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- "Καλημέρα και καληνύχτα!"
30 Comments
Sure, it could be the planet of "The Little Prince" :)
Or it could be midnight, 12 o'clock sharp, and you want to say both (just to be covered). Or it could be past midnight when you should say good morning, but you want to say goodnight too, to show that you're going to sleep. Or someone asks you to translate "bonjour" and "bonne nuit". Or... or... or... well, the possibilities are endless!
"Good morning! And in case I don't see ya, good afternoon, good evening and goodnight!" People understand that reference, right? :-D
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can be καληνυχτα used for greeting? what should i say if i meet somebody at night?
Yes, I guess after 8 would be good for καλοβράδυ. Greeks are not particularly precise and will understand if you use an expression a bit outside the usual time. So, you wouldn't normally say "' καλημέρα" at 4pm...but if you did you'd just get a smile.
"Καληνύχτα" in the morning well, someone might say..."I think you mean "καλήμερα". But no one will be offended.
450
Καλημέρα is litterally good day and not good morning. We already know we won't use it in the evening or the night, but can we use it in the afternoon, so that it could be translated by good morning or good afternoon as well? It would be very similar to the French bonjour/bonsoir. Moreover, bonne nuit (good night) can't be used as a greeting, just like in Greek.
Good afternoon is καλό απόγευμα and is used when leaving. Καλησπέρα is good evening and is used as a greeting. Καληνύχτα is also used when leaving and not as a greeting.
- 450
Thank you. Then, if καλό απόγευμα and καληνύχτα are only used when leaving, can we use καλημέρα as a greeting in the afternoon, just like we can use καλησπέρα in the night as a greeting?
Exactly! Or you can use something more generic like Χαίρετε or Γεια (σου/σας).
wake up at twilight, it's gonna be all right...WE DON'T EVEN HAVE TO TRY :P.
- 1529
Hello should be acceptable here. It is the usual way of saying Good Day in English, both in the morning and the afternoon, like καλυμέρα. Καλυμέρα translates into Good morning , Good afternoon and Hello.
Kαλημέρα literally means just good morning. For hello there is γεια/γεια σου/γεια σας, and for good afternoon there is καλησπέρα. I do understand that hello might be used instead of good day in English (although I see it more like a simple greeting rather than a "wish"), but not all translations match the Greek word. Καλημέρα is used for a specific reason is Greek, at a specific time of the day. :/
- 1529
Thanks a lot for the explanation. I thought you could use καλυμέρα in the afternoon as well. So you start using καλυσπέρα at 1pm?
Most people do so, yes. Some people use καλημέρα until afternoon, but we have to be a bit typical with the translations, just to make language teaching a bit easier both for you, and for ourselves. ^.^
- 1529
Ok. So it is like a general usage with local or personal variations. I will stick to the general usage then. Thanks a lot for your great help!
They don't come from μέρα or νύχτα, but both words (morrow-morn(ing)/ημέρα, night/νύχτα) share the same proto-indo-european roots.
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