call from Larnaca demanding to speak with Pambo! You think he might have learned to double check the number by now, wouldn't you?
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