How Are You in Greek

How to ask “How Are You?” in Greek

Asking someone how they’re doing (πώς είναι / τι κάνεις) is a fundamental way to connect. It shows genuine interest, whether you’re greeting a Greek colleague, chatting with new friends, or catching up with family. This question helps transform a simple “hello” into a more personal conversation and often leads to deeper interactions.

In Greek, there are two main ways to ask “How are you?” depending on how formal or informal you want to be:

• Informal: Πώς είσαι; or Τι κάνεις; → How are you? (casual)
• Formal: Πώς είστε; or Τι κάνετε; → How are you? (polite/formal)

How to Answer “How Are You?”

When someone asks, you can keep it brief with a simple response. Here are a couple of exchange examples:

Πώς είσαι; → How are you? (informal)

Είμαι καλά. Εσύ; → I’m good. And you? (informal)

Τι κάνεις; → How are you? (informal)

Καλούτσικα. Εσύ; → Fine. And you? (informal)

Πώς είστε; → How are you? (formal)

Είμαι καλά. Εσείς; → I’m good. And you? (formal)

Τι κάνετε; → How are you? (formal)

Τα ίδια. Εσείς; → Same here. And you? (formal)

If you want to express more detail, here are some extra options:

Extra responses: Instead of using the verb “είμαι,” native speakers often answer with a single word or phrase:

• Υπέροχα! → Excellent! (or Τέλεια!)
• Πολύ καλά! → Very good!
• Καλά. → Good.
• Έτσι κι έτσι. → So-so.
• Άσχημα. → Bad.
• Πολύ άσχημα! → Very bad.
• Χάλια. → Awful.
• Πεινάω. → (I’m) hungry.
• Διψάω. → (I’m) thirsty.
• Κουρασμένος (m) / Κουρασμένη (f) → Tired.
• Έχω χανγκόβερ. → I’ve got a hangover. (casual slang)

Now you can ask and answer “How are you?” in Greek with confidence. And remember, in Greek conversations it’s perfectly normal to share a bit more about how you’re really feeling—there’s no need to stick to just “I’m good!” every time.