Throughout the series you will hear some Greek words or phrases being spoken. I’ve gone through and translated what I can from every episode – I can’t guarantee it’s 100% accurate however!
Greek Translations
Episode 1
In the Orange grove for the first time:
Annika: “Do you want something? Perhaps I can help you?”
Matheos, walking in to Annika’s house, handling a file:
Matheos: “Oh, sorry”
Matheos: “Pleased to meet you”
Annika: “O kirios [the gentleman] was here during the war”
At the taverna where Haldane stops to eat:
Old men: “Good health [form of Cheers]“
Outside Annika’s house:
Matheos to man loading truck: “Quicker, ‘koumbare'” [see sintehne below]
At Babis’ office reception:
Babis: “Fotakis has gone mad. Get me Georgis on the phone.”
Babis: “Yes?”
Ariadne: “Apologies, but Mr. Vandoulakis is here.”
Babis: “Thanks. Tell him to wait, please.
At the taverna with Babis:
Giorgios: “To your health”
Haldane: “Likewise”
At the taverna:
Nikos: “Elena please, we have to decide about this thing”
Elena: “Listen to me, I’ve said it to you a thousand times, I don’t want to, I love it however we say it, my boy [affectionate form of address].”
Nikos: “I didn’t hear. But it’s a lot of money”
Elena: “I don’t care about the money when it comes to this”
Nikos: “Please I need to send letters, understand?”
Elena: “Leave me alone.”
Haldane: “Sorry”
Elena: “Excuse me. Ouzo, coffee, beer?”
Haldane: “A medium [sweet] coffee, please”
Nikos: “Elena. Please, we need to discuss this thing.”
Elena: “I explained it to you. It’s not on to continue this story [conversation].”
Nikos: “Elena please, I need to reply about this thing.”
Elena: “OK, reply, but don’t make me dizzy me with this any more. I can’t tolerate any more, understand this!”
Nikos: “Elena please I need the money, we need to sell it, do you understand?
Elena: “What do we need the money for? It’s not as if we’re poor!”
Haldane [to fishermen]: “Morning!”
Alexi: “My dad is coming!”
Alexi: “I’m sorry”
Haldane: “It doesn’t matter”
Nikos: “Alexi, time for food!”
Alexi: “No, father, they’re waiting for me…”
The second time Haldane goes to the taverna:
Haldane: “Good evening”
Elena: “Good evening”
Haldane: “To your health”
Nikos: “To our health”
Elena, to the two seated gentlemen:
Elena: “Hello! Welcome! How are you doing, well? How are the boys? Where are they today?
Gentlemen: “Playing. Topi. Football.”
Elena: [Laughing] “Topi! Here’s your small meze”
Gentlemen: “How’s your husband?”
Elena: “Well thanks”
Elena: “Hello”
Elena: “My son…”
Episode 2
Discussion between Andreas Hadjieleftheris, Nikos and Haldane:
Nikos: “Mr. Haldane!”
Haldane: “Good morning”
Andreas: “Good morning”
Nikos: “The Englishman is the one I spoke to you about, who’s interested in buying your kaiki.
The man would like to know how much you’re selling it for”
Andreas: “The kaiki has no value”
Nikos: “The man says…”
Andreas: “…look here. Ask him. Is is true that this is Leandros, who fought with the Eagle” [Eagle being Babis’ nickname in the Andartes during WWII]
Nikos: “Yes, he is Leandros”
Andreas: “OK, Leandros?”
Haldane: “OK, Andreas”
Two men playing Tavli outside the taverna:
Nikos: “How’s it going?”
Man: “OK”
Nikos: “Welcome, Matheos!”
Hebden walks in to the taverna:
Dimitrios: “Hello, Nikos”
Nikos: “Hello”
Where Jo, Hebden and Haldane are talking in the taverna:
Annika: “A Cinzano with lemon and ice”
Scene outside the church:
Hebden: “It wasn’t me”
Episode 3
At pier:
Haldane to old men: “Hello!”
Outside the taverna:
Haldane: “Morning”
Postman: “You have 4 letters, Leandros”
Haldane: “Thank you”
Postman: “You’re welcome”
Nikos and Elena continue their argument outside the taverna:
Nikos: “We will sell it, do you understand?”
Elena: “We’ve discussed this!”
Nikos: “We have a need for the money, you have to understand! It will go!”
Elena: “The blessed thing, leave me alone.”
Nikos: “I will sell it, you understand, even if you don’t want to.”
Elena: “Sell it, I’m not going to.”
Discussion between Haldane, Annika, Elena and Nikos in the taverna:
Nikos: “The taverna will become very beautiful like this.”
Elena: “Of course. Look again. There will be changes but not huge changes. understand?”
Episode 4
In the airport hangar:
Clerk: “Put it on the table”
Haldane and Alexi are fixing the kaiki:
Alexi: “Me?”
