Greek παρακαλώ does the work of several English expressions: “please,” “you're welcome,” “go ahead,” and sometimes “pardon?” Ευχαριστώ expresses thanks, while να 'σαι καλά / να είστε καλά wishes the other person well and often answers a favor warmly. The words are easy; the important part is reading their position, intonation, and the familiar/polite address package around them.
παρακαλώ as “please”
In a request, παρακαλώ can stand at the end, inside the clause between pauses, or at the beginning as σε/σας παρακαλώ. Clause-final παρακαλώ is a neutral courtesy marker in service encounters.
Έναν καφέ φίλτρου χωρίς ζάχαρη, παρακαλώ.
énan kafé fíltru chorís záchari, parakaló.
A filter coffee without sugar, please.
Μπορείτε να περιμένετε εδώ ένα λεπτό, παρακαλώ;
boríte na periménete edhó éna leptó, parakaló;
Could you wait here for a minute, please? (polite)
Περάστε, παρακαλώ· η γιατρός θα σας δεχτεί τώρα.
peráste, parakaló; i yatrós tha sas dhechtí tóra.
Come in, please; the doctor will see you now. (polite)
Σε παρακαλώ addresses one familiar person; σας παρακαλώ addresses several people or one person politely. At the beginning they may sound more insistent than a light clause-final παρακαλώ, especially when repeated.
Σε παρακαλώ, χαμήλωσε λίγο τη μουσική· κοιμάται το μωρό.
se parakaló, chamílose lígho ti musikí; kimáte to moró.
Please turn the music down a little; the baby is asleep. (informal singular)
Σας παρακαλώ, κρατήστε την είσοδο ελεύθερη.
sas parakaló, kratíste tin ísodho eléftheri.
Please keep the entrance clear. (formal or plural)
ευχαριστώ: thanking a person
Bare ευχαριστώ means “thank you”; ευχαριστώ πολύ adds emphasis. When the person is expressed as a clitic, Greek uses the accusative because ευχαριστώ acts directly on the person thanked: familiar σε ευχαριστώ, commonly contracted to σ' ευχαριστώ before the vowel, and polite/plural σας ευχαριστώ.
Ευχαριστώ πολύ για το μήνυμα, μου έλυσες την απορία.
efcharistó polí ya to mínima, mu élises tin aporía.
Thank you very much for the message; you cleared up my question. (informal context)
Σ' ευχαριστώ που ήρθες τόσο γρήγορα.
s' efcharistó pu írthes tóso ghríghora.
Thank you for coming so quickly. (informal singular)
Σας ευχαριστώ για την υπομονή και τον χρόνο σας.
sas efcharistó ya tin ipomoní ke ton chróno sas.
Thank you for your patience and your time. (polite or plural)
The brief English phrase “thank you” hides this case choice. Do not use recipient σου here: no object is being given to the listener. The listener is the person being thanked. Genitive recipients still appear with real transfer verbs, such as μου έδωσες “you gave me.”
Answering thanks
The neutral answer is παρακαλώ “you're welcome.” Τίποτα “it's nothing” is everyday and relaxed. Να 'σαι καλά addresses one familiar person; να είστε καλά addresses a group or one person politely. All are genuine responses, but they project different degrees of warmth and distance.
—Ευχαριστώ για τη βοήθεια. —Παρακαλώ, χαρά μου.
—efcharistó ya ti voíthia. —parakaló, chará mu.
—Thank you for the help. —You're welcome; my pleasure.
—Σ' ευχαριστώ που με περίμενες. —Τίποτα, μην το σκέφτεσαι.
—s' efcharistó pu me perímenes. —típota, min to skéftese.
—Thanks for waiting for me. —It's nothing; don't worry about it. (informal)
—Σας ευχαριστώ θερμά για τη φιλοξενία. —Να είστε καλά, ήταν χαρά μας.
—sas efcharistó thermá ya ti filoksenía. —na íste kalá, ítan chará mas.
—Thank you warmly for your hospitality. —You're very welcome; it was our pleasure. (polite)
Να 'σαι καλά is literally a wish, “may you be well.” It can itself function as thanks, as a response to thanks, or as an affectionate leave-taking. The polite form is not a literal singular conjugation: it uses plural είστε, following the ordinary εσείς system.
Να 'σαι καλά που μου έφερες τα φάρμακα.
na se kalá pu mu éferes ta fármaka.
