# Beauty is in the eye of the beholder



## kerryarron

Can anyone help me translate the above phrase and help me to pronounce it correctly?

η ομορφιά είναι - so far I have this, am I starting off on the right path?


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## Tassos

Beauty is ... Η ομορφιά είναι  (alt. βρίσκεται)
in the eye ... στα μάτια (plural sounds better here)
of the beholder ... του θεατή. (alt. if you want something a little more colloquial: αυτού που βλέπει)


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## velisarius

If you wanted to translate less literally you might say "Ο καθένας έχει την δική του άποψη περί ομορφιάς."

Please feel free to correct my Greek.


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## Perseas

Also, "η ομορφιά είναι υποκειμενική".
(Ομορφιά=beauty;υποκειμενική=subjective)


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## kerryarron

Thanks everyone for the replies 
What is the literal translation of αυτού που βλέπει?


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## Tassos

(of) the one who sees
The literal translation of the phrase "the one who sees" is "αυτός που βλέπει" in the nominative.
If you put "of" in front of the phrase, it becomes genitive, thus "αυτού που βλέπει".


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## Live2Learn

It is somehow comforting to know that other people on another site at another time grappled with the translation of this same expression:

http://is.gd/2dzObw


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## kerryarron

Live2Learn said:


> It is somehow comforting to know that other people on another site at another time grappled with the translation of this same expression:
> 
> 
> 
> I just tried reading the thread and I picked out a few words, I'm not smart enough to see if they reached the same conclusion though!


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## shawnee

I read it a couple of days ago and from memory they were inclined to make more use of εξαρτάται (depending on ). I am also of the opinion that this works better than είναι. So just to add a bit more into the mix:
Η ομορφία εξαρτάται απ' αυτόν που κοιτάζει/βλέπει. I think I actually prefer κοιτάζει, not sure why.


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## naras

shawnee, please allow me...I don't think that verb *depend* has something to do with this phrase. 
Nothing ''to be conditioned or contingent'' from the start. Beauty just exist. 
The perception of beauty, it's far more a procedure, a procedure of acceptance, of reception, of understanding, 
just in your eyes, for your eyes (!) 
Tassos, velisarius and Perseas - though they used different paths - got it perfect.


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## shawnee

You're most welcome to your opinion naras and I always agree with you except in this case. I believe that in the phrase in question 'beauty' *is* contingent/dependent upon the (quality) of the eye of the person doing the looking. In fact 'Beauty is in the eye of the beholder' expresses the exact opposite of the view that 'beauty just exists'. What am I missing here?


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## Perseas

I can imagine someone saying "η ομορφιά εξαρτάται..." but I wouldn't recommend it for the written speech. 
A suggestion with "εξαρτάται":  "το πώς ορίζει κανείς την ομορφιά εξαρτάται...".


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## shawnee

Perseas said:


> I can imagine someone saying "η ομορφιά εξαρτάται..." but I wouldn't recommend it for the written speech.
> A suggestion with "εξαρτάται":  "το πώς ορίζει κανείς την ομορφιά εξαρτάται...".


I like that. Thanks Perseas.


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## naras

shawnee - regarding to your last comment - 
maybe this freely and optional translation in greek, gives me finally a more ''narrow'' view, even in greek.
I apologise as my english is not competent and perfect and maybe in my effort to analyse the above phrase, 
i missed it finally - of course, I don't give up.
Perseas gave a more periphrastic explanation, using verb _depend_.
Thank you both.


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## shawnee

Όλα καλά naras.


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