Γεια σου and Γεια σας: to friends and to everyone else
The Greek greeting is the word γεια, "health", and on its own it is unfinished. Whoever the health is wished to has to follow. For example: “Γεια σου, τι κάνεις;” — Hi, how are you?. A rule from the Greek course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
The Greek greeting is the word γεια (ya), "health", and on its own it is unfinished. Whoever the health is wished to has to follow.
Γεια σου (ya su) — "your health", to a friend, a peer, a child. Γεια σας (ya sas) — the same for a stranger, for an elder, or for several people at once. English "you" covers both in one word; Greek does not.
The same word does the parting: there is no separate "bye". Γεια σου works on the way in and on the way out.
It is not read the way it is written. γ before ε and ι turns almost into a "y", so it comes out "ya su" and "ya sas".
Table
| to whom | what you say | word for word |
|---|---|---|
| a friend, a peer, a child | Γεια σου | your health (singular you) |
| a stranger, an elder, several people | Γεια σας | your health (plural you) |
| at the meeting and at the parting | the same word | there is no separate 'bye' |
By example
- Γεια σου, τι κάνεις;ya su, ti kánis?Hi, how are you?
- Γεια σας, τι κάνετε;ya sas, ti kánete?Hello, how are you?
- Γεια σου, Μαρίαya su, MaríaBye, Maria
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
How to say hello in Greek?
The Greek greeting is the word γεια, "health", and on its own it is unfinished. Whoever the health is wished to has to follow.
Γεια σου vs γεια σας?
Γεια σου — "your health", to a friend, a peer, a child. Γεια σας — the same for a stranger, for an elder, or for several people at once. English "you" covers both in one word; Greek does not.
How to greet a stranger in Greek?
The same word does the parting: there is no separate "bye". Γεια σου works on the way in and on the way out.
Is γεια both hello and goodbye?
It is not read the way it is written. γ before ε and ι turns almost into a "y", so it comes out "ya su" and "ya sas".
What does it look like in an example sentence Greek?
“Γεια σου, τι κάνεις;” (ya su, ti kánis?) — Hi, how are you?. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.