Bless you for bringing me the medicine. (warm, informal thanks)
παρακαλώ as “go ahead” or “after you”
At a doorway, counter, or conversational turn, παρακαλώ can grant space: “go ahead,” “after you,” or “please, proceed.” Gesture and position make this different from a request.
Παρακαλώ, περάστε εσείς πρώτα.
parakaló, peráste esís próta.
Please, you go first. (polite)
—Μπορώ να κάνω μια ερώτηση; —Βεβαίως, παρακαλώ.
—boró na káno mia erótisi; —vevéos, parakaló.
—May I ask a question? —Of course, go ahead.
On the telephone or after something was not heard, Παρακαλώ; can mean “Hello?” or “Pardon?” The Greek question mark and questioning contour signal that this is a request for the other person to speak or repeat, not “you're welcome.”
Παρακαλώ; Ποιον ζητάτε;
parakaló; pion zitáte;
Hello? Whom would you like to speak to? (telephone, polite)
Παρακαλώ; Δεν άκουσα το τελευταίο όνομα.
parakaló; dhen ákusa to teleftéo ónoma.
Pardon? I didn't hear the last name.
Θα ήθελα… παρακαλώ
For ordering or asking for a service, Θα ήθελα + noun/να-clause, often followed by παρακαλώ, is a reliable deferential frame (polite). It leaves the request open to the other person's ability to fulfill it.
Θα ήθελα έναν χυμό πορτοκάλι και λίγο νερό, παρακαλώ.
tha íthela énan chimó portokáli ke lígho neró, parakaló.
I'd like an orange juice and some water, please.
Θα ήθελα να αλλάξω την ημερομηνία της κράτησης, παρακαλώ.
tha íthela na alákso tin imerominía tis krátisis, parakaló.
I'd like to change the date of the reservation, please.
The conditional does not make every utterance more appropriate. Among close friends, a direct request with σε παρακαλώ may sound warmer; constant θα ήθελα can create unnecessary distance. The full scale is on conditional politeness.
A service exchange
—Καλημέρα σας. Θα ήθελα δύο εισιτήρια για την Αίγινα, παρακαλώ. —Μόνο μετάβαση ή με επιστροφή; —Με επιστροφή. Σας ευχαριστώ. —Παρακαλώ.
—kaliméra sas. tha íthela dhío isitíria ya tin Éyina, parakaló. —móno metávasi i me epistrofí; —me epistrofí. sas efcharistó. —parakaló.
—Good morning. I'd like two tickets to Aegina, please. —One-way or return? —Return. Thank you. —You're welcome. (polite service exchange)
Common Mistakes
Using a recipient clitic with ευχαριστώ
The person thanked is accusative: ×σου ευχαριστώ → σε/σ' ευχαριστώ.
✅ Σε ευχαριστώ για όσα έκανες χθες.
se efcharistó ya ósa ékanes chthes.
Thank you for everything you did yesterday. (informal)
Assuming παρακαλώ always means “please”
Read the conversational position before translating it.
✅ Ευχαριστώ πολύ. — Παρακαλώ.
efcharistó polí. — parakaló.
Thank you very much. — You're welcome.
Mixing singular and polite forms
Familiar σε / να 'σαι and polite/plural σας / να είστε form separate packages.
✅ Σας ευχαριστώ πολύ· να είστε καλά.
sas efcharistó polí; na íste kalá.
Thank you very much; all the best to you. (polite or plural)
Expecting please to repair an abrupt social choice
Both register and request shape contribute to courtesy.
✅ Μπορείτε να μου δώσετε την απόδειξη, παρακαλώ;
boríte na mu dhósete tin apódhiksi, parakaló;
Could you give me the receipt, please? (polite)
Key Takeaways
- Request παρακαλώ means “please”; response παρακαλώ means “you're welcome”; context also gives “go ahead” and questioning “pardon?”
- Use ευχαριστώ (πολύ) alone, familiar σε/σ' ευχαριστώ, or polite/plural σας ευχαριστώ.
- The person thanked is accusative; σου ευχαριστώ confuses thanking with a recipient construction.
- Answers include neutral παρακαλώ, relaxed τίποτα, warm familiar να 'σαι καλά, and polite/plural να είστε καλά.
- Θα ήθελα… παρακαλώ is a useful deferential service frame, not a formula that every relationship requires.
Related Topics
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