ή
í/ˈi/
The Greek phrase for 'or' is ή (í).
Which one should you use?
While ή is used for simple choices, the correlative construction είτε… είτε is used to express 'either… or' to emphasize that one of two options must be true.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced as [í].
Did you know?
- In Greek, the word for 'or', ή, is actually a single letter of the alphabet. This means your 'word' is a single vowel with an accent mark.
- Ancient Greek was much more precise than Modern Greek regarding 'or'. It used different specific words depending on whether the options were mutually exclusive or if both could be true.
- Greek uses the correlative είτε… είτε not only to offer a choice but to convey a specific feeling of 'it doesn't matter' that the word ή lacks.
Examples in context
- Θέλετε τσάι ή καφέ;Do you want tea or coffee?Tatoeba #5524361 by Zeus, translation #3766649 by Wuzzy
- Είναι αγόρι ή κορίτσι;Is it a boy or a girl?Tatoeba #5511902 by Zeus, translation #276835 by CK
- Είσαι κορίτσι ή αγόρι;Are you a girl or a boy?Tatoeba #5523563 by Zeus, translation #4167881 by Wuzzy
- Θα πάμε για καφέ ή για τσάι;Shall we go for coffee or tea?
- 114 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Anastasia and Giorgos are deciding what to eat for lunch.
- Αναστασία AnastasiaΘέλεις πίτσα ή παστίτσιο;Theleis pizza i pastitsio;Do you want pizza or pastitsio?
- Γιώργος GiorgosΜπορεί να φάμε κάτι άλλο;Borei na fame kati allo;Can we eat something else?
- Αναστασία AnastasiaΤι άλλο θες, σάντουιτς ή σαλάτα;Ti allo thes, sandouits i salata;What else do you want, a sandwich or a salad?
- Γιώργος GiorgosΈνα σάντουιτς θα ήταν τέλειο.Ena sandouits tha itan teleio.A sandwich would be perfect.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry ή, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
