Γεια, είσαι καλά;

A natural pronunciation is:

• Γεια → roughly ya
• είσαι → EE-seh
• καλά → ka-LA

So the whole sentence sounds approximately like:

ya, EE-seh ka-LA?

A more careful note:

• Γ before ει in Γεια is not a hard g like in go
• ει is pronounced like ee
• The stressed syllables are shown by the accent marks: εί-σαι, κα-λά

Γεια is a very common Greek greeting. In everyday speech, it can mean:

• Hi
• Hello
• sometimes even Bye

In this sentence, it works as a casual Hi at the start.

You may also see:

• Γεια σου = Hi to one person, informal
• Γεια σας = Hello to more than one person, or to one person more politely

But Γεια by itself is also very common in conversation.

Greek often leaves out subject pronouns when they are clear from the verb form.

In είσαι, the ending already tells you the subject is you singular.

So:

• είσαι = you are

Because of that, Greek does not need to say εσύ (you) unless the speaker wants emphasis or contrast.

For example:

• Είσαι καλά; = Are you okay/well?
• Εσύ είσαι καλά; = Are you okay? or And you, are you okay?

είσαι means you are.

It is the:

• 2nd person singular
• present tense
• form of the verb είμαι = to be

A few useful forms of είμαι are:

• είμαι = I am
• είσαι = you are (singular, informal)
• είναι = he/she/it is or they are

So in this sentence, είσαι καλά; literally means are you well?

Yes—literally, καλά often corresponds to well. But in Greek, asking είσαι καλά; is a normal way to ask whether someone is okay, well, or doing fine.

So depending on context, it can mean things like:

• Are you well?
• Are you okay?
• Are you doing fine?

This is very natural Greek, even if the most natural English translation is not always word-for-word.

It can be, especially in a direct and friendly way, but Greek also has other very common expressions.

For example:

• Τι κάνεις; = How are you? / How are you doing? (informal, singular)
• Πώς είσαι; = How are you?
• Είσαι καλά; = Are you okay?/Are you well?

The difference is often about nuance:

• Τι κάνεις; is a very standard everyday How are you?
• Πώς είσαι; asks more directly about someone’s state
• Είσαι καλά; can sound caring, and in some contexts may suggest Are you alright?

So Γεια, είσαι καλά; is natural, but it is not the only possibility.

It is informal because είσαι is the singular you form used with friends, family, children, or people you know well.

To speak more formally, or to more than one person, Greek uses είστε instead.

So you could say:

• Γεια, είσαι καλά; = informal, to one person
• Γεια σας, είστε καλά; = polite/formal, or plural

This distinction is important in Greek.

In Greek, the question mark is written as ;

So:

• καλά; ends with a Greek question mark
• It may look like an English semicolon, but it means ?

This is one of the first punctuation differences learners notice in Greek.

The comma separates the greeting from the question:

• Γεια, = Hi,
• είσαι καλά; = are you okay/well?

This is similar to English punctuation in Hi, are you okay?

In casual texting, people may sometimes omit commas, but in standard writing the comma is normal.

Modern Greek uses accent marks to show which syllable is stressed.

Here:

• είσαι → stress on the first syllable
• καλά → stress on the second syllable

These accents are important because stress matters in Greek pronunciation, and sometimes it can help distinguish words.

So they are not optional in normal writing.

Yes. You may see:

• Γεια
• Γειά

In modern standard Greek, γεια is very common in lowercase writing, and capitalization depends on sentence position.

In everyday use, learners will often encounter:

• γεια
• Γεια
• γεια σου
• γεια σας

The important thing is that it is the common greeting pronounced roughly ya.

Yes, absolutely. It is natural Greek.

A speaker might use Γεια, είσαι καλά;:

• when greeting a friend
• when checking whether someone is okay
• when sounding warm or concerned

However, in very casual everyday conversation, many speakers might also prefer:

• Γεια, τι κάνεις;
• Γεια, πώς είσαι;

So the sentence is real and natural, but one of several common ways to greet someone and ask how they are.