Finally, you arrived in Greece and you are going to stay for a whole week! You are very enthusiast because you are going to speak Greek with the locals, since you followed Greek lessons in the last months.
😊 However, you are not sure of the greeting that you must use to greet somebody, since it depends not only on the hour, but also on the intimacy between people.
So, when you meet somebody in Greece you have to think; is it morning? is it afternoon? is it evening or night? What are my affinities with the other person?
Let’s see… what do the Greeks say when they meet somebody or when they want to say goodbye? 🙋♂️
Read our article and the greeting in Greeks it will not be a problem anymore for you!
#How do I greet in Greek?
Γεια (ya)
«Γεια» it is used anytime during the day, the evening or the night to greet people that you know already: friends, colleagues, family members etc. It is a very friendly, common and unofficial greeting.
«Γεια σου» it is used anytime to greet just one person like a friend, a family member or a colleague. 😊
«Γεια σας» it is used anytime to greet more than one person. 😊 😊
«Γεια σας» it is used to greet someone in a polite or formal way: your senior, your supervisor, an old lady or an old man, the employee at the supermarket or at the bank etc.
Καλημέρα (kalimera)
«Καλημέρα» it is used in the morning to greet someone that you know or you don’t know, usually till around 12pm – 13pm, but some people say «Καλημέρα» until even later, since the sun is shining bright in the sky!
«Καλημέρα σου» or «Καλή σου μέρα» it is used to greet just one person.
«Καλημέρα σας» or «Καλή σας μέρα» it is used to greet more than one person.
«Καλημέρα σας» or «Καλή σας μέρα» it is used to greet someone in a polite or formal way.
Καλησπέρα (kalispera)
«Καλησπέρα» it is used to greet someone that you meet in the evening or in the night.
«Καλησπέρα σας» it is used to greet more than one person.
«Καλησπέρα σας» it is used to greet someone in a polite or formal way.
Καλό βράδυ (kalo vradi)
Καλό βράδυ» we use, in the evening or in the night, to say goodbye implying that we do not go straight to sleep, but that we will continue our night by e.g. watching a movie or reading a book or going out etc. For example, when you leave the Greek tavern after enjoying your meal, it would be nice to say «Καλό βράδυ».
«Καλό σου βράδυ» it is a friendly way to say goodbye in the evening to someone.
«Καλό σας βράδυ» it is used to say goodbye in the evening to more than one person.
«Καλό σας βράδυ» it is used to say goodbye in the evening to someone in a polite or formal way.
Καληνύχτα (kalinihta)
«Καληνύχτα» it is used to say goodbye in the night and you, probably, go back to your place to sleep.
«Καλή σου νύχτα» it is a friendly way to say goodbye to someone.
«Καληνύχτα σας» or «Καλή σας νύχτα» it is used to say goodbye to more than one person at night.
«Καληνύχτα σας» or «Καλή σας νύχτα» it is used to say goodbye to someone in a polite or formal way.
