Learn common Greek greetings and farewells
Get this lesson’s key vocab, their translations and pronunciations. Sign up for your Free Lifetime Account Now and get 7 Days of Premium Access including this feature.
| καληνύχτα (kaliníhta) |
| καλημέρα (kaliméra) |
| χαίρω πολύ (héro polí) |
| What do these words mean? Stick around. |
| In this quick lesson, you’ll learn basic Greek greetings that all beginners must know. |
| Before we start, did you know that in Greece, a name day might be celebrated even more than a birthday? Why is that? |
| Keep watching for the answer at the end. |
| Γεια. (Ya.) |
| "Hello." |
| [SLOW] Γεια. (Ya.) |
| Γεια. (Ya.) |
| The Greek word for hello, γεια, is the same as goodbye. |
| Jack greets Steve at a networking event. |
| Jack: Γεια, πώς είσαι σήμερα; (Ya, pós íse símera?) |
| Steve: Είμαι καλά, ευχαριστώ! (Íme kalá, efharistó!) |
| Καληνύχτα. (Kaliníhta.) |
| "Goodnight." |
| [SLOW] Καληνύχτα. (Kaliníhta.) |
| Καληνύχτα. (Kaliníhta.) |
| Goodnight Moon is a beautiful book I used to read to my children every night. |
| Steve and Tom say goodnight after watching a movie. |
| Steve: Καληνύχτα. Πέρασα όμορφα. (Kaliníhta. Pérasa ómorfa.) |
| Tom: Καληνύχτα. Τα λέμε αύριο. (Kaliníhta. Ta léme ávrio.) |
| Καλημέρα. (Kaliméra.) |
| "Good morning." |
| [SLOW] Καλημέρα. (Kaliméra.) |
| Καλημέρα. (Kaliméra.) |
| The formal way of saying good morning in Greek is καλημέρα σας! |
| Zoe greets her friends at a train station before heading out on a hiking trip. |
| Zoe: Καλημέρα σε όλους. (Kaliméra se ólus.) |
| Tom: Καλημέρα! Χαίρομαι που σας βλέπω. (Kaliméra! Hérome pu sas vlépo.) |
| Χαίρω πολύ. (Héro polí.) |
| "Nice to meet you." |
| [SLOW] Χαίρω πολύ. (Héro polí.) |
| Χαίρω πολύ. (Héro polí.) |
| There are two ways of saying nice to meet you in Greek; a short version, χαίρω πολύ, a long version, χαίρω πολύ για τη γνωριμία, which literally means nice to meet you. |
| Anna-Maria greets a new student as they join the class for the first time. |
| Anna-Maria: Παρακαλώ ελάτε μέσα. Χαίρω πολύ. (Parakaló eláte mésa. Héro polí.) |
| Gabriel: Ευχαριστώ. Χαίρω πολύ κι εγώ. (Efharistó. Héro polí ki egó.) |
| Τι κάνεις; (Ti kánis?) |
| "How are you?" |
| [SLOW] Τι κάνεις; (Ti kánis?) |
| Τι κάνεις; (Ti kánis?) |
| Τι κάνεις in English means how are you, but it can also mean, what are you doing? |
| Steve greets Tom at a party. |
| Steve: Χαίρομαι που σε βλέπω εδώ, Τομ! Τι κάνεις; (Hérome pu se vlépo edó, Tom! Ti kánis?) |
| Tom: Πολύ καλά, ευχαριστώ! Εσύ πώς είσαι; (Polí kalá, efharistó! Esí pós íse?) |
| Αντίο. (Andío.) |
| "Goodbye." |
| [SLOW] Αντίο. (Andío.) |
| Αντίο. (Andío.) |
| The Last Goodbye is a title of a movie, which in Greek is Το Τελευταίο Αντίο. |
| Jack says goodbye after meeting with Steve. |
| Jack: Αντίο. Τα λέμε σύντομα! (Andío. Ta léme síndoma!) |
| Steve: Αντίο. Να προσέχεις! (Andío. Na proséhis!) |
| Let's review. |
| You'll see the words in English and your job is to say the words in Greek. |
| Ready? |
| Do you remember how to say "Hello."? |
| Γεια. (Ya.) |
| Γεια. (Ya.) |
| And how to say "Goodnight."? |
| Καληνύχτα. (Kaliníhta.) |
| Καληνύχτα. (Kaliníhta.) |
| How about "Good morning."? |
| Καλημέρα. (Kaliméra.) |
| Καλημέρα. (Kaliméra.) |
| Do you remember how to say "Nice to meet you."? |
| Χαίρω πολύ. (Héro polí.) |
| Χαίρω πολύ. (Héro polí.) |
| And how to say "How are you?"? |
| Τι κάνεις; (Ti kánis?) |
| Τι κάνεις; (Ti kánis?) |
| And finally, do you remember how to say "Goodbye."? |
| Αντίο. (Andío.) |
| Αντίο. (Andío.) |
| Did you know that in Greece, a name day might be celebrated even more than a birthday? Why is that? |
| In Greece, each name day celebrates a saint, and if your name matches that saint’s, it’s your turn to celebrate! On name days, it’s common to wish someone Χρόνια Πολλά (Hrónia Polá), which means "many years." |
| People often care more about celebrating these days than their own birthdays because it connects them with family traditions and cultural history. |
| Thanks for watching! Don't forget to practice these new words and phrases, and see you next time! |
Comments
Hide