Questions & Answers about Σήμερα όλα είναι καλά.
- Σήμερα = today → adverb of time (says when).
- όλα = everything / all (things) → neuter plural pronoun (subject).
- είναι = is / are → 3rd person form of the verb είμαι (to be).
- καλά = well / fine / good → here it functions like an adverb or a neuter plural adjective meaning in a good state.
So the structure is basically: Today – everything – is – fine.
Greek usually does not use subject pronouns when the subject is understood from context or from the verb form.
In this sentence, the subject is όλα (everything), so there is no need for an extra it. English might say “Today *it is all fine”* in some versions, but Greek just uses:
- όλα είναι καλά = everything is fine
(no extra pronoun needed).
όλα already has a kind of “definite / general” meaning on its own, similar to “everything” in English. You don’t normally add the article in this structure.
Compare:
- όλα είναι καλά = everything is fine (general statement)
- τα όλα is unusual and normally wrong in modern Greek in this sense.
You would use the article with a noun, for example:
- Όλα τα πράγματα είναι καλά. = All the things are fine.
Here όλα modifies τα πράγματα, so the article goes with the noun (τα πράγματα).
όλα is the neuter plural form of όλος (all, whole).
In this sentence it acts as a pronoun, meaning “everything / all (things)”.
Forms of όλος in the nominative plural are:
- όλοι – masculine plural → all (people / masculine things)
- όλες – feminine plural
- όλα – neuter plural → often means everything
Example:
- Όλα είναι καλά. = Everything is fine.
- Όλοι είναι καλά. = Everyone (masc./mixed group) is fine.
- Όλες είναι καλά. = They are all fine (feminine group).
είμαι is the infinitive/dictionary form: to be.
Its present-tense forms are:
- εγώ είμαι – I am
- εσύ είσαι – you are (singular)
- αυτός/αυτή/αυτό είναι – he/she/it is
- εμείς είμαστε – we are
- εσείς είστε – you are (plural / formal)
- αυτοί/αυτές/αυτά είναι – they are
In Σήμερα όλα είναι καλά, the subject όλα is 3rd person plural (they), but είναι is used for:
- he, she, it is, and
- they are.
So είναι here means “are”: Today everything is fine.
καλός, -ή, -ό is the basic adjective good.
Its main nominative forms:
- καλός – masculine singular
- καλή – feminine singular
- καλό – neuter singular
- καλοί – masculine plural
- καλές – feminine plural
- καλά – neuter plural
Here:
- όλα = neuter plural
- The adjective that agrees with it in neuter plural is καλά.
So grammatically, όλα είναι καλά = all (things) are good.
In practice, in this sentence καλά is often felt more as “fine / okay, in a good state” (adverbial meaning), like when you say είμαι καλά = I am well / I feel fine.
είμαι καλά = I am well / I feel fine / I’m okay.
Here καλά is used in a more adverbial / state sense (condition, health, situation).είμαι καλός (masc.), είμαι καλή (fem.), είμαι καλό (neuter) =
I am a good person / I am good at something / morally good, capable, etc.
So:
- Σήμερα όλα είναι καλά. = Today everything is fine / okay. (state / condition)
- Σήμερα όλα είναι καλά παιδιά. = Today they are all good kids. (here καλά is part of καλά παιδιά = good kids, different structure)
Yes, Greek word order is fairly flexible, especially with short sentences.
All of these are grammatically correct, with slightly different emphasis:
Σήμερα όλα είναι καλά.
Neutral: Today, everything is fine.Όλα σήμερα είναι καλά.
Emphasis on όλα: Everything, today, is fine (unlike other days).Όλα είναι καλά σήμερα.
Emphasis on σήμερα at the end, but still perfectly natural.
The most common and neutral in everyday speech is probably Σήμερα όλα είναι καλά or Όλα είναι καλά σήμερα.
In very informal / colloquial speech, Greeks sometimes omit “είναι” in short, obvious sentences, especially in spoken language:
- Σήμερα όλα καλά.
- Όλα καλά; (as a question: “Everything ok?”)
However:
- In standard, clear Greek, especially in writing or for learners, you should keep είναι.
- So Σήμερα όλα είναι καλά is the safe, correct form you should learn and use.
Syllable breakdown (stressed syllable in bold caps):
- ΣΗ-με-ρα → SÍ-me-ra
- Ό-λα → Ó-la
- ΕÍ-ναι → Í-ne
- κα-ΛΆ → ka-LÁ
Approximate pronunciation (Latin letters):
- Σήμερα → SÍ-me-ra
- όλα → Ó-la
- είναι → Í-ne
- καλά → ka-LÁ
Stress in Greek is always marked with the accent (´) on the stressed vowel: ή, ά, έ, ό, ύ, ί, ώ.
Greek capitalization rules are similar to English:
- The first word of a sentence is capitalized: Σήμερα.
- The following words are lowercase: όλα είναι καλά.
- If σήμερα appears in the middle of a sentence, it is usually written with a lowercase σ:
Θα σε δω σήμερα. = I will see you today.
Yes:
σήμερα = today (the whole day as a time unit).
Σήμερα όλα είναι καλά. = Today everything is fine.τώρα = now (this moment / right now).
Τώρα όλα είναι καλά. = Right now everything is fine.
You can use τώρα instead of σήμερα if you want to emphasize the present moment, not the whole day.
Yes, that is a very natural alternative, with a slightly different nuance:
Σήμερα όλα είναι καλά.
Today everything is fine (describing the state of things).Σήμερα όλα πάνε καλά.
Literally: Today everything goes well → Everything is going well today (more about how things are progressing).
Both are correct; the original sentence is a bit more static (state), the πάνε καλά version is a bit more dynamic (things are going well).