LingoflyQuestions: ποιος, πού, πότε, πώς, γιατί
Greek does not shuffle words for a question. Έχεις (ékhis) σήμα (síma). — you have a signal. Έχεις (ékhis) σήμα (síma); — do you have a signal? The order is the same; only the voice goes up at the end. For example: “Πού (pu) είναι (íne) η στάση λεωφορείου (i stási leoforíu);” — 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 (ékhis) σήμα (síma) (ékhis síma). — you have a signal. Έχεις (ékhis) σήμα (síma); — 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 (pu) είναι (íne) η στάση (i stási) (pu íne i stási); — never "πού (pu) η στάση (i stási) είναι (íne) (pu i stási íne)".
All such words except ποιος (pios) are written with the stress dash, and the dash carries meaning. πού (pu) (where) against που (pu) (that); πώς (pos) (how) against πως (pos) (that). Writing a question without it means writing another word.
Table
| word | asks about | example |
|---|---|---|
| ποιος (pios), ποια (pia), ποιο (pio) | who, which | Ποιος (pios) τηλεφώνησε (tilefónise); |
| πού (pu) | where, where to | Πού (pu) είναι (íne) το δημαρχείο (to dimarkhío); |
| πότε (póte) | when | Πότε (póte) ανοίγει (aníyi) το μουσείο (to musío); |
| πώς (pos) | how | Πώς πάω (pos páo) στο (sto) πάρκο (párko); |
| γιατί (yatí) | why; because | Γιατί (yatí) έκλεισε (éklise) ο δρόμος (o drómos); |
| πόσος, πόση (pósi), πόσο (póso) | how much | Πόσο (póso) κάνει (káni) το κούρεμα (to kúrema); |
By example
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 (ékhis) σήμα (síma). — you have a signal. Έχεις (ékhis) σήμα (síma); — do you have a signal? The order is the same; only the voice goes up at the end.
What does it look like in a Greek example sentence?
“Πού (pu) είναι (íne) η στάση λεωφορείου (i stási leoforíu);” (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.