As many Greeks will tell you, the Greek language is a very rich language and when a native speaker is in action, it is often accompanied by a rich variety of hand and facial gestures as well. These serve, both consciously and unconsciously, to emphasize what is being said, or they can be used by themselves as a non-verbal response.
“No”
Greeks do not usually move their head from side to side to indicate a negative answer, that is, “no.” Instead, they tilt their head up and back, then lower again to look straight ahead. This is done only once. This should not be confused with a nod that means “yes.” Sometimes the head tilt is accompanied by an audible click of the tongue against the teeth. There are also variations on this. For emphasis, that is, something like “no, of course not” or “no, you are out of place”, the head may tilt up and back in a very slow deliberate movement sometimes with a partial or full closure of the eyes. At other times, all the movement can be reduced to a very light and quick browlift. This can be very difficult to detect, so it leads you to repeatedly ask that person your question until the movement becomes more noticeable or you lose patience with you and actually tell you your answer. Non-verbal responses can be surprisingly powerful and can elicit an interesting reaction in an unfamiliar stranger. For example, you may think that the slow and deliberate movement of “no” indicates that your listener believes that what you have said or suggested is completely ridiculous and does not deserve a verbal response; I would be wrong.
“Yes”
For “yes”, the head is tilted down and slightly to one side. As with “no”, this is done only once. Again, this can be done slowly and deliberately for added emphasis.
Shaking head
As we have seen, this does not mean “no”. It is used to indicate that someone does not understand what is being said or, alternatively, the reason why it is being said. Sometimes this is accompanied by an outward extension of the hand with the palm facing the floor and then turning the hand, with the thumb and first two fingers extended, until the palm is facing up.
Vulgar and rude hand gestures
Come on, I have to cover at least one or two. As in many countries, there are impolite and vulgar hand gestures that are more expressive than any word in certain situations. The Greeks have an expression that literally translated means “I write you on my testicles”! This actually means “I am totally ignoring what you are saying.” It would take too long to delve into the many Greek sayings, but I have also heard an interesting variation of this one spoken by a woman who says, “My testicles are going to grow just so I can write to you about them!” Anyway, the related hand gesture, which is often used alone without the expression, is a rapid movement of both hands down, with the palms facing up and the fingertips almost touching forming a V shape over the stomach, as if indicating the location of the genitals. . Finally, another hand gesture that is a rude way of telling someone to “go away” (I’ll let you use your imagination and creative talent), is to extend your arm in the direction of your target with a clenched fist. Then, when the arm is fully extended, the fingers are extended widely, revealing the palm at a 45-degree angle to the ground. It is done in one movement and is similar to the action of throwing a ball. This is likely to be seen most often on the road among drivers. However, this will be considered a strong insult if used against a stranger, so be prepared to deal with literally any consequences before resorting to it!