Ever had difficulties making sense of Greek words and expressions because your first language became English?  Don’t feel bad; most people in my family say “tsondes” on a daily basis because somehow the Greek and English parts of their brains get scrambled like an omeletta.  Like the time I asked my mother for the “falena” (whale in Greek) instead of the “fanela” (t-shirt).  Or when I called myself abnormal or “anomali” because I couldn’t find the keys to open my apartment door to which my Greeky cousin started laughing and explained in a Greek accent, “No darleeng, when you say “anomali” in Greece means you are lesbian.”

So here’s a list of phrases that seem strange to the English side of you and vice versa:

1) είδες τι τραβάω?———>do you see what I pull?

2) Με δουλεύεις τώρα——-> you are working me now

3) Greek – “akou na deis”   English – “hear to see”

4) Greek, “triches” or “hairs”  English translation: “not a big deal.”

5) Greek: “agapi mou matakia mou”  English translation:  “My love, my little eyes.”

6) Εμείς εδώ πεινάμε και εκεί το μουνί χτενίζεται.-we are starving here, and there the vagina is combing itself (English translation: the difference between the haves and the have nots:  food and a hairy vagina)

7) Greek: “Piso exei i gata tin oura.” English: “The cat has its tail in the back.” English translation: ?

8) “Γαμώ το κερατο σου γαμώ” English – “F%#* your horn f#%*”

9) Greek – “Me lene Rizo kai opos thelw to girizw” English – “My name is Rizo and any way I want to I turn it”  English translation:  “I don’t give a f%#@”

10) Με δουλεύει τώρα.  English: “You are working me now.”  English translation: “You are putting me on.”

11) Το κακό σου το καιρό. English:  Your bad time. English translation: “Get the f#%@ outta here”  Alternatively, “kako chrono na exeis.”  English: “Bad year may you have.”  English translation:   “Get the f#%@ outta here”