# Handle carefully



## brazil_ana

Hey guys!

I'm looking for the equivalent in Greek to '*handle carefully*'. I have found this one: Χειριστείτε προσεκτικά Is this right?

Thanks once more!


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## GreekNative

Hello Ana,

I'm afraid that "χειριστείτε προσεκτικά", although some times used in packaging, grammatically correct and easily understood, does not sound natural in Greek. It's a lot more natural to say "Εύθραυστο" ("fragile", if the item is really fragile), or even "προσοχή κατά τη μεταφορά" ("caution during transportation"). If you give us some more context, like what the item is, where the inscirption is written, etc., we might be able to find more alternatives.


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## brazil_ana

It's like saying to someone: 'Be careful with that, it can be broken easily...!' But as I need something more direct, I prefer 'Handle carefully'.


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## GreekNative

Hmmm... I see. There's a variety of things you can say, depending on the level of intimacy, the circumstances, what exactly the item is, when the actual transportation takes place (i.e. as you tell them to be careful or at a future point in time?), etc. So, I'm not sure exactly what would sound most natural/correct in this particular case. 

You say that "as I need something more direct, I prefer 'Handle carefully' ". Personally, I think that "Be careful with that, it can be broken easily...!" is more direct. Not knowing what the fragile item is and how it's packed, I'd make a random guess, suggesting "Προσοχή με αυτήν την κούτα/αυτό το κουτί, γιατί μπορεί να σπάσει το περιεχόμενο" (Be careful with this carton box / box, 'cause what's in it might break".

I don't know if I'm of any help...


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## brazil_ana

By direct, I mean concise. It's about a person actually. It's me advising a friend to treat another friend carefully because the other one is very sentive, fragile. 
Anyway I was looking for that expression we find in boxes... If there are different options for such situations, please feel free to share!
And thanks, you guys always help! So I keep asking...lol!


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## GreekNative

Well, yes: you can't use the phrases I suggested above as they are, when it comes to a person.

Before I start, let me make a remark: I see that you're using 2nd plural in "χειριστείτε", meaning that you want to be polite; you're talking to someone whom you're not particularly intimate with. Based on that, may I suggest:

"Χειριστείτε τον/την με προσοχή" (-Please- handle him/her with caution), or 
"Νομίζω ότι θέλει προσεκτικό χειρισμό" (I think he/she needs to be handled with caution).

There could be more variations, though. More contributions would be welcome.


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## brazil_ana

Hum... actually I am intimate with both of them... The guy I'm talking to and the girl I am advising him to be carefull with...


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## Traduita

In that case "χειριστείτε προσεκτικά" will not do. You can  perfectly say εύθραυστος/η to indicate that a person is fragile emotionally.  This can be phrased in many ways, depending on the situation. I am just giving a couple of examples here:
 H X θέλει προσοχή γιατί είναι πολύ εύθραυστη.
 Πρόσεχε, ο Ψ είναι πολύ εύθραυστος. Μπορεί να πληγωθεί εύκολα από κάτι που θα του πεις. 
Ο Γ είναι πολύ εύθραυστος. Πρέπει να προσέχεις πολύ πώς του φερεσαι. 
Πρέπει να προσέχεις με τον Γ, γιατί είναι πολύ εύθραυστος. 
In most situations, ευαίσθητος/η will also do instead of εύθραυστος.


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## GreekNative

Then, "νομίζω ότι θέλει προσεκτικό χειρισμό" is still valid and remains as it is, and I would also suggest "πρόσεξε πώς θα την χειριστείς" ("be careful about how you're going to handle her), while I would add "γιατί είναι πολύ ευαίσθητη" ("because she is quite sensitive"), or "γιατί είναι ειδικού χειρισμού" ("because she's a bit particular"; this one has a touch of irony vis-a-vis the third person, the girl).

As I said at the very beginning, finding the exact phrase with the right nuances depends on a wide range of factors which  we don't know, here.


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## winegrower

But, *if *after all these very useful alternatives you *still* want to use this particular verb in the imperative, you can just go on and say: χειρίσου την προσεκτικά = handle her carefully (meaning that she is εύθραυστη)!


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## GreekNative

Yes, of course you can say that. Although the form "χειρίσου" does not appear very frequently, it is indeed correct and doesn't sound unnatural. Χειρίσου την προσεκτικά sounds good to me.


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## brazil_ana

That's fine! Thanks a lot, guys!
=)


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