Learn how to use some common Greek greetings
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| Γεια, λέγομαι Χρυσή. Hi everybody! I’m Chrissi. |
| Welcome to GreekPod101.com’s “ελληνικά σε 3 λεπτά”. The fastest, easiest, and most fun way to learn Greek. |
| In the last lesson, we learned how to be grateful to people by saying ευχαριστώ. In this lesson we’ll learn some of the most common greetings used in Greece. |
| Είστε έτοιμοι; Are you ready? Ξεκινάμε, so let’s start! |
| The most used informal greeting is: |
| Γεια! |
| [slowly] Γεια. |
| Γεια means “hi,” “hello,” or "goodbye." We use it when we meet but also when we leave. We should only use this greeting with friends or relatives. |
| If you want to be more formal, you need to pay attention to the time of day. The most common phrase is: Καλημέρα! |
| [slowly] Καλημέρα. |
| Literally, Καλημέρα means "good day"; however, we may also interpret it as "good morning" or "good afternoon." As a rule of thumb we can use καλημέρα only during the daytime—from morning until early afternoon. |
| During the late afternoon and evening we say: |
| Καλησπέρα! |
| [slowly] Καλησπέρα. |
| Εσπέρα or ‘σπέρα is ancient Greek for “the part of the day after sunset” so καλησπέρα means good afternoon or good evening. |
| Καλημέρα and καλησπέρα are used when we meet someone, but when we leave, we don’t say them again. |
| In this formal situation Greek people use: |
| Αντίο |
| [slowly] Αντίο. |
| Αντίο means “good-bye.” If you are leaving after 8:00-9:00 PM, you can say “Καληνύχτα” which literally means good-night. |
| Καληνύχτα |
| [slowly] Καληνύχτα. |
| Finally, it is very common in Greek to use the informal “Hi” we introduced in the beginning of this lesson as a parting greeting as well. |
| Γεια! |
| [slowly] Γεια. |
| Now you can greet people in many different ways in Greek! |
| Let’s review them all again. |
| When greeting in an informal situation, we say: |
| Γεια! |
| When greeting in a formal situation, we say: |
| Καλημέρα or καλησπέρα! |
| When leaving, in a formal situation: |
| Αντίο! |
| When leaving, in an informal situation: |
| Γεια! |
| It’s easy, isn’t it? |
| Now it’s time for Chrissi’s Insights. |
| In formal situations, Greek people commonly greet each other by shaking hands. On the other hand, if we meet someone we are very friendly with, we kiss each other on both cheeks. Don’t be afraid to do it with your Greek friends—it’s normal! |
| During the next lesson we’ll learn the meaning of the phrase μιλάτε αγγλικά; Do you already know it? We'll be waiting to talk about it with you in our next Ελληνικά σε 3 λεπτά lesson. |
| Γεια! |
Comments
HideHi Duncan McLaren!
Ευχαριστούμε πολύ! (Efcharistoume poly! "Thank you very much!") 😊 We're thrilled to hear that you found our content helpful. If you have any questions or need further assistance, feel free to let us know.
Have a great day!
Team GreekPod101.com
Very helpful
Hi Nathan,
It was and still is γεια (σου/σας) the most common way to say goodbye. Αντίο is a bit more suitable for longer periods. There are many ways to say bye:
Σε/σας χαιρετώ.
Άντε, γεια.
Τα λέμε.
Γεια χαρά.
Γεια.
Bye! (in English)
Ciao! (in Italian pronounced as τσάο)
I hope this helps!
Stefania
Team GreekPod101.com
It's so interesting that Αντίο in Greek is just like Italian!
Before Italian influence, how did Greeks say bye to one another? Was it Γεια sas/su?
Hi Travis,
We only use καληνύχτα as a wish right before we sleep (ex. a mother to her child in bed) or when we part and it's near time to sleep (ex. leaving from a party). Use καλησπέρα to greet people anytime after dark.
Cheers,
Stefania
Team GreekPod101.com
Can καληνύχτα be used as a greeting after dark as well?
.