Katerina Matakis visits Dhafnai:
Father Nikolaos: “Welcome. Come in.”
Haldane and Annika walking through Dhafnai:
Villager: “It’s a sin. Not here”
Haldane and Annika outside the church:
Annika: “Morning”
Haldane and Annika in the taverna in Dhafnai:
Annika: “Thank you very much, Christos. To our health!”
Viglis in the taverna:
Villager: “He’s coming here”
Annika: “Whats going on Christos? Who’s come?”
Haldane: “The man wants Father Nikolaos. He went to his house but didn’t find him there. Did you not hear what I said?”
Villager: “He’s here.”
Villager: “Disgusting [car].”
Annika: “Enough! That’s enough! This man is Leandros who fought with the Andartes. Do you want to hit him? Stop it I said!”
Outside the taverna:
Nikos: “Would you like to eat now or later?”
Customer: “Later”
Nikos: “OK”
In Babis’ office:
Babis: “See you, Mr. Viglis”
At the cemetery:
Major Krasakis: “Stop. Ready?”
Villagers: “No! It can’t happen! No! No!”
Villagers: “It’s finished. Finished.”
Episode 5
Scene where Xenophon turns up at the pier:
Villager: “Welcome”
Xenophon: “Hello. Hello koumbare. Hello. Good morning. Mrs. Zaferi.
Annika: “Good morning.”
Xenophon: “Mr. Niko.”
Nikos: “Good morning.”
Annika turning up to the taverna to stay over Easter:
Elena: “Welcome!”
Alexi sitting with his friends with the Easter eggs:
Child: “Mine is nice”
Child 2: “Mine is nicer”
Child: “Yeah, right. Yours is cracked”
Child 2: “It’s not nicer”
Haldane: “What are you doing Alexi?”
Outside the church:
Annika: [equivalent to] “Many happy returns”
Haldane: “Likewise” [or “to you, also”]
Man bursting in to tell Haldane his kaiki is on fire:
Man: “Fire! Fire! Fire! The kaiki is burning! Fire!”
Xenophon: “Leandros, your kaiki is burning!”
Nikos: “Fire! Bring water! Fire!”
Xenophon and friends come to help fix the kaiki:
Xenophon: “Come on boys we have a lot of work to do!”
Episode 6
Annika and Haldane stop to help Kingsley:
Annika: “What happened, are you OK?”
Kingsley: Mutters something unintelligible. “I hurt my shoulder”
Haldane greets Elena at the taverna:
Elena: “Morning Leandros”
Haldane: “Morning Elena, how are you?”
Elena: “Well, very well, you?”
Haldane: “Good”
Kingsley: “Thank you”
Elena: “You’re welcome”
The villagers of Meligala wait for Kingsley:
Villager: “Boys, Mr. Duncan has returned”
Villager: “Mr. Duncan, why were you late?”
Villager: “Did anything happen to you?”
Vassilis Kalatzis: “Welcome”
Haldane: [phrase in response which means “Pleased to have found you”]
Spiros Tsitsanis: “Pleased to meet you”
Lucas: “Pleased to meet you”
Episode 7
Xenophon and friends prepare to launch the newly restored Knot back into the sea:
Xenophon: “Ready, let’s go all of us! Hoooo!”
Villagers: “Nice” (heard about 8 or 9 times)
Annika and Elena: “Have a good journey!”
Annika asks Alexi to start their swimming race:
Annika: “Alexi, give us the signal to go- one, two, three, go!”
Alexi: “One, two, three, go!”
When they’re alighting from the boat:
Haldane: “Now, tie the boat”
Alexi: “It’s very nice, I’d like to come with you again”
Haldane: “Whenever you want, Alexi”
Alexi: “Kostas, Evangeli, he’s going to take me again on the kaiki!”
Annika calls Babis to tell him about the taverna:
Annika: “Babis, they decided! They will work together!”
Babis: “Wonderful! Leandros will be so happy. Does he know?”
Annika: “No, we’ll go and tell him now. Elena and Nikos are here. Yes, this morning, at a suitable time. Very well. Goodbye!”
Nikos tries to start the car:
Alexi: “What happened, why aren’t we leaving?
Nikos: “I’ll try”
Elena: “Eh?”
Alexi: “Mother, can I go with Leandros?”
Elena: “Go, go”
Haldane and Alexi play football:
Haldane: “Come, come, Alexi, come”
Babis: “Oh, what lovely flowers!”
Annika: “You see?”
Annika: Eh, Babis, do you want to come here and do a little work?”
Babis: “OK”
Nikos: “Get away from him Alexi! From the other side! The other side! The other side! More, take him far away!”
