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- "Γεια σας, καλημέρα!"
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What is the difference between Γεια σου and Γεια σας Both seems to be "Hello". Even just Γεια. I am confused.
You would use Γεια σου to one person whom you know well. (Roughly: someone whom you would call by their first name.)
You would use Γεια σας to several people, or to one person whom you do not know well. (Roughly: someone whom you would call by their family name.)
Γεια alone is even more informal, so you would use it with one or more people whom you know well, but not to someone you speak politely/formally to such as a stranger.
Yes, say you're entering a shop in the morning, you might as well say both! It does not ring unnatural in any way. It is very common every Monday morning to wish "Καλημέρα και καλή βδομάδα!" and if that Monday is in the first couple of days of the month it even gets extended to "Καλημέρα και καλή βδομάδα και καλό μήνα!" as people realise they might have not wished a happy new month to their family/colleagues etc. It is a bit of an inside joke really at the same time, placing that much importance on pleasantries, because the phrase becomes sooo long and no one will take it personally if the extras are not added, but it is very common nonetheless.
Thank you for so vast explanation)) I heard about the Greek tradition to make a lot of wishes to each other (καλό δρόμο, καλές βουτιές etc.), but did not expected that you can use so many of them in one phrase))))
In Athens right now and asked my taxi driver if γεια σας was correct, he corrected me to γεια σου. Are Greek people more informal than formal?
The best match for "Hello , good morning to you" would be Γεια, καλημέρα σε σένα/σας. It has to do with the placement of 'to you'.
In the previous segment "Γεια σας" was being translated as "hello everyone". As a result, I thought "σας" meant "everyone". So now I wrote "hello everyone, good morning" and it says it is wrong. Please keep consistent.
