Questions: ποιος, πού, πότε, πώς, γιατί
Greek does not shuffle words for a question. Έχεις σήμα. — you have a signal. Έχεις σήμα; — do you have a signal? The order is the same; only the voice goes up at the end. For example: “Πού είναι η στάση λεωφορείου;” — Where is the bus stop?. A rule from the Greek course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Greek does not shuffle words for a question. Έχεις σήμα (ékhis síma). — you have a signal. Έχεις σήμα; — do you have a signal? The order is the same; only the voice goes up at the end.
The question mark here looks like a semicolon: ; That is not a typo. The raised dot · does the job the English semicolon does.
A question word stands first, and the verb comes straight after it: Πού είναι η στάση (pu íne i stási); — never "πού η στάση είναι (pu i stási íne)".
All such words are written with the stress dash, and the dash carries meaning. πού (where) against που (that); πώς (how) against πως (that). Writing a question without it means writing another word.
Table
| word | asks about | example |
|---|---|---|
| ποιος, ποια, ποιο | who, which | Ποιος τηλεφώνησε; |
| πού | where, where to | Πού είναι το δημαρχείο; |
| πότε | when | Πότε ανοίγει το μουσείο; |
| πώς | how | Πώς πάω στο πάρκο; |
| γιατί | why; because | Γιατί έκλεισε ο δρόμος; |
| πόσος, πόση, πόσο | how much | Πόσο κάνει το κούρεμα; |
By example
- Πού είναι η στάση λεωφορείου;pu íne i stási leoforíu?Where is the bus stop?
- Πόση ώρα θα πάρει η επισκευή;pósi óra tha pári i episkeví?How long will the repair take?
- Γιατί δεν πήγες στην αστυνομία;yatí den píyes stin astinomía?Why didn't you go to the police?
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
Questions: how does it work in Greek?
Greek does not shuffle words for a question. Έχεις σήμα. — you have a signal. Έχεις σήμα; — do you have a signal? The order is the same; only the voice goes up at the end.
What does it look like in an example sentence Greek?
“Πού είναι η στάση λεωφορείου;” (pu íne i stási leoforíu?) — Where is the bus stop?. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.