Have you ever wondered how you could ask about almost anything, just by using some question words plus the verb ‘to be’? I am sure that you are wondering now exactly how this could be done (since I’m sure you’ve heard people say that the Greek language is difficult and complicated!) Well, today we will see a simple and easy ‘recipe’ for creating questions that we typically use in our daily life.
Let’s start with some ‘ingredients’!
Question words + verb ”to be”
That’s it? You will ask. The answer is YES. That’s all you need!
Now let’s see some examples.
If you like to ask who is someone:
| Ποιος/-α/-ο –pieos/a/o- who + verb ”to be”
ποιοι / ποιες / α – pieoi / es / a – who plural + verb ”to be” |
Ποιος είσαι; -who are you? (if the person you are asking is male)
Ποιες είστε;-who are you? ( if the persons you are asking are female/plural)
Ποιος είναι;-who is it? (someone is calling you/is knocking on your door and you don’t know who it is).
These, of course, are some examples. You can make many more combinations.
If you would like to ask about quantity, price of something or age
Πόσος/-η/-ο –posos-how much/many + verb “to be”
|
Πόσες μέρες είσαι στο Λονδίνο; – Poses meres ise sto Londino?-How many days have you been in London?
Πόσο είναι;- Poso einai?-How much is it? How much does it cost?
Πόσοι είναι στο πάρτι;- How many are people in the party?
If you would like to ask someone how they are etc.
| Πώς-pos-how + verb “to be:” |
Πώς είσαι;-Pos ise?-How are you? (singular)
Πώς είστε;-pos iste?-How are you? (plural, formal)
Πώς είναι ο Γιάννης, είναι καλύτερα;- Pos ine o Yiannis, ine kalitera? –How is Yiannis, is he (feeling) better?
If you would like to ask someone where they are, directions etc or if you are looking for something
| Πού-pou-where + verb “to be:” |
Πού είμαι;-Pou ime?-Where am I?
Πού είσαι; -Pou ise?-Where are you?
Πού είναι τα κλειδιά μου;-Pou ine ta klidia mou?-Where are my keys?
Που είναι το μουσείο; Where’s the Museum?
If you would like to ask when is….?
| Πότε-pote-when + verb “to be” |
Πότε είναι τα γενέθλιά σου;-Pote ine ta genethlia sou?-When is your birthday?
Πότε είσαι στο σπίτι;-Pote ise sto spiti?-When are you at home?
If you would like to ask what is it? What time is it?
| Τι;-Ti?-What? + verb “to be” |
Τι ώρα είναι;-Ti ora ine?-What time is it?
Τι είναι;-Ti ine?-What is it?
If you would like to ask why…..?
| Γιατί;-Giati?-Why? + verb “to be” |
Γιατί είσαι εδώ σήμερα;-Giati ise edo simera?-Why are you here today?
Γιατί δεν είσαι στο σχολείο;-Giati den ise sto sxolio?-Why aren’t you at school?
◊ Now it’s your turn! Try to write out the following questions:
-Who are you? -if the person you are talking to is female/singular
-Who are you-if the person you are talking to is male/plural
-Where is the pharmacy?
-When is your name day?
-What is this?
-What time is the train?
– How much is this?
We are waiting for your questions!
We hope that you find our ‘recipe’ useful! Stay tuned!
Maria Christoforou
You can learn more about us and you can book a trial Greek lesson