Learn the key pattern to use basic greetings
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| Let’s take a closer look at each of these expressions. |
| In the first conversation, do you remember how Mark says, |
| "Good morning, Ms. Aslanidou." |
| Καλημέρα, κυρία Ασλανίδου. (Kaliméra, kiría Aslanídu.) |
| First is καλημέρα (kaliméra), which literally means "good day," but translates as "good morning" in this context. Καλημέρα. Καλημέρα. |
| Note: this greeting is usually used early in the morning up until 12 p.m. In our scenario, it’s 9 a.m.; therefore, this is the most suitable greeting for that time of the day. |
| Next is κυρία (kiría), "Ms." Κυρία. Κυρία. This is an honorific used to address a woman. |
| Finally, the teacher’s family name, Aslanidou. Ασλανίδου (Aslanídu). Ασλανίδου. Ασλανίδου. |
| Together, κυρία Ασλανίδου (kiría Aslanídu). "Ms. Aslanidou." Κυρία Ασλανίδου. |
| All together, Καλημέρα, κυρία Ασλανίδου. (Kaliméra, kiría Aslanídu.) "Good morning, Ms. Aslanidou." |
| Καλημέρα, κυρία Ασλανίδου. (Kaliméra, kiría Aslanídu.) |
| This is a formal way to say good morning to someone that you don’t know well or to someone who is much older than you, or when you want to sound respectful regardless of the reason. |
| Note: You can tone this down a bit by replacing the last name with the first name of the person. In that case, you’ll manage to sound respectful, but more intimate. |
| Do you remember the teacher's response, |
| "Good morning, Mr. Lee." |
| Anna-Καλημέρα, κύριε Λι. (Kaliméra, kírie Li.) |
| First is καλημέρα (kaliméra), "good morning." Καλημέρα. |
| Next is κύριε (kírie), "Mr." Κύριε. Κύριε. This is an honorific used to address a man. |
| Finally, Mark’s family name, Lee, pronounced in Greek. Λι. Λι. |
| All together, it’s Καλημέρα, κύριε Λι. (Kaliméra, kírie Li.). "Good morning, Mr. Lee." |
| Anna-Καλημέρα, κύριε Λι. (Kaliméra, kírie Li.) |
| Please note that this is a formal exchange. |
| In the second conversation, which takes place at noon, do you remember how Karen says, |
| "Hello." |
| Γεια σας. (Ya sas.) |
| Note that Karen’s greeting is a bit less formal, since she doesn’t include the teacher’s name. |
| Γεια σας. (Ya sas). "Hello." Γεια σας. |
| First is γεια (ya), meaning something like “health,” but translating as "Hello.” Γεια. Γεια. |
| When the situation is informal, this γεια can be used as a greeting or parting expression on its own. |
| Next is σας (sas). This literally means “your.” Σας. Σας. Here it’s used to complete the formal greeting, Γεια σας. |
| All together, it’s Γεια σας (Ya sas), meaning something like "your health," but it translates as "Hello" in a formal situation. |
| Γεια σας. (Ya sas.) |
| The teacher's response is the same, |
| Anna-Γεια σας. (Ya sas.) |
| In an informal situation, Γεια σας. (Ya sas.) becomes Γεια σου (Ya su). Γεια σου (Ya su). |
| In the third conversation, which takes place in the evening at 6 p.m., do you remember how Ben says, |
| "Good evening, Miss." |
| Καλησπέρα, κυρία. (Kalispéra, kiría.) |
| First is καλησπέρα (kalispéra), "good evening," in this case. Καλησπέρα. Καλησπέρα. |
| Note: this greeting is usually used from noon throughout the rest of the day (including the night). In our scenario, it’s 6 p.m.; therefore, this is the most suitable greeting for that time of the day. |
| Next is κυρία (kiría), "Ms." Κυρία. |
| All together Καλησπέρα, κυρία. (Kalispéra, kiría.) "Good evening, Miss." |
| Καλησπέρα, κυρία. (Kalispéra, kiría.) |
| Do you remember the teacher’s's response, |
| "Good evening, Ben." |
| Anna-Καλησπέρα, Μπεν. (Kalispéra, Ben.) |
| Καλησπέρα (kalispéra). "Good evening." Καλησπέρα. |
| Next is Ben’s name pronounced in Greek. Μπεν. Μπεν. |
| Together, it’s Καλησπέρα, Μπεν. (Kalispéra, Ben). "Good evening, Ben." |
| Anna-Καλησπέρα, Μπεν. (Kalispéra, Ben.) |
| Note: In Greek schools it is common for the students to address their teacher using formal language; whereas, the teacher may address the students using informal language, especially if the students are children. |
| Here, the teacher uses the first name of the student without an honorific, instead of his last name. This is quite informal. |
| As we mentioned above, the most common Greek greeting is Γεια (Ya), which derives from the Greek word υγεία (iyía), meaning "health" in English. |
| Therefore, in Greek, when someone says "hello," it's like they’re wishing you good health. |
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