 | μιλάτε/καταλαβαίνετε Which forms to use? |
| I have a question about one of the phrases used in an online greek lesson. In the sentence "Do you speak Greek?", "μιλάτε" is given as "Do you speak." My question is, why is it correct to use μιλάτε instead of μιλάς? Isn't μιλάτε generally the plural form? I came across the same thing in the Pimsleur Greek lessons with καταλαβαίνετε, used in the sentence "Do you understand Greek?" when speaking to a single person. Why do the words in these sentences have the -τε ending? Is this right? |
| Re: μιλάτε/καταλαβαίνετε Which forms to use? |
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Hi Michael With all Greek verbs the plural 'you' form (μιλάτε, καταλαβαίνετε etc) is also the polite way to address one person. So you would only use μιλάς when speaking to a single person, whom you knew well (friend, family etc). Hope this helps Mike |
| Re: μιλάτε/καταλαβαίνετε Which forms to use? |
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See "FYI: εσύ vs. εσείς" in Discussion Forum 12 for a little more about this issue of the two different uses of εσείς (plural "you") in Greek. Regards, Greg Brush |
| Re: μιλάτε/καταλαβαίνετε Which forms to use? |
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Hello Michael, If you're listening to Pimsleur, this is mentioned very briefly in lesson 28. The problem with Pimsleur (in my personal opinion) is that it's like memorizing a phrasebook. It teaches the correct pronunciation and intonation, and requires very little conscious effort from the learner, but it has practically no grammar explanations ... |
