How to Greet Someone and Introduce Yourself in Greek

Meeting someone in Greek often begins with a simple Γεια! From there, you might ask how they are, exchange names and talk about where you’re both from.

These short expressions introduce several useful features of everyday Greek: the Greek alphabet, sounds that don’t exist in English and the distinction between informal and formal language.

You can hear every main phrase spoken by a native Greek speaker. The pronunciation guides are approximate, but they can help English speakers get close to the sound.

A simple Greek greeting

Γεια!

Natural translation: Hello! / Hi!

Pronunciation: YAH

Word for word: Γεια = hello/hi

Γεια! is a short, friendly greeting. It works much like “Hi!” in English and is common between people who know each other or are speaking informally.

Although γεια contains four Greek letters, it’s pronounced as a single syllable, approximately “yah.”

When greeting someone formally—or greeting more than one person—Greek normally adds σας:

Γεια σας!

Natural translation: Hello! — formal or plural

Pronunciation: YAH sas

Word for word: Γεια = hello · σας = you (formal or plural)

You’ll often hear Γεια σας! when entering a shop, speaking to a stranger or addressing a group. It’s a useful neutral greeting when you’re unsure which form to choose.

Asking how someone is

Τί κάνεις;

Natural translation: How are you?

Pronunciation: tee KAH-nees

Word for word: Τί = what · κάνεις = are you doing/do you do

Τί κάνεις; is the informal way to ask one person how they are. Word for word, it resembles “What are you doing?”, but it’s also the everyday Greek equivalent of “How are you?”

The accent in κάνεις shows that the first syllable is stressed: KAH-nees. The letters ει make an “ee” sound in modern Greek.

For a formal conversation or more than one person, use:

Τί κάνετε;

Natural translation: How are you? — formal or plural

Pronunciation: tee KAH-neh-teh

Word for word: Τί = what · κάνετε = are you doing/do you do (formal or plural)

Είμαι καλά, ευχαριστώ.

Natural translation: I’m good, thank you.

Pronunciation: EE-meh kah-LAH, ef-khah-ree-STOH

Word for word: Είμαι = I am · καλά = well · ευχαριστώ = thank you

This answer works in both informal and formal conversations. Καλά literally means “well,” while ευχαριστώ means “thank you.”

The χ in ευχαριστώ is made at the back of the mouth. It’s stronger than an English h, a little like the sound in the Scottish pronunciation of “loch.” Don’t worry if it takes time to feel natural.

The written accent in ευχαριστώ marks the final stress: ef-khah-ree-STOH.

Exchanging names

Πώς σε λένε;

Natural translation: What is your name?

Pronunciation: pohs seh LEH-neh

Word for word: Πώς = how · σε = you · λένε = they call

This is a natural informal way to ask someone’s name. The expression is different from English: word for word, it’s roughly “How do they call you?”

Here, σε is the informal singular “you.” The formal or plural version replaces it with σας:

Πώς σας λένε;

Natural translation: What is your name? — formal or plural

Pronunciation: pohs sas LEH-neh

Word for word: Πώς = how · σας = you (formal or plural) · λένε = they call

Με λένε…

Natural translation: My name is…

Pronunciation: meh LEH-neh

Word for word: Με = me · λένε = they call

Put your name after Με λένε. The phrase literally means “They call me,” but its natural English equivalent is “My name is.”

For example:

Με λένε Άννα. — My name is Anna.

Your answer stays the same whether the conversation is informal or formal.

Asking where someone is from

Από πού είσαι;

Natural translation: Where are you from?

Pronunciation: ah-POH poo EE-seh

Word for word: Από = from · πού = where · είσαι = you are

Use Από πού είσαι; informally with one person. Greek places the preposition από (“from”) before πού (“where”), so the word order is close to “From where are you?”

The letters ου in πού make an “oo” sound. In είσαι, ει sounds like “ee,” and αι sounds like “eh.”

The formal or plural version is:

Από πού είστε;

Natural translation: Where are you from? — formal or plural

Pronunciation: ah-POH poo EE-steh

Word for word: Από = from · πού = where · είστε = you are (formal or plural)

Είμαι από τη Σουηδία.

Natural translation: I am from Sweden.

Pronunciation: EE-meh ah-POH tee soo-ee-THEE-ah

Word for word: Είμαι = I am · από = from · τη = the · Σουηδία = Sweden

Use Είμαι από… (“I am from…”) before a place or country. Greek country names often include an article, so the exact form after από can vary. In this phrase, Sweden appears as τη Σουηδία.

The Greek δ doesn’t sound like an English d. It sounds like the th in “this,” which is why the end of Σουηδία is approximated as THEE-ah.

Country names in Greek

Here are some useful country names as they commonly appear after Είμαι από:

The words τη, την, το, τον and τις are forms of the Greek definite article. English normally leaves “the” out when naming most countries, but Greek often includes it.

You don’t need to memorize all the article forms before saying where you’re from. Learning your own country as part of the complete phrase Είμαι από… is a practical place to begin.

Saying “Nice to meet you”

Χάρηκα που σε γνώρισα!

Natural translation: Nice to meet you!

Pronunciation: KHA-ree-kah poo seh GHNO-ree-sah

Word for word: Χάρηκα = I was pleased · που = that · σε = you · γνώρισα = I met

This expression literally communicates “I was pleased that I met you.” It’s a natural phrase to use after exchanging names or at the end of a first conversation.

With someone you’re addressing formally—or with more than one person—replace σε with σας:

Χάρηκα που σας γνώρισα!

Natural translation: Nice to meet you! — formal or plural

Pronunciation: KHA-ree-kah poo sas GHNO-ree-sah

The χ at the beginning of Χάρηκα is the same strong, breathy sound found in ευχαριστώ. The combination γν at the beginning of γνώρισα has no exact English equivalent, so the pronunciation guide is only an approximation.

Informal or formal?

Here’s a quick comparison of the forms used in this article:

Greek uses the plural form to speak politely to one person, much as French uses vous and German uses Sie. Use the formal form with strangers, older people, customers and in professional situations. The informal form is natural with friends, relatives, children and people who have invited you to speak informally.

The answer phrases Είμαι καλά, ευχαριστώ, Με λένε… and Είμαι από… don’t change according to whom you’re speaking to.

A typical first exchange

Person 1: Γεια!
Person 2: Γεια!
Person 1: Τί κάνεις;
Person 2: Είμαι καλά, ευχαριστώ.
Person 1: Πώς σε λένε;
Person 2: Με λένε…
Person 1: Από πού είσαι;
Person 2: Είμαι από τη Σουηδία.
Person 1: Χάρηκα που σε γνώρισα!
Person 2: Χάρηκα!

Real conversations won’t always follow this exact order. Someone may ask where you’re from before asking your name, or the conversation may move naturally to another subject. Even so, these phrases give you a simple way to begin.

A few Greek letters you already know

These expressions introduce several letters and combinations that appear throughout Greek:

Greek spelling becomes less unfamiliar once you start recognizing these recurring sounds. A familiar phrase such as Είμαι καλά can also help you remember how its individual letters behave.

Small phrases that open a conversation

A first conversation in Greek doesn’t need to be long. A greeting, a name and one or two questions are enough to make a genuine connection.

Learning the expressions as complete phrases also helps with Greek word order. You don’t have to rebuild Πώς σε λένε; or Από πού είσαι; from individual words every time—you can recognize each phrase as one useful conversational unit.

The main phrases in this article are taken from the LinguaBoost Greek course and recorded by a native Greek speaker.