Nikos: “That was a foul, don’t get him! Oh, he got him”
Nikos: Come on, take the shot, oof”
Babis has the documents ready:
Babis: “Annika, we’re ready”
Haldane and Alexi fly the kite:
Haldane: “OK? Pull, pull. The string. Higher.” (x2)
Nikos: “Alexi, come, we have to leave”
Alexi: “Not yet”
Nikos: “Now, immediately, you need to do your homework”
Haldane: “We’ll fly it tomorrow, from the boat”
Alexi: “Truthfully?”
Haldane: “Yes”
Alexi: “Mother mother, Leandros said that tomorrow, we can fly the kite from the kaiki”
Elena: “Bravo, my love. Bravo”
Elena: “They will go to the kaiki tomorrow and fly the kite from it”
Elena: “The kaiki is nice but you will do a bit of homework tomorrow?”
Nikos: “He will do a bit of homework with me tonight”
Elena: “Good bye Babis,
Babis: “Good bye”
Elena: “Good to see you”
Nikos: “Good bye Babis”
Annika: “Good bye Elena”
Elena: Good bye Annika
Annika: Good bye Nikos
Nikos: Good bye Annika
Alexi: “Dont’ forget about tomorrow, ok?”
Haldane: “OK Alexi”
Episode 8
Matheos leaves his house, with rifle:
Old men: “Are you going hunting, Matheos?”
Nikos goes to his brother’s house:
Nikos: “I need help, I am in trouble, you could be too”
Yiannis: “Come in”
Haldane reaches the first village:
Villager: “Leandros, I saw them go over there, 3 hours ago”
Haldane: “Thank you”
Babis is on the phone in his office:
Babis: “Yes. OK. At Lefka Ori? OK, thanks”
Matheos and his brother reach the second village:
Giorgos: “You two stand still. I know you! Right where you are!”
Old lady: “Help! Help! My Giorgos!”
Babis takes a call in his office:
Babis: “Yes. Who? Give him to me. Hello? Giorgos? When? Thank you.”
Haldane reaches the second village:
Haldane: “I’ll do it!”
The Police arrive at the cave:
Villager: “They are up there!”
Major Krasakis: “Let’s go. Follow me!”
General phrases
Kirie – Mister
Example – “Kirie Haldane”
Related to “The kirios is English. We were talking.”
Hairo poli – Pleased to meet you
Example –
[Annika to Haldane] – “I am Annika Zefiri, and this is Matheos Noukakis”
[Matheos to Haldane] – “Hairo poli”
Entaxi – OK
Example –
[Andreas Hadjieleftheris to Haldane] – “Entaxi, Leandre?”
“Entaxi, Andrea”
Kiria – Mrs
Example – “Kalimera, Kiria Zefiri”
Episis – Likewise
Kalos Orisate / Kalo sas vrikame – a greeting between 2 people, meeting welcome / we find you well
Yia mas / Stin iyia mas / Iyia – a toast to our / your health
Yia sou / Yia sas – general greeting
Sintehne – someone in the same profession (we hear Matheos say this a few times to his colleagues). In Crete however, there is also the phrase Sintekne, which is the equivalent of best man or godfather, similar to koumbaro, so it could be this instead.
Kalimera – Good morning
Ti kaneis? – What are you doing?
Example –
[Haldane to Alexi] – “Ti kaneis, Alexi?”
Other dialogue
During the serial, various things are said, which may not be clear at first to some viewers. The following section lists some dialogue and I will attempt to decipher its’ meaning.
Episode 1
“…and there must’ve been times recently, when life wouldn’t have been easy for you.”
Haldane to Spiridakis in his office
This is a reference to Greece being ruled by the military junta from 67 to 74. This also relates to Neve’s quote in Episode 6:
“…and now that we’ve got ‘dimokratia’, if there are sufficient votes to be picked up at election time…”
Neve to Haldane at his home in Meligala
which is a reference to the new democratic system once the junta fell.
“Stelios was killed in 1949 fighting with the army on the mainland.”
Spiridakis to Haldane in his office
This refers to the Greek civil war which occurred from 1943 to 1949, between the Monarchist Kingdom of Greece and the Communist Democratic Army of Greece.
Episode 3
“And I shall give you this advice: light a candle against Leandros ever find out that it was you that did that to him.”
Annika to Matheos at her house, after finding out that it was Matheos that tricked Lorna into coming to Crete
This refers to the Greek custom of lighting a candle to pray for protection and safety so that one can live their life without fear.
Episode 6
“But I think it would have been even worse for him. You see, Bernard Kingsley is a Roman Catholic. And so was his wife. And so am I.”
Cooper to Haldane
Taking one of the many online resources available on the internet as a guide, the Catholic church regards euthanasia as morally wrong. It has always taught the absolute and unchanging value of the commandment “You shall not kill”. Pope John Paul II said, “Euthanasia is a grave violation of the law of God, since it is the deliberate and morally unacceptable killing of a human person.” Hence for Cooper, Kingsley and his wife, this was completely against their religious beliefs, regardless of whether or not there was a law against euthanasia in the United Kingdom.
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