LingoflyWishes with να and μακάρι
A wish is built with the same να (na) as everything else. Να (na) είσαι (íse) καλά (kalá) — be well, and that answers anything: thanks, help, a kind word. Να (na) περνάς (pernás) καλά (kalá) — have a good time. Να (na) τα (ta) εκατοστήσεις — may you reach a hundred, the birthday wish. For example: “Να (na) είσαι (íse) καλά (kalá), με (me) βοήθησες πολύ” (polí) — Be well, you helped me a lot.
How it works
A wish is built with the same να (na) as everything else. Να (na) είσαι (íse) καλά (kalá) (na íse kalá) — be well, and that answers anything: thanks, help, a kind word. Να (na) περνάς (pernás) καλά (kalá) (na pernás kalá) — have a good time. Να (na) τα (ta) εκατοστήσεις — may you reach a hundred, the birthday wish.
There is no separate command shape here, and there could not be: a command orders, a wish does not. The pair shows it — Πρόσεχε (prósekhe) (be careful, I order) against Να (na) προσέχεις (take care, I wish).
μακάρι να (na) (makári na) is "if only". With the ordinary shape it is about what may still happen: Μακάρι να (na) έρθει (érthi) (makári na érthi). With the second past it is about what cannot: Μακάρι να (na) ήξερα (íksera) (makári na íksera) — if only I knew.
To a wish you answer επίσης (epísis) (same to you) or και (ke) σε (se) σένα (séna) (and to you). Saying nothing back to Να (na) είσαι (íse) καλά (kalá) is like ignoring a thank-you.
Table
| the case | the turn | in English |
|---|---|---|
| an answer to thanks | να (na) είσαι (íse) καλά (kalá) | be well |
| a wish | να (na) περνάς (pernás) καλά (kalá) | have a good time |
| if only | μακάρι να (na) έρθει (érthi) | if only he comes |
| if only I knew | μακάρι να (na) ήξερα (íksera) | if only I knew |
| an answer to a wish | επίσης (epísis) | the same to you |
By example
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 wish someone a good time in Greek?
A wish is built with the same να (na) as everything else. Να (na) είσαι (íse) καλά (kalá) — be well, and that answers anything: thanks, help, a kind word. Να (na) περνάς (pernás) καλά (kalá) — have a good time. Να (na) τα (ta) εκατοστήσεις — may you reach a hundred, the birthday wish.
Να (na) προσέχεις vs πρόσεχε (prósekhe)?
There is no separate command shape here, and there could not be: a command orders, a wish does not. The pair shows it — Πρόσεχε (prósekhe) (be careful, I order) against Να (na) προσέχεις (take care, I wish).
Μακάρι να (na) έρθει (érthi) or μακάρι να (na) ήξερα (íksera)?
μακάρι να (na) is "if only". With the ordinary shape it is about what may still happen: Μακάρι να (na) έρθει (érthi). With the second past it is about what cannot: Μακάρι να (na) ήξερα (íksera) — if only I knew.
What to answer to να (na) είσαι (íse) καλά (kalá)?
To a wish you answer επίσης (epísis) (same to you) or και (ke) σε (se) σένα (séna) (and to you). Saying nothing back to Να (na) είσαι (íse) καλά (kalá) is like ignoring a thank-you.
What να (na) τα (ta) εκατοστήσεις means?
A wish is built with the same να (na) as everything else. Να (na) είσαι (íse) καλά (kalá) — be well, and that answers anything: thanks, help, a kind word. Να (na) περνάς (pernás) καλά (kalá) — have a good time. Να (na) τα (ta) εκατοστήσεις — may you reach a hundred, the birthday wish.
What does it look like in a Greek example sentence?
“Να (na) είσαι (íse) καλά (kalá), με (me) βοήθησες πολύ” (polí) (na íse kalá, me voíthises polí) — Be well, you helped me a lot. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.