Learn Hardcore Greek: Εγώ δεν είμαι τόσο τυπικός, αλλά προσπαθώ να μιλάω ευγενικά όταν είμαι σε καφετέρια ή σε τράπεζα. - I am not so formal, but I try to speak politely when I am in a café or in a bank.

Both are correct. Using Εγώ adds a slight emphasis, like saying “Me, I’m not that formal”. It can sound contrastive (e.g. “I’m not that formal, but others are”) or just a bit more personal or explicit.

Why is τόσο used in δεν είμαι τόσο τυπικός instead of πολύ? What’s the difference?

Both are common, but they’re not identical:

τόσο τυπικός = “that / so formal” (often in comparison to some idea or standard)
πολύ τυπικός = “very formal”

Δεν είμαι τόσο τυπικός:

“I’m not that formal” (as formal as you might think / as formal as others / as formal as the situation might suggest).

Δεν είμαι πολύ τυπικός:

“I’m not very formal” (I’m generally not a very formal person).

In your sentence, τόσο fits well because the second part (αλλά προσπαθώ…) sets up a contrast with a certain expected level of formality.

The word τυπικός usually means “typical”. How does it mean “formal” here?

Τυπικός has two main everyday meanings:

Typical / characteristic
- Είναι ο τυπικός τουριστής. = “He is the typical tourist.”
Formal / proper / following the rules
- Είναι πολύ τυπικός στη δουλειά του. = “He is very formal/proper in his job.”

In δεν είμαι τόσο τυπικός, the context (contrasted with speaking politely in a bank or café) makes τυπικός mean “formal / proper / following social conventions” rather than “typical.”

If the speaker is a woman, should it be τυπική instead of τυπικός?

Yes. Adjectives in Greek agree in gender, number, and case with the noun or pronoun they describe.

Εγώ δεν είμαι τόσο τυπικός – masculine speaker
Εγώ δεν είμαι τόσο τυπική – feminine speaker

Similarly:

Εμείς δεν είμαστε τόσο τυπικοί – “We (mixed/men) are not so formal.”
Εμείς δεν είμαστε τόσο τυπικές – “We (women) are not so formal.”

What’s the difference between μιλάω and μιλώ? Are both correct?

Both are correct; they’re just two forms of the same verb μιλάω / μιλώ (“to speak, to talk”).

μιλάω is more colloquial and very common in everyday speech.
μιλώ is a bit more formal or “bookish”, but still absolutely normal and frequent.

In your sentence, you could say either:

προσπαθώ να μιλάω ευγενικά
προσπαθώ να μιλώ ευγενικά

Meaning is the same. The first sounds slightly more conversational.

Why is it προσπαθώ να μιλάω and not προσπαθώ να μιλήσω?

This is about aspect (imperfective vs. perfective):

να μιλάω (imperfective) – ongoing, repeated, or habitual action: “to be speaking / to speak (in general)”.
να μιλήσω (perfective) – a single, complete action: “to speak (once, at some point)”.

προσπαθώ να μιλάω ευγενικά =
“I try to speak politely (as a general habit, whenever I speak).”

If you said:

προσπαθώ να μιλήσω ευγενικά, it would sound more like “I’m trying to say this particular thing politely now,” focusing on one occasion.

So for general behaviour or habits, να μιλάω is the natural choice.

What exactly does ευγενικά mean, and how is it formed?

Ευγενικά is an adverb meaning “politely, courteously”.

It comes from the adjective ευγενικός (polite, well-mannered):

ευγενικός άνθρωπος = “a polite person”
μιλάει ευγενικά = “he/she speaks politely”

The pattern is:

adjective: ευγενικός
adverb: ευγενικά

Many Greek adverbs are formed this way (from the -ικός ending to -ικά):
τυπικός → τυπικά, σαφής → σαφώς (different pattern but similar idea: adjective → adverb).

Why is it όταν είμαι and not όταν θα είμαι, even though in English we say “when I am”?

In Greek, in time clauses with words like όταν (when), αν (if), etc., you usually don’t use the future particle θα, even if the meaning is future.

So:

Όταν είμαι σε καφετέρια, προσπαθώ να μιλάω ευγενικά.
= “When I’m in a café, I try to speak politely.”

You would not say όταν θα είμαι in this kind of general, repeated situation.
Using θα after όταν is only acceptable in some special, more emphatic or conditional-like contexts and is avoided in standard usage here.

Why is σε repeated in σε καφετέρια ή σε τράπεζα? Can you say σε καφετέρια ή τράπεζα?

Repeating σε is the most natural and clear option:

σε καφετέρια ή σε τράπεζα = “in a café or (in) a bank”

You can drop the second σε (σε καφετέρια ή τράπεζα), and people will still understand, but:

Repeating σε sounds smoother and more standard.
It avoids any momentary confusion about which words belong together.

Greek often repeats prepositions and articles for clarity and rhythm, especially in speech.

Why is there no article in σε καφετέρια and σε τράπεζα? Why not στην καφετέρια or στην τράπεζα?

Without the article, it sounds indefinite / non-specific:

σε καφετέρια = “in a café (in general, any café)”
σε τράπεζα = “in a bank (any bank)”

With the article, it becomes definite / specific:

στην καφετέρια = “in the café” (a particular one we both know)
στην τράπεζα = “in the bank” (a specific bank)

In your sentence, the speaker is talking about behaviour in that type of place in general, so σε καφετέρια ή σε τράπεζα (no article) is more natural.

Could we say Δεν είμαι πολύ τυπικός instead of Δεν είμαι τόσο τυπικός? Would it change the meaning?

You can say it, and it’s correct, but the nuance changes:

Δεν είμαι τόσο τυπικός
“I’m not that formal” – there is an implied comparison (to others, to expectations, to a situation).
Δεν είμαι πολύ τυπικός
“I’m not very formal” – more of an absolute statement about your general level of formality.

In context, τόσο works nicely with the contrast αλλά προσπαθώ να μιλάω ευγενικά because it suggests: “Even though I’m not that formal, I still make an effort in certain situations.”

What’s the difference between αλλά, όμως, and μα? Could I replace αλλά here?

All three express some kind of contrast, but they’re used slightly differently.

αλλά = “but” (the basic, neutral conjunction)
- Δεν είμαι τόσο τυπικός, αλλά προσπαθώ…
όμως = “but / however”
Often placed after the comma, not strictly a conjunction:
- Δεν είμαι τόσο τυπικός, όμως προσπαθώ…
μα = “but” (more emotional, sometimes more informal or emphatic)
- Δεν είμαι τόσο τυπικός, μα προσπαθώ…

In your sentence:

αλλά is the most straightforward, neutral choice.
όμως is also fine and common.
μα would sound a bit more literary or expressive, depending on context.