Register and address in a letter to a host family
A student must write a 150-word letter in Greek to a host family in Thessaloniki whom she has never met, introducing herself before a three-week exchange. She drafts an opening: «Γεια σου οικογένεια, τι κάνεις; Είμαι η Έμα και είμαι 17. Θέλω να σου πω για μένα.» She also plans to close with «Τα λέμε, Έμα». Her teacher says the content is good but the register and address forms need work for a first-contact letter to adults. The student must keep the letter warm and personal, not stiff and bureaucratic, and must include one request (asking about the weather and what clothes to bring) and one offer (she can cook Greek dishes she has learned).
1. Identify the address and register problems in the opening and closing, and rewrite both appropriately.
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Problems: (1) «Γεια σου» is singular informal, but she is writing to a family, so plural is needed; (2) «τι κάνεις;» is singular informal and slightly too casual for first contact with adults; (3) «οικογένεια» needs a polite framing; (4) «Θέλω να σου πω» is singular and blunt; (5) «Τα λέμε» is a casual goodbye suited to friends. Rewrites: opening - «Αγαπητή οικογένεια,» or «Αγαπητοί κύριε και κυρία,» then «Ελπίζω να είστε όλοι καλά.» Closing - «Με πολλή αγάπη» or «Με φιλικούς χαιρετισμούς, Έμα». The plural verb forms «είστε», «να είστε» carry the polite plural. Keep warmth through content (a personal detail, a question) rather than through dropping the polite plural.
2. Write the request and the offer in Greek, keeping the polite plural and a warm tone.
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Request: «Θα ήθελα να σας ρωτήσω για τον καιρό τον Σεπτέμβριο - τι ρούχα θα μου προτείνατε να φέρω;» The conditional «θα ήθελα» softens the request; «θα μου προτείνατε» is polite plural. Offer: «Μαθαίνω να μαγειρεύω ελληνικα φαγητά και θα χαρώ πολύ να σας φτιάξω ένα βραδινό, αν θέλετε.» The «αν θέλετε» leaves the choice with the hosts. In an exam answer, explain the choices: modal softening, plural agreement, and leaving the addressee an option are the three levers that keep a formal letter warm rather than cold.
3. The student worries the letter will sound cold if she uses the polite plural throughout. How would you advise her?
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Politeness in Greek is carried mainly by grammatical choices (plural address, conditional forms, «παρακαλώ», «θα ήθελα»), not by emotional distance. Warmth comes from specific, personal content: naming a dish she can cook, mentioning a hobby, asking a genuine question about their city, expressing real anticipation. So the advice is: keep the polite plural, and spend the warmth budget on concrete detail and one or two friendly exclamations. Avoid mixing registers mid-letter (e.g. switching to «εσύ»), which reads as inconsistent rather than friendly. A useful test: read the letter aloud; if every sentence is a formula, add one personal sentence, not a casual pronoun.