6.2 Introducing Yourself — Epoché
What you will be able to do Give your name in the two ways Greek offers: Είμαι ο Τομ. , Το όνομά μου δεν είναι Τομ. . Ask for somebody's name politely and plainly: Πείτε μου το όνομά σας. , Πες μου το όνομά σου. , Ποιο είναι το όνομά του; . Say where you are from, with the article that Greek puts on a country: Είμαι από την Ελλάδα. , Είμαι από την Αυστραλία. . Ask what somebody does and answer: Τι δουλειά κάνεις; , Τι δουλειά κάνετε; . Say what you are without the word a , which Greek does not use here: Είμαι γιατρός. . Prerequisites : 6.1 — hello and goodbye. Read 6.1 Conversation first; the level of politeness you chose there governs every line of this lesson too. The exchange in this lesson follows the greeting within about thirty seconds in Greece, and it arrives sooner than a northern European expects. A Greek will ask your name, your country and your work in the first minute, not because he is being intrusive but because those three facts are what a conversation is built on. The grammar is mostly things you have. What is new is a construction for names that has no English parallel, and a rule about professions that runs the opposite way to the English one. The dialogue Two people of the same age introduced by a mutual friend at a table. They use the singular from the start, which is what an introduction between equals gets. Είμαι ο Τομ. [1] I'm Tom. Πες μου το όνομά σου. [2] Tell me your name. Το όνομά μου είναι Τζακ. [3] My name is Jack. Από πού είσαι; [4] Where are you from? Είμαι από την Ελλάδα. [5] I am from Greece. Τι δουλειά κάνεις; [6] What do you do for a living? Είμαι γιατρός. [7] I am a doctor. Look at the last line. There is no word for a in it. Greek leaves the indefinite article out in front of a profession, a nationality and a religion, so the Greek for I am a doctor is two words and the English needs three. Putting the article in is not wrong but it changes the sense towards I am a certain doctor , which is not what you meant. Look also at the fourth and fifth lines. The country takes an article in Greek and does not in English, as lesson 3.1 said of abstract nouns. Every country name behaves this way, and a visitor who drops the article will be understood and will sound as though he is reading a list. The second dialogue A visitor and an official behind a desk. The plural throughout, and the visitor's name has to be got right, which is why the official asks twice. Γεια σας. [8] Hello. Μπορείτε να μου πείτε το όνομά σας παρακαλώ; [9] May I have your name, please? Το όνομά μου δεν είναι Τομ. [10] My name isn't Tom. Πείτε μου το όνομά σας. [11] Tell me your name. Είμαι από την Αυστραλία. [12] I'm from Australia. Τι δουλειά κάνετε; [13] What do you do for a living? Είμαι η δασκάλα σου. [14] I'm your teacher. The second line is the politest request in this course so far, and it is worth taking apart: the verb for being able, then the particle of lesson 5.1, then a weak pronoun in the genitive, then the verb of telling, then the object, and then the word for please. That is five pieces of grammar from five different lessons, and it is a single ordinary sentence. The last line uses the feminine form of a profession. Some professions have one; some, like the word for a doctor, do not and take only a different article. There is no rule that predicts which, and the word list marks the ones in this lesson. The pattern Greek gives a name in two ways, and both are common. Greek Literally English Είμαι ο Τομ. [1] I am the Tom I'm Tom. Το όνομά μου είναι Τζακ. [3] the name of me is Jack My name is Jack. Ποιο είναι το όνομά του; [15] which is the name of him What is his name? Ξέχασα πώς σε λένε. [16] I forgot how they call you I've forgotten your name. The first construction puts an article in front of the name, which English never does. Personal names take the article in Greek in almost every position, and a Greek saying the equivalent of the Maria came is speaking perfectly ordinary Greek. The fourth line shows the third construction, the one with no English parallel: a verb in the third person plural with no subject, meaning they call . Greek uses it for names constantly — the equivalent of what do they call you — and the they is nobody in particular. English has the same trick in they say it will rain , and it is worth recognising, because the question a Greek asks a child is built this way. The rule about professions is the second pattern and it is short. No indefinite article in front of a profession, a nationality or a religion after the verb to be . Greek English What is missing Είμαι γιατρός. [7] I am a doctor. the word a , which Greek does not use here Είμαι η δασκάλα σου. [14] I'm your teacher. nothing: the article is back, because your makes it definite Είμαι ο γιατρός σας. [17] I'm your doctor. the same, with a masculine noun and the masculine article Saying it politely The polite way to ask for a name is the sentence in the second dialogue, and it is worth having whole. The plain way is the imperative with the word for please in front, as in Παρακαλώ πες μου το όνομά σου. . The plainest of all is the bare question, Ποιο είναι το όνομά του; , which is what you would ask about a third person rather than of the person themselves. Two habits of Greek introductions are worth naming because a visitor will notice their absence. Greeks do not usually shake hands when introduced by a mutual friend at a table; the handshake belongs to business and to first meetings on the street. And a Greek will use your first name almost immediately, which is not familiarity but the ordinary register of a country where the surname belongs on a form. The reply when you are told a name is the verb of being pleased, which lesson 6.1 gave: χαίρομαι . Its past form is what is actually said, because you are reporting that you were pleased to have been introduced, and that is one of the few places in the first phase where you need a past tense before you have learned one. Learn it as a single word.