This page is a phrasebook: it groups the forms you need to recognize and retrieve quickly. For decisions about time of day, who receives σου or σας, and how long greeting rituals last, follow the greetings pragmatics page.
General greetings
| Greek | Literal clue | Usual value | Register |
|---|---|---|---|
| γεια σου | health to you | hello; goodbye | informal, one familiar person |
| γεια σας | health to you | hello; goodbye | polite singular or plural |
| καλημέρα | good day | good morning/good day | neutral |
| καλησπέρα | good evening | evening greeting | neutral |
| καληνύχτα | good night | night-time leave-taking | neutral |
Γεια σου, Άννα! Χάρηκα που σε πέτυχα εδώ.
ya su, Ána! chárika pu se péticha edhó.
Hi, Anna! I'm glad I ran into you here. (informal)
Καλημέρα σας, έχω ραντεβού με την κυρία Παππά.
kaliméra sas, écho randevú me tin kiría Papá.
Good morning, I have an appointment with Ms. Pappa. (polite)
Καλησπέρα, ερχόμαστε σε πέντε λεπτά.
kalispéra, erchómaste se pénde leptá.
Good evening, we'll be there in five minutes.
Καληνύχτα, τα λέμε πάλι αύριο.
kaliníchta, ta léme páli ávrio.
Good night, we'll talk again tomorrow.
The written forms καλημέρα, καλησπέρα, καληνύχτα are single words. Their historical parts are transparent, but current spelling treats each greeting as a fixed compound.
Friendly check-ins
These formulas can follow a greeting or stand alone in a casual encounter.
| Greek | Literal clue | Usual value | Register |
|---|---|---|---|
| τι κάνεις; | what are you doing? | how are you? | informal, familiar singular |
| τι κάνετε; | what are you doing? | how are you? | polite singular or plural |
| τι γίνεται; | what is happening? | what's up?; how are things? | informal |
Τι κάνεις, Νίκο; Έχουμε καιρό να τα πούμε.
ti kánis, Níko; échume keró na ta púme.
How are you, Niko? We haven't caught up in a while. (informal)
Τι κάνετε, κύριε Αντωνίου; Όλα καλά;
ti kánete, kírie Andoníu; óla kalá;
How are you, Mr. Antoniou? Everything all right? (polite)
Τι γίνεται, παιδιά; Πού θα πάμε απόψε;
ti yínete, pedhiá; pu tha páme apópse;
What's up, everyone? Where are we going tonight? (informal)
The word-for-word clue is not a script for translating the answer. These are conventional check-ins, and their fuller conversational use belongs to the pragmatics owner linked above.
Welcoming someone and replying
| Greek | Literal clue | Register |
|---|---|---|
| καλώς όρισες | you have come/arrived well | neutral, one familiar person |
| καλώς ορίσατε | you have come/arrived well | polite singular or plural |
| καλώς ήρθες | you came well | neutral, one familiar person |
| καλώς ήρθατε | you came well | polite singular or plural |
| καλώς σε βρήκα | I found you well | reply to one familiar person |
| καλώς σας βρήκα | I found you well | polite or plural reply |
Καλώς όρισες στη νέα μας ομάδα, Μαρία!
kalós órises sti néa mas omádha, María!
Welcome to our new team, Maria! (familiar singular)
Καλώς ήρθατε στην Κέρκυρα, κύριε και κυρία Λάμπρου.
kalós írthate stin Kérkira, kírie ke kiría Lábru.
Welcome to Corfu, Mr. and Mrs. Lamprou. (polite/plural)
Καλώς σε βρήκα, Γιάννη· χαίρομαι πολύ που ήρθα.
kalós se vríka, Yáni; chérome polí pu írtha.
Thank you for the welcome, Gianni; I'm very happy to be here. (familiar reply)
Both καλώς όρισες and καλώς ήρθες are current welcome formulas. Learn their matching person forms as complete phrases; the greetings pragmatics page explains the arrival exchange rather than this inventory repeating it.
Everyday good wishes
Here the adjective agrees with the noun: καλή with feminine μέρα, βδομάδα, and καλό with neuter βράδυ and masculine accusative μήνα. Βδομάδα is the common shorter form of εβδομάδα “week.”
| Greek | Literal meaning | Register |
|---|---|---|
| καλή μέρα | have a good day | neutral |
| καλό βράδυ | have a good evening | neutral |
| καλή βδομάδα | have a good week | neutral |
| καλό μήνα | have a good month | neutral |
Ευχαριστώ για τη βοήθεια· καλή μέρα και καλή συνέχεια!
efcharistó ya ti voíthia; kalí méra ke kalí sinéchia!
Thank you for the help; have a good day and take care!
Καλό βράδυ και καλή ξεκούραση μετά το ταξίδι.
kaló vrádhi ke kalí ksekúrasi metá to taksídhi.
Have a good evening and a good rest after the trip.
Καλή βδομάδα σε όλους και καλή δύναμη!
kalí vdhomádha se ólus ke kalí dhínami!
Have a good week, everyone, and keep strong!
Καλό μήνα, παιδιά, με υγεία και όμορφες ειδήσεις!
kaló mína, pedhiá, me iyía ke ómorfes idhísis!
Have a good month, everyone, with health and good news! (informal)
Longer occasion-specific material appears in wishes and toasts and wishes and congratulations.
Common Mistakes
Misspelling the fixed night greeting
The standard monotonic spelling is καληνύχτα, with ύ and one written word.
Στείλε μου μήνυμα όταν φτάσεις· καληνύχτα τώρα!
stíle mu mínima ótan ftásis; kaliníchta tóra!
Send me a message when you arrive; good night for now!
Confusing the greeting with the two-word wish
Both are grammatical: καλημέρα is the fixed greeting, while καλή μέρα is adjective plus noun in a wish.
Μας είπε καλημέρα και μας ευχήθηκε καλή μέρα στη δουλειά.
mas ípe kaliméra ke mas efchíthike kalí méra sti dhuliá.
She said good morning and wished us a good day at work.
Ignoring adjective agreement
The stored phrases preserve the noun's gender.
Η Άννα μάς ευχήθηκε καλό βράδυ και καλή βδομάδα.
i Ána mas efchíthike kaló vrádhi ke kalí vdhomádha.
Anna wished us a good evening and a good week.
Translating a welcome reply word by word
Retrieve καλώς σε βρήκα / καλώς σας βρήκα as the conventional response.
Όταν μου είπαν καλώς ήρθες, απάντησα καλώς σας βρήκα.
ótan mu ípan kalós írthes, apándisa kalós sas vríka.
When they said welcome, I replied with the conventional phrase καλώς σας βρήκα.
Key Takeaways
- The fused greetings καλημέρα, καλησπέρα, καληνύχτα are single written words.
- Γεια σου/σας and τι κάνεις/κάνετε preserve their addressee forms.
- Welcome formulas have matching familiar and polite/plural versions.
- In everyday wishes, καλή/καλό agrees with the following noun.
- Use this inventory for retrieval; consult the pragmatics pages for social timing and ritual detail.
Now practice Greek
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Start learning Greek →Related Topics
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- Wishes, Toasts, and CelebrationsA2 — A practical phrasebook of Greek birthday, holiday, journey, recovery, condolence, encouragement, and drinking formulas with literal structure and register.
- Wishes and CongratulationsA2 — Choose the Greek wish that fits a birthday, name day, achievement, illness, journey, meal, toast, or recurring celebration—and reply naturally.