Greek Question Words: How to Ask Who, What, Where, When, and Why

Greek has seven core question words that cover almost every question you’ll want to ask. Learn these and you can start having real conversations, likd finding out what something means, asking where to go, understanding what people want from you.

Each one is covered below with pronunciation, example sentences, and a note on anything that catches beginners off guard.

Greek question words at a glance

Greek	Romanisation	English	Notes
τι	ti	what	Doesn’t change form
ποιος / ποια / ποιο	pios / pia / pio	who / which	Changes to match noun gender
πού	pou	where	Accent mark distinguishes it from που (that/which)
πότε	pote	when	-
γιατί	yati	why	Also means “because”
πώς	pos	how	Accent mark distinguishes it from πως (that)
πόσο / πόσος	poso / posos	how much / how many	Agrees with noun gender when modifying a noun

Τι (ti) - what

Τι is the most frequently used question word in Greek. It doesn’t change form, which makes it one of the most straightforward to work with.

Τι κάνεις; (ti kanis) - How are you? (literally “what are you doing?“)

Τι θέλεις; (ti thelis) - What do you want?

Τι είναι αυτό; (ti einai afto) - What is that?

Τι κάνεις is the everyday Greek equivalent of “how are you”. You’ll hear it constantly in greetings, and you’ll want to answer it comfortably before you arrive.

Ποιος / Ποια / Ποιο (pios / pia / pio) - who, which

This question word changes to match the gender of the noun it refers to. Ποιος for masculine, ποια for feminine, ποιο for neuter.

Ποιος είναι αυτός; (pios einai aftos) - Who is that? (referring to a man)

Ποια είναι αυτή; (pia einai afti) - Who is that? (referring to a woman)

Ποιο είναι το πρόβλημα; (pio einai to provlima) - What’s the problem?

Getting the gender wrong is normal at this stage as Greek people will understand you regardless. You’ll start choosing the right form naturally as you hear more Greek.

Πού (pou) - where

The accent mark over the υ distinguishes πού (where) from που (that/which). In speech you can’t hear the difference, but you’ll want to recognise both forms in writing.

Πού είναι η τουαλέτα; (pou einai i toualeta) - Where is the toilet?

Πού μένεις; (pou menis) - Where do you live?

Πού πας; (pou pas) - Where are you going?

The first one is particularly useful to have in your repertoire. Toilets in Greece are often signed as WC or Τουαλέτες, so knowing the word helps. Asking a local gets a much faster response than scanning the room and hoping.

Πότε (pote) - when

Πότε φεύγεις; (pote fevyis) - When are you leaving?

Πότε ανοίγει το μαγαζί; (pote anoigei to magazi) - When does the shop open?

Πότε φτάνει το λεωφορείο; (pote ftanei to leoforeio) - When does the bus arrive?

That last sentence is particularly useful in Athens and on the islands. Schedules are not always posted, and asking a local is often the most reliable approach. Even a rough answer is more useful than nothing.

Γιατί (yati) - why (and because)

Γιατί does double duty: it asks “why” as a question word, and it means “because” in a statement. This might sound a little confusing, but you’ll be able to distinguish the meaning through context with a little practice.

Γιατί είσαι εδώ; (yati eisai edo) - Why are you here?

Γιατί δεν μπορείς; (yati den boris) - Why can’t you?

And as “because”:

Γιατί είμαι κουρασμένος. (yati eimai kourasménos) - Because I’m tired. (masculine form; feminine: κουρασμένη)

This double use is similar to how French speakers use “parce que” and “pourquoi”, or how “because” in English can begin an explanation.

Πώς (pos) - how

Like πού, πώς carries an accent mark to distinguish it from the conjunction πως, which means “that” in reported speech. Again, you won’t hear the difference out loud, but it’s worth noting for reading.

Πώς είσαι; (pos eisai) - How are you? (slightly more formal than Τι κάνεις)

Πώς πάμε στο κέντρο; (pos pame sto kentro) - How do we get to the centre?

Πώς το λένε αυτό στα ελληνικά; (pos to lene afto sta ellinika) - How do you say that in Greek?

