Greek · Frustration & Fate
τι να κάνουμε
ti na kánoume
tee nah KAH-noo-meh · /ti na ˈka.nu.me/
What can you do / that's life / oh well — weary Greek resignation.
mild, playful; fine on daytime TV
Literally
"what should we do"
Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.
How to use it
Not profane, but the emotional bedrock of Greek frustration and too important to skip. "Τι να κάνουμε" is the national shrug — the verbal acceptance of things you can't change, from the economy to the weather to the bus that never comes. Said with a sigh and open hands. Pairs naturally with "έτσι είναι η ζωή" (that's life) and "όλα θα πάνε καλά" (it'll all work out). Grandma-safe, and understanding it tells you more about the Greek soul than any curse.
Heard in the wild
Ακρίβυναν πάλι όλα. Τι να κάνουμε…
Everything's gotten expensive again. What can you do…
Where it lands
Greece & Cyprus (universal)
Quick answers
- What does "τι να κάνουμε" mean?
- In Greek, "τι να κάνουμε" means "What can you do / that's life / oh well — weary Greek resignation.". Literally it's "what should we do". Not profane, but the emotional bedrock of Greek frustration and too important to skip. "Τι να κάνουμε" is the national shrug — the verbal acceptance of things you can't change, from the economy to the weather to the bus that never comes. Said with a sigh and open hands. Pairs naturally with "έτσι είναι η ζωή" (that's life) and "όλα θα πάνε καλά" (it'll all work out). Grandma-safe, and understanding it tells you more about the Greek soul than any curse.
- Is "τι να κάνουμε" offensive?
- It's on the mild end — 1/5 (Grandma-safe) on the Punch-o-Meter. mild, playful; fine on daytime TV.
- How do you pronounce "τι να κάνουμε"?
- Say it "tee nah KAH-noo-meh" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: ti na ˈka.nu.me.
Related in Greek
The same idea, elsewhere
Via concepts like "Tough luck".
- French C'est nul ! That sucks / That's lame
- German Mist! Crap! / Rats! — the family-friendly 'damn'
- Italian Merda! Shit! / Damn it!
- Japanese 勘弁して Give me a break / spare me / oh, come on
- Korean 아이고 Oh dear / oof / good grief — the sound of Korea sitting down after a long day.
- Polish szlag Damn it — 'szlag by to trafił' = may a stroke strike it.
- Portuguese Chato Annoying / boring / a pain
- Russian Капец! That's it, it's over / Damn / Whoa
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