# Ρε



## Ntwson

Hi, everybody! Thank you for all your answers. I have a question about the word . I hope it is not a bad word since it is not in this wonderful dictionary. Well, I see it in many comments on YouTube, so what does it mean? Is it a slang? How is it acceptable in writings (such as a book)? In case you need some examples, I show some YouTube results for this word, such as: (1) Κουράγιο ρε Παντέλη! (2) Δε σου φτάνει ρε; (3) ΑΝΝΑ ΒΙΣΣΗ- ΡΕ! (4) Σταυρος Κωνσταντινου - Α ρε νυχτα (5) Tus - χόρτο ρε βλάκα (6) ΤΡΑΒΑ ΡΕ ΜΑΓΚΑ ΚΑΙ ΑΛΑΝΗ - Σοφία Παπάζογλου. That's all. Thank you so much for supporting me whenever I ask for help here!


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## Agró

It's an interjection (Hey!).


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## Andrious

But not a polite one. So think of using it only when talking with close friends.


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## Ancolie

Μωρέ =Βρε=Ρε

Στα Γαλλικά, μπορούμε να το μεταφράσουμε με "mon vieux ! "


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## Perseas

Υπάρχει και το «ωρέ» που είναι παρωχημένο,όπως λέει και το Βικιλεξικό, αλλά σε κάποιες περιοχές το λένε ακόμη.
Ακόμη το «μπρε».


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## shawnee

Ancolie said:


> Μωρέ =Βρε=Ρε
> 
> Στα Γαλλικά, μπορούμε να το μεταφράσουμε με "mon vieux ! "


Περίπου ναι, όμως το «mon vieux» μου φαίνεται πιο ευγενικό.


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## Ancolie

Mon vieux είναι πολύ οικείο, το λες μόνο σε φίλους που έχεις από τα νιάτα σου.


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## Rallino

Γεια σας,

Έχω κι εγώ μια ερώτηση για το « ρε ». 
Μπορώ να το χρησιμοποιήσω με όλους τους φίλους μου; Είναι πιθανό να το πω σε μια γυναίκα, η οποία είναι μια φίλη μου, ή ως άντρας, με γυναίκες θα έπρεπε να χρησιμοποιήσω τουλάχιστον το « βρε » (και όχι το « ρε ») παρόλο αν και είναι φίλες μου; Οι γυναίκες χρησιμοποιούν ρε / βρε μία με την άλλη;

Ευχαριστώ εκ των προτέρων!


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## Ntwson

Σας ευχαριστώ πολύ!


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## Perseas

Rallino said:


> Γεια σας,
> 
> Έχω κι εγώ μια ερώτηση για το « ρε ».
> Μπορώ να το χρησιμοποιήσω με όλους τους φίλους μου; Είναι πιθανό να το πω σε μια γυναίκα, η οποία είναι μια φίλη μου, ή ως άντρας, με γυναίκες θα έπρεπε να χρησιμοποιήσω τουλάχιστον το « βρε » (και όχι το « ρε ») παρόλο αν και είναι φίλες μου; Οι γυναίκες χρησιμοποιούν ρε / βρε μία με την άλλη;
> 
> Ευχαριστώ εκ των προτέρων!




Με όποιους αισθάνεσαι οικειότητα (φίλους, φίλες) μπορείς να τα χρησιμοποιήσεις και τα δύο (το «βρε» είναι λίγο πιο ήπιο). Αν όμως προσφωνήσεις έτσι κάποιον άγνωστο μπορεί να εκληφθεί ως αγένεια. Και οι γυναίκες τα λένε μεταξύ τους.


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## Rallino

Κατάλαβα. 
Ευχαριστώ πολύ, Perseas! :-]


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## Andrious

βέβαια, άβυσσος η ψυχή του ανθρώπου... κάποιοι/ες μπορεί να παρεξηγηθούν για πολύ πιο ασήμαντα πράγματα/ λεγόμενα από ένα "ρε"... οπότε χρησιμοποίησέ το με δική σου ευθύνη! :d


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## velisarius

I know a Greek couple who claim to be shocked if they hear _Μωρέ_ and _ρε_. They quote Matthew 5:22 at me:

22 ἐγὼ δὲ λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι πᾶς ὁ ὀργιζόμενος τῷ ἀδελφῷ αὐτοῦ εἰκῇ ἔνοχος ἔσται τῇ κρίσει· ὃς δ’ ἂν εἴπῃ τῷ ἀδελφῷ αὐτοῦ, Ρακά, ἔνοχος ἔσται τῷ συνεδρίῳ· *ὃς δ’ ἂν εἴπῃ, Μωρέ, ἔνοχος ἔσται εἰς τὴν γέενναν τοῦ πυρός*. 

So these common terms are not only rude or uncouth, but will cause the speaker to burn in Hell. Has anyone else come across this concept?


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## dmtrs

velisarius said:


> I know a Greek couple who claim to be shocked if they hear _Μωρέ_ and _ρε_. [...] So these common terms are not only rude or uncouth, but will cause the speaker to burn in Hell.  Has anyone else come across this concept?



I know people who can assure you that homosexuals, people who have sex without being married, boys who 'abuse themselves' (!) and lots of others are also going to burn in Hell... If I'm to share their fate I'd rather choose to have some fun first, and not burn just because I use 'ρε' or 'μωρέ' in my everyday speech...


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## velisarius

So can I take it that you have come across the notion before?


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## dmtrs

I cannot recall the exact same notion, but I might have heard something like that. 
What I meant to say is that people have a lot of weird notions, one of them being this one.
And I was being sarcastic (towards the notion, not you, of course).


