Greek to English Translator
Translate Greek to English for free, with the context a word-for-word tool drops.
What changes when you translate Greek to English
Translating Greek into English changes more than the words. English has very little inflection and instead relies heavily on word order and helper verbs, with a huge vocabulary drawn from both Germanic and Romance roots. English requires an explicit subject in nearly every sentence and marks questions with word order, so translations into English often need pronouns and auxiliaries that the source language leaves out. A word-for-word tool gets the vocabulary right and these things wrong, which is why the translator above reads the whole sentence before it writes anything.
Greek and English: key differences
Greek and English diverge on the writing system, word order, grammatical gender, formality, subject pronouns, and articles. Each row below is a place where swapping words one for one produces the wrong English sentence.
| Feature | Greek | English |
|---|---|---|
| Writing system | the Greek alphabet | the Latin alphabet |
| Typical word order | subject–verb–object, with flexible order | subject–verb–object |
| Grammatical gender | three genders (masculine, feminine, neuter) | no grammatical gender |
| Formality | informal and formal second person | no formal/informal distinction |
| Subject pronouns | usually dropped | required |
| Articles | definite and indefinite, marked for gender, number, and case | definite and indefinite |
Greek to English example sentences
Full sentences translated from Greek to English:
| Greek | English |
|---|---|
| Θα μπορούσατε να μας στείλετε την υπογεγραμμένη σύμβαση έως την Παρασκευή; | Could you please send us the signed contract by Friday? Professional email to one client · formal — Formal singular address uses a plural conditional verb, while the participle agrees with the feminine noun σύμβαση · Standard Modern Greek (Greece); one formally addressed recipient |
| Μένω στην Αθήνα εδώ και έξι μήνες. | I have been living in Athens for six months. Conversation about current residence · neutral — Greek uses the present tense with εδώ και for a state that began in the past and continues now |
| Πάρε με τηλέφωνο μόλις φτάσεις. | Call me as soon as you arrive. Message to a friend who is travelling · informal — The perfective stems in πάρε and φτάσεις frame the call and arrival as complete events |
| Μην ανοίξεις την πόρτα μέχρι να επιστρέψω. | Do not open the door until I come back. Safety instruction to someone familiar · informal — A negative one-time command uses μην plus the perfective dependent form, and μέχρι να introduces another dependent form |
| Αυτή η πρόταση δεν μου βγάζει νόημα. | That suggestion doesn't make sense to me. Discussing a proposal in a meeting · neutral — The idiom βγάζει νόημα expresses making sense; the experiencer is the weak dative pronoun μου |
| Κρυώνω, αλλά και η σούπα είναι κρύα. | I am cold, but the soup is cold too. Contrasting how a person feels with food temperature · neutral — Greek uses the verb κρυώνω for a person's sensation but an agreeing adjective for the soup |
| Καλό μήνα! | Have a good month! Greeting exchanged at the beginning of a new month · neutral — The conventional Greek wish uses an accusative time expression and has no routine word-for-word English equivalent · Common usage in Greece |
Common Greek to English phrases
Everyday expressions translated from Greek to English:
| Greek (Ελληνικά) | English |
|---|---|
| Γεια σας (yia sas) | Hello |
| Καληνύχτα (kalinychta) | Good night |
| Ευχαριστώ (efcharistó) | Thank you |
| Παρακαλώ (parakaló) | Please |
| Τι κάνεις; (ti kaneis?) | How are you? |
| Πώς σε λένε; (pos se lene?) | What is your name? |
| Σ' αγαπώ (s' agapó) | I love you |
| Συγγνώμη (signomi) | Excuse me |
| Πού είναι η τουαλέτα; (pou einai i toualeta?) | Where is the bathroom? |
| Αντίο (antío) | Goodbye |
About the English language
English (English) is spoken by about 1.5 billion people across the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and as the world's lingua franca. It belongs to the Germanic (Indo-European) language family and is written in the Latin alphabet.
- Native name
- English
- Speakers
- 1.5 billion
- Language family
- Germanic (Indo-European)
- Writing system
- the Latin alphabet
- Word order
- subject–verb–object
Greek to English translation tips
- Greek is written in the Greek alphabet, and English uses the Latin alphabet, so the translator converts between writing systems for you.
- This bundle defaults to Standard Modern Greek as used in Greece and does not claim review of Cypriot Greek or regional varieties.
- Articles, nouns and adjectives mark gender, number and case. Keep the whole noun phrase aligned instead of translating an English article in isolation.
- Greek verbs contrast imperfective and perfective stems in commands, dependent forms and other contexts. The choice concerns how an event is viewed, not simply English tense.
- Use εσύ with singular verb forms for familiar address and εσείς with plural forms for formal singular or plural address. Avoid mixing the two patterns in one interaction.
- The Greek question mark is the semicolon-shaped character (;). Preserve it as Greek punctuation rather than 'correcting' it to an English semicolon or inferring that the sentence is a statement.
Greek false friends to watch for
- συμπαθητικός looks like “sympathetic” but means likeable or pleasant.
- παθητικός looks like “pathetic” but means passive.
Greek to English translation FAQ
How accurate is AI Greek to English translation?
The translator uses a modern AI language model that understands context, so Greek to English results read more naturally than word-for-word tools. For legal, medical, or other high-stakes text, have a fluent speaker review the output.
What is Γεια σας (yia sas) in English?
Γεια σας (yia sas) is how you say hello in Greek. The common-phrases table on this page shows more Greek expressions with their English meanings.
Why does a Greek question end with a semicolon-shaped mark?
In Greek, the character ; functions as the question mark. Keep it when translating Greek to English, and do not interpret it as evidence that two clauses were joined by an English semicolon.
How should formal English 'you' be translated into Greek?
Use εσείς and plural verb forms for a formally addressed individual as well as for multiple people. Context or a label should clarify whether the addressee is singular or plural.
Sources
- Centre for the Greek Language: grammar terms and parts of speech
- Centre for the Greek Language: Modern Greek article paradigm
- Dictionary of Standard Modern Greek
- Centre for the Greek Language: Modern Greek grammar bibliography
The language facts and grammar notes on this page are checked against these references.