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Greeks sometimes speak loudly and use hand gestures- you should start loving it!

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francescool

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One big part of Greek Culture is communication. My family is Italian, so I totally get it. Now that I'm in Greece, I'm reminded of how passionate and loud Greeks are. I love and appreciate this fact and I hope everyone else does to. Don't be alarmed or taken aback if someone communicates differently than you, just take it in stride and learn to appreciate it :)
 
Some things Greeks do is

1. They stick their tongue to the front of the roof ot their mouth, create a suction and pull down - it will create a sound, and I don't remember the name of the sound in English. If you ask a Greek a question and you hear them make that noise then it means "no".

2. If a Greek raises their head the way we say "what's up?" Then it also means "no"

3. A common hand sign for the word elegant is to raise your hand in front of you with your palm pointed up, pull your hand down while touching all of your fingers together at the same time.
 
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It's crazy that the same gesture for what's up is also no. It's all about the context!! Those who are newer to the language like me need to pay a little bit more attention to catch on to smaller gestures like these
ellinasgolfer0320 said:
Some things Greeks do is

1. They stick their tongue to the front of the roof ot their mouth, create a suction and pull down - it will create a sound, and I don't remember the name of the sound in English. If you ask a Greek a question and you hear them make that noise then it means "no".

2. If a Greek raises their head the way we say "what's up?" Then it also means "no"

3. A common hand sign for the word elegant is to raise your hand in front of you with your palm pointed up, pull your hand down while touching all of your fingers together at the same time.
Click to expand...
 
paharo45 said:
It's crazy that the same gesture for what's up is also no. It's all about the context!! Those who are newer to the language like me need to pay a little bit more attention to catch on to smaller gestures like these
Click to expand...
Yea, this is not something widely known outside of Greece. Another thing to pay attention to is someone flashing their headlights at you when you're waiting at a crosswalk. In the USA if someone flashes their headlights at you then the driver is telling you to go, but in Greece it means "I'm coming through". Good way to get hit at a crosswalk if you don't know what it means in Greece.
 
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ellinasgolfer0320 said:
Yea, this is not something widely known outside of Greece. Another thing to pay attention to is someone flashing their headlights at you when you're waiting at a crosswalk. In the USA if someone flashes their headlights at you then the driver is telling you to go, but in Greece it means "I'm coming through". Good way to get hit at a crosswalk if you don't know what it means in Greece.
Click to expand...
First time I've seen a potentially life saving tip on a travel/culture forum! Wow, I will definitely try to remember this tip. Another thing I've noticed is that in Greece when a car is going to stop, pull over, or slow down they put their hazards on, not something I really see in Canada a whole lot.
 
francescool said:
One big part of Greek Culture is communication. My family is Italian, so I totally get it. Now that I'm in Greece, I'm reminded of how passionate and loud Greeks are. I love and appreciate this fact and I hope everyone else does to. Don't be alarmed or taken aback if someone communicates differently than you, just take it in stride and learn to appreciate it :)
Click to expand...

Greeks are definitely passionate. I notice similarities between the Greeks and Italians when I am in Italy, as well. In fact, when in Europe I often get mistaken for an Italian. lol
 
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