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## Αγγελος

Ρε does, in all probability, come from μωρέ, which is indeed explicitly condemned in the Gospel. *But* in Jesus’ time it still meant « you fool », and this (calling somebody an idiot, a moron, or worse) is what Jesus condemns. Μωρέ, still used in modern Greek, has lost all trace of its etymological meaning: it is just a form of address between close friends. Έλα, μωρέ! simply means « come on, buddy! ». The feminine, μωρή, is still insulting, however.
I personally hardly ever use ρε, but I freely use βρε *with my friends’ first names. *If a friend asked me πού είσαι, ρε; I might feel offended; but I would find it perfectly normal if asked πού είσαι, βρε Άγγελε;
Α foreigner should best avoid such forms of address.


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## Kara Danvers

Well, I personally use ρε a lot with my friends, and I wouldn't be offended if someone used this word to address me. I mean, as long as they do not intend to insult me and we are close enough. The word ρε can be used as part of an insult, but it is not insulting by itself (for me). Of course, it is informal, and I would never use it with an older person, (a stranger, my grandparents, my future boss). So be careful, use it just with friends.
Examples:
(On the phone): Έλα ρε Γιώργο, τι κάνεις; ( Hey George, how're you doing?)
Πας καλά ρε; ( suggests that something is wrong with your mental health, mildly insulting)
Ρε, άκου με! (Hey, hear me out!)
-Πώς πάει; - Άσε ρε, χάλια. (-How are you? - Let's not talk about it, it's awful.

Hope this helps!


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## Helleno File

Kara Danvers said:


> ...
> 
> Hope this helps!


Yes!  Great examples.

The bit that's difficult for me - not just with ρε - is to get a feel when it's Ok to switch to a familiar ενικός.  The context for me is having learnt German and spent some time in Germany back in shall we say headier more political days. Back then it was assumed that the familiar "Du" was almost required with people my own age, including complete strangers and could quickly follow with people who were older.  I remember discussions between Germans at the time suggesting they also were a bit unsure.

I've quickly realised that this is far from the case in 21st century Greece. Even so I've made one or two mistakes with relatively new acquantainces that have made me very cautious. As for ρε I think I'll follow your advice - even as one of the "older people"


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## Kara Danvers

Helleno File said:


> Yes!  Great examples.
> 
> The bit that's difficult for me - not just with ρε - is to get a feel when it's Ok to switch to a familiar ενικός.  The context for me is having learnt German and spent some time in Germany back in shall we say headier more political days. Back then it was assumed that the familiar "Du" was almost required with people my own age, including complete strangers and could quickly follow with people who were older.  I remember discussions between Germans at the time suggesting they also were a bit unsure.
> 
> I've quickly realised that this is far from the case in 21st century Greece. Even so I've made one or two mistakes with relatively new acquantainces that have made me very cautious. As for ρε I think I'll follow your advice - even as one of the "older people"


Well yes, you should be really careful with  ρε. You should use it only when you are sure that you have the same status with the person you address . And that applies as well for ενικός. For instance, a tutor can say ρε to their student(s) (like "έλα ρε, μπράβο, τα κατάφερες! or "όχι (β)ρε, δεν είναι σωστο!") but it cannot be used vice versa, it would be definitely rude.
As for ενικός, sometimes it is best to just ask people how they would like to be addressed, if you are unsure. Sometimes you start with πληθυντικός and then you switch to ενικός. Depends on the person. Some people feel comfortable with ενικός. For example, in many companies the directors want the employees to use ενικό with them, in order to feel more comfortable at work. I have a mentor that is older than me and far more experienced, and at first I addressed him in πληθυντικό ευγενείας. But after a while, he expressed his discomfort with this situation, and he practically forbade me to ever call him "κύριε" and not just with his name in ενικός. But even in these terms, I would never use ρε  with him.


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## Apollodorus

Very interesting. Some sources have it that ρε/βρε is not Greek but “μάγκικα” which helped me to remember to be careful.

But are they – officially or popularly – considered the same word?


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## Kara Danvers

Apollodorus said:


> Very interesting. Some sources have it that ρε/βρε is not Greek but “μάγκικα” which helped me to remember to be careful.
> 
> But are they – officially or popularly – considered the same word?


Well, ρε is "ruder" than βρε. Also, I don't think that young people use βρε,  it seems kind of "archaic" and lame . We use ρε a lot, though, in daily conversations, songs, movies etc. I think that βρε shows more affection (for instance, a mother can say it to her child, and I would use it with children).  With a friend I would use 100% ρε. 
I never thought that ρε and βρε could derive from the same word, but it seems possible.


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## Αγγελος

μωρέ, βρε and ρε are synonyms (in fact, βρε and ρε are probably shortened forms of μωρέ), but in order of increasing vulgarity. As I said in an earlier comment, I hardly ever use ρε, but I do use βρε freely with my friends, though usually accompanied by the first name. Then again, I hardly ever use 'man' or 'buddy' as a form of address in English.


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## Apollodorus

Kara Danvers said:


> I never thought that ρε and βρε could derive from the same word, but it seems possible.



Well, etymology isn't an exact science and lots of different etymologies are being offered such as Turkish (bre) or Indo-European (bhrate) though there is a strong possibility that it's Greek.

What complicates matters is that the word also occurs in many other languages in the region (Albanian, Bulgarian, Romanian, etc.) and I remember reading that there are over 50 variants in Greece alone.

But I tend to hear the more impersonal "O ρε φίλε!" quite a lot. That might be a good start for beginners (like myself) to practise on.


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