Καλημέρα, πώς είστε;

Good morning, how are you?

Breakdown of Καλημέρα, πώς είστε;

• είμαι: to be
• πώς: how
• καλημέρα: good morning

Questions & Answers about Καλημέρα, πώς είστε;

What does each word mean literally?

• Καλημέρα = good morning (literally good day: καλός
  • ημέρα). Used as a morning greeting.
• πώς = how.
• είστε = you are (2nd person plural of είμαι; also used for polite singular).

How do you pronounce it?

• IPA: [kaliˈmera, pos ˈiste]
• Simple guide: kah-lee-ME-ra, pos EES-teh Stress falls on -μέ- in Καλημέρα and on the first syllable in είστε.

Why does the question end with a semicolon?

In Greek, the question mark is the semicolon-shaped symbol ;. The Greek semicolon is a different mark, the raised dot ·. Don’t add a space before the Greek question mark.

What’s the difference between είστε and είσαι?

• είστε = you are (plural or polite singular)
• είσαι = you are (informal singular) Use είστε with strangers, elders, or groups; είσαι with friends, kids, or peers.

Do Greeks really use the plural for politeness?

Yes. The 2nd person plural (verbs and pronouns) serves as the polite singular: εσείς, σας, είστε.

Can I say είσαστε instead of είστε?

Yes. είσαστε is a longer variant of είστε. Both are correct; είστε is more common in modern speech.

Is the comma after Καλημέρα necessary?

It’s standard to separate a greeting from what follows with a comma: Καλημέρα, πώς είστε; It’s also used before a name in direct address: Καλημέρα, Γιάννη!

Why does πώς have an accent? Isn’t πως also a word?

• πώς (with accent) = how (question/exclamation)
• πως (no accent) = that (conjunction, like ότι) Example: Ξέρω πως θα έρθει = I know that he’ll come. / Πώς είστε; = How are you?

What are natural replies to this greeting?

• Καλά, εσείς; = Fine, and you?
• Μια χαρά, εσείς; = Very well, and you?
• Όλα καλά. = All good.
• Very formal: Πολύ καλά, ευχαριστώ. Εσείς; = Very well, thank you. And you?

When do I use Καλημέρα vs other greetings?

• Καλημέρα: morning until around noon (sometimes up to early afternoon).
• Καλησπέρα: afternoon/evening greeting.
• Καληνύχτα: good night (when leaving for the night).
• Γεια σου / Γεια σας: hello/hi, any time of day (informal/formal or plural).

Can I add σας to the greeting?

Yes. Καλημέρα σας is a polite/plural version of Καλημέρα. You can combine: Καλημέρα σας, πώς είστε;

Do I need to include the pronoun εσείς?

No. Greek usually drops subject pronouns because the verb shows the person. Πώς είστε; is natural; Πώς εσείς είστε; is only for special emphasis.

Is the word order fixed? Could I say Είστε πώς;?

Wh-words normally come first, so Πώς είστε; is the natural order. Είστε πώς; is ungrammatical. Alternatives include Είστε καλά; (Are you well?) or colloquial Πώς πάει; (How’s it going?).

How do I type the accent marks?

Modern Greek uses a single accent mark (τόνος) on the stressed vowel (e.g., Καλημέρα, πώς). On a Greek keyboard, press the tonos key (often the semicolon key) then the vowel; on phones, long-press the vowel to select the accented form.

Why does πώς end with ς and not σ?

Greek has two forms of sigma: σ inside a word and ς at the end of a word. Since πώς ends the word, it takes ς.