2007-02-22 16:38:38 · 7 answers · asked by cajun m 2 in Travel ➔ Europe (Continental) ➔ Greece
What do you mean by English friendly? Do we have a problem with the English Language or the English people? I will try and answer you on both counts.
Language: You will find that English is understood and spoken by most of the Greeks you are liable to meet if you are travelling in Greece and definitely not an issue with the people taking care of you(travel agents, restaurants, hotels etc) I can not unfortunately say the same for the Brits. (I haven't been to single place in England that spoke Greek or just about anything else except English). You will find actually that Greece is language friendly to Italian, French, German, and in northern Greece Bulgarian, Turkish etc. Ok; Athens is friendly to a lot of languages with predominance in English.
People: There are two scales here and we keep them very separate. There you have on the one hand the People and on the other hand the Government. Traditionally in Greece we have no respect for the government and no trust in so far that it has our best interests in heart. We have learned this through at least 4000 years of civilisation. We have conquered people for centuries. We have been conquered by others for centuries and we have come to realise that Government is something akin to a necessary evil. The Point is that we can have a strong dislike for the British government while actually liking the people. We can throw rocks and Molotov bombs at the USA embassy without bearing any animosity towards American citizens (real example)
2007-02-22 19:53:38 · answer #1 · answered by The Stainless Steel Rat 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Don't expect much from Greeks,
They are friendly only when they are trying to sell you something, or in hotels and restaurants,
i.e., friendly only when they're after your money.
and for English, in touristic areas, most people speak English the same weird way.
Athens is the best place to find people who speak English, in other cities, it's much worse.
Wait to hear how everyone pronounces the "OK" the same way...
very funny...
2007-02-23 01:47:58 · answer #2 · answered by Líbano 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Greece is a very friendly country in general. There is no racism exhibited by the general public.
Many Greeks are familiar with the UK and specifically England and most have great experiences (i.e. studies, travel etc).
Athens is a very diverse city with people from many different cultural backgrounds so it makes it even easier to fit in:)
2007-02-22 18:15:59 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
I agree with ranger...greece is a very friendly country. there are so many foreigners living here now that it is a way of life. Most greeks can speak english quite well. Especially the younger generations, most can speak fluent english.
2007-02-22 18:38:22 · answer #4 · answered by lainie 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The Greeks are very friendly and hospitable to all tourists. As for the language, english is spoken everywhere, the signs are in english, no problem whatsoever.
2007-02-22 21:19:03 · answer #5 · answered by cpinatsi 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I think that Greek people are famous for their hospitality!
Even if they don't know to speak English very well, they will find a way to communicate with you! But nowadays most of the Greek people speak English fluently!
2007-02-22 18:47:55 · answer #6 · answered by Roubini 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
What are you talking about.... even my grandmother speaks English.
2007-02-22 18:41:44 · answer #7 · answered by Kimon 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