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 incomplete: behind it must come the person you wish that health to. 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 incomplete: behind it must come the person you wish that health to.
Γεια σου (ya su) — "your health" in the singular: to friends, peers, children. Γεια σας (ya sas) — "your health" in the plural, and σας (sas) covers two cases at once, several people and the polite "you", exactly as English "you" does. With a stranger and with an elder there is only one choice: Γεια σας.
The same word says goodbye: Greek keeps no separate "bye", so Γεια σου sounds both at the meeting and at the door. And it does not sound the way it is written: before ε and ι the γ turns almost into a y, and the two greetings come 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 incomplete: behind it must come the person you wish that health to.
Γεια σου vs γεια σας?
Γεια σου — "your health" in the singular: to friends, peers, children. Γεια σας — "your health" in the plural, and σας covers two cases at once, several people and the polite "you", exactly as English "you" does. With a stranger and with an elder there is only one choice: Γεια σας.
How to greet a stranger in Greek?
The same word says goodbye: Greek keeps no separate "bye", so Γεια σου sounds both at the meeting and at the door. And it does not sound the way it is written: before ε and ι the γ turns almost into a y, and the two greetings come out "ya su" and "ya sas".
Is γεια both hello and goodbye?
The same word says goodbye: Greek keeps no separate "bye", so Γεια σου sounds both at the meeting and at the door. And it does not sound the way it is written: before ε and ι the γ turns almost into a y, and the two greetings come 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.