Everyday Greek is full of short combinations whose meaning is larger than the meanings of their separate words. Learning γεια σου, με την υγειά σου, κάνω μπάνιο, and βάζω μπρος as chunks lets you speak naturally before you can explain every case ending or verb pattern inside them.
What counts as an expression?
This guide uses “expression” broadly for two useful kinds of unit. A fixed formula performs a social act, such as greeting or wishing someone well. A collocation combines ordinary words in the way Greek conventionally prefers, such as κάνω μπάνιο “bathe, take a shower.”
| Expression | Word-for-word clue | Usual function | Register |
|---|---|---|---|
| γεια σου | health to you | hello or goodbye | informal/familiar |
| τι κάνεις; | what are you doing? | how are you? | neutral with familiar singular |
| με την υγειά σου | with your health | enjoy a new possession | neutral/familiar |
| κάνω μπάνιο | do a bath | bathe, shower; sometimes swim | neutral |
| βάζω μπρος | put forward | start an engine or set something going | neutral/informal |
English can provide a rough gloss, but it cannot tell you which Greek words form the conventional combination. English “take a shower” uses take; Greek uses κάνω, literally “do.”
Γεια σου, Μαρία! Τι κάνεις σήμερα;
ya su, María! ti kánis símera;
Hi, Maria! How are you today? (informal)
Το καινούριο μπουφάν σου είναι υπέροχο· με την υγειά σου!
to kenúrio bufán su íne ipérocho; me tin iyiá su!
Your new jacket is wonderful—enjoy it in good health! (familiar)
Fixed formulas do a social job
A formula can be a complete contribution to a conversation even when it is not a full sentence in the English grammatical sense. Γεια σου opens or closes contact; με την υγειά σου responds to a new purchase or possession. Its purpose is conventional and social, not a literal comment about health.
Μόλις αγόρασες ποδήλατο; Με την υγειά σου και καλές βόλτες!
mólis aghórases podhílato; me tin iyiá su ke kalés vóltes!
Did you just buy a bicycle? Enjoy it, and have some great rides! (familiar)
Γεια σας, κύριε Νικολάου· χαίρομαι που σας γνωρίζω.
ya sas, kírie Nikoláu; chérome pu sas ghnorízo.
Hello, Mr. Nikolaou; I'm pleased to meet you. (polite)
The phrase inventory is presented on Greetings and Everyday Wishes. The social rules governing time of day, σου/σας, and greeting rituals belong to the greetings pragmatics page. This overview focuses on the learning strategy: notice the situation and store its formula.
Light verbs: the verb carries grammar, the chunk carries meaning
In a light-verb construction, a frequent verb such as κάνω “do/make,” βάζω “put,” έχω “have,” or παίρνω “take/get” combines with another element. The verb still changes for person, time, and aspect, but the conventional combination supplies the everyday meaning.
Κάνω μπάνιο κάθε πρωί πριν φύγω για τη δουλειά.
káno bánio káthe proí prin fígho ya ti dhuliá.
I take a shower every morning before leaving for work.
Έκανα γρήγορα μπάνιο και κατέβηκα να σε περιμένω.
ékana ghríghora bánio ke katévika na se periméno.
I took a quick shower and came downstairs to wait for you.
Βάλε μπρος τη μηχανή όσο φορτώνω τις βαλίτσες.
vále bros ti michaní óso fortóno tis valítses.
Start the engine while I load the suitcases. (informal)
Από τη Δευτέρα βάζουμε μπρος το νέο σχέδιο.
apó ti Dheftéra vázume bros to néo schédhio.
Starting Monday, we're setting the new plan in motion.
The last pair shows that βάζω μπρος can start a literal engine or, by extension, launch a process. That range belongs to the chunk; it is not predictable from every meaning of βάζω and μπρος in isolation. More families appear under fixed phrases and light-verb collocations.
A map of the expressions section
The pages in this group are organized by communicative job. Learn only a few chunks at a time, each tied to a real setting.
- Greetings and wishes: opening contact, taking leave, welcoming, celebrating, and toasting.
- Weather: impersonal combinations such as κάνει κρύο “it is cold.”