The last sentence is great to have in your arsenal, as it’ll allow you to pick up new words on the fly. Most locals will have no issue with answering that question, and may even appreciate you making the effort to learn the language.

Πόσο / Πόσος (poso / posos) - how much, how many

Πόσο is used on its own for quantities, prices, and duration. When it directly modifies a noun it changes to agree with that noun’s gender: πόσος (masculine), πόση (feminine), πόσο (neuter). The plural forms are πόσοι, πόσες, πόσα.

Πόσο κάνει αυτό; (poso kani afto) - How much does that cost?

Πόσο χρόνο έχεις; (poso chrono echis) - How much time do you have?

Πόσα χρόνια μένεις εδώ; (posa chronia menis edo) - How many years have you lived here?

Πόσο κάνει; is one of the most useful sentences you can have ready. You’ll use it at markets, at kafeneíons, and at souvenir stalls. Being able to say it in Greek rather than pointing at something and looking uncertain will give you a big boost in confidence.

How do you form questions in Greek?

Put the question word first, then the verb, then the rest of the sentence. The verb follows the question word directly which is different from how a Greek statement is ordered.

Compare these two:

Ο σταθμός είναι εκεί. (o stathmos einai ekei) — The station is there. (subject → verb → place)

Πού είναι ο σταθμός; (pou einai o stathmos) — Where is the station? (question word → verb → subject)

The subject shifts to after the verb when a question word opens the sentence. You’ll see this pattern across every question word: τι είναι αυτό, πότε φτάνει το λεωφορείο, πώς πάμε στο κέντρο: question word, then verb, then everything else.

For yes/no questions, no question word is needed. A rising intonation at the end of a statement turns it into a question:

Είναι ακριβό; (einai akrivo) - Is it expensive?

The words are in exactly the same order as a statement, only the intonation changes.

A note on the question mark

Greek uses a semicolon (;) where English uses a question mark (?). So Τι κάνεις; looks, to an English reader, like it might be a statement followed by a semicolon, but it’s a question. Every beginner notices this the first time. Now you won’t be surprised by it.

Test yourself: question words

Before moving on, check you can match each question word to its meaning.

Match each Greek question word to its English meaning.

Click an item on the left, then click the matching item on the right.

Greek

English

Quiz: which question word fits?

Now try using them in context. Each question puts you in a real situation and asks you to pick the right Greek question word or phrase.

Ready to practise?

7 questions to go

FAQ

What are the Greek question words?

There are seven core ones: τι (ti, what), ποιος (pios, who/which), πού (pou, where), πότε (pote, when), γιατί (yati, why), πώς (pos, how), and πόσο (poso, how much/many). Between them they cover almost every question a beginner needs to ask.

Why does Greek use a semicolon as a question mark?

Greek marks its questions with a semicolon (;) where English uses a question mark (?). So Τι κάνεις; is a question, not a statement followed by a semicolon. On screen it looks like a raised dot, and it catches out every beginner the first time.

What is the difference between πού and που (and πώς and πως)?

The accent marks the question word. πού (pou) means “where” and πώς (pos) means “how”, while the unaccented που means “that/which” and πως means “that” in reported speech. You can’t hear the difference when they’re spoken, so context tells you which is meant; in writing, the accent does.

Does γιατί mean “why” or “because”?

Both. γιατί (yati) asks “why” at the start of a question and means “because” at the start of an answer. Context makes the meaning clear, much as French uses pourquoi and parce que from related roots.

How do you form a question in Greek?

Put the question word first, then the verb, then the rest: Πού είναι ο σταθμός; (pou einai o stathmos, “where is the station?”). The subject moves to after the verb. For yes/no questions you need no question word at all, just raise your intonation at the end of a statement: Είναι ακριβό; (einai akrivo, “is it expensive?”).

Keep practising

Matching a word to its meaning and picking it in a multiple-choice question are different from using it in a real conversation. On Speak Greek, you can write your own questions in Greek and get AI-powered feedback on what you produce — so you can find out what’s off before you try it on a real person.