- Emotional reactions: compact responses such as Αλήθεια; “Really?” and Τι κρίμα! “What a shame!”
- Proverbs: complete traditional sayings such as Κάλλιο αργά παρά ποτέ “Better late than never.”
- Verb families: conventional combinations built around κάνω, έχω, βάζω, παίρνω, and other frequent verbs.
Πάρε ζακέτα, γιατί κάνει κρύο έξω.
páre zakéta, yatí káni krío ékso.
Take a cardigan, because it's cold outside.
Αλήθεια; Δεν ήξερα ότι γύρισες στην Αθήνα.
alíthia; dhen íksera óti yírises stin Athína.
Really? I didn't know you had returned to Athens.
The translation of a proverb or reaction gives its communicative value, but the original wording remains fixed. Do not replace individual words with synonyms and expect the same conventional expression.
Learning chunks without losing the grammar
Chunking is not an instruction to ignore grammar. It gives grammar a stable home. In με την υγειά σου, for example, σου changes when the addressee changes; in κάνω μπάνιο, the verb conjugates normally. First retrieve the established frame, then change only the slot that Greek grammar allows.
Παιδιά, με την υγειά σας τα καινούρια παπούτσια!
pedhiá, me tin iyiá sas ta kenúria papútsia!
Kids, enjoy your new shoes! (addressing more than one person)
Αν τελειώσεις πρώτος, βάλε μπρος τον υπολογιστή της αίθουσας.
an teliósis prótos, vále bros ton ipoloyistí tis éthusas.
If you finish first, start up the computer in the room. (informal)
Common Mistakes
Translating an English support verb word for word
Greek chooses its own conventional light verb. For showering, store κάνω μπάνιο as the unit.
Μετά το γυμναστήριο κάνουμε μπάνιο και φεύγουμε.
metá to yimnastírio kánume bánio ke févghume.
After the gym, we take a shower and leave.
Leaving the verb frozen inside a chunk
The expression is stored, but its verb still agrees with the subject and carries time.
Η Ελένη έβαλε μπρος το αυτοκίνητο ενώ την περιμέναμε.
i Eléni évale bros to aftokínito enó tin periméname.
Eleni started the car while we were waiting for her.
Assuming the literal gloss is the whole meaning
The situation can activate an idiomatic social function.
Ο Πέτρος είδε το καινούριο ρολόι μου και μου είπε: «Με την υγειά σου!»
o Pétros ídhe to kenúrio rolói mu ke mu ípe: me tin iyiá su!
Petros saw my new watch and said, ‘Enjoy it in good health!’
Altering one word in a fixed saying
Recognize the complete conventional wording before trying to vary it.
Η γιαγιά χαμογέλασε και είπε κάλλιο αργά παρά ποτέ.
i yayá chamoyélase ke ípe kálio arghá pará poté.
Grandma smiled and said, ‘Better late than never.’
Key Takeaways
- Fixed formulas are tied to situations and social actions, not only literal meanings.
- Light verbs conjugate normally, while the surrounding combination remains conventional.
- English often chooses a different support verb, so word-for-word assembly is unreliable.
- Literal glosses help memory, but the whole Greek chunk is what speakers retrieve.
- The specialized expression pages supply the full inventories and pragmatic detail.
Related Topics
- Greetings and Everyday WishesA1 — Use a compact phrasebook of Greek greetings, welcome formulas, check-ins, and everyday good wishes with literal glosses and register labels.
- Common Fixed PhrasesA2 — Understand high-frequency Greek phrases whose conversational meanings go beyond their literal words, from εντάξει and δεν πειράζει to έλα ντε and στο περίπου.
- Time ExpressionsA2 — Use high-frequency Greek time phrases for soon, ago, continuing duration, gradual change, punctuality, temporary states, and story openings.
- Agreeing and Disagreeing ExpressionsB1 — Choose Greek agreement and disagreement formulas by strength and register, from ακριβώς and συμφωνώ απόλυτα to όχι ακριβώς and διαφωνώ.
- Light Verbs: κάνω, δίνω, παίρνω, βάζωB2 — Understand how broad Greek verbs combine with event-denoting nouns, where the event meaning lives, and why each noun still selects a conventional partner.