πού είσαι;
pou eísai?
To ask "where are you?" in Greek, say πού είσαι.
πού είσαι asks for someone's current location. It is used in friendly or casual conversations with peers, family or friends, for example on the phone.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of πού (where) and είσαι (you are), the informal second person singular form of the verb "to be".
How does it change in a sentence?
Use πού είστε when you address more than one person or use the formal "you" to show respect to one person. είστε is the formal or plural form of the verb "to be".
How do you pronounce it?
It is pronounced pou eísai?
Did you know?
- While the phrase literally asks for a location, Greeks often use it figuratively in text messages or calls to ask 'What are you up to?' or 'What is your current situation?' rather than just your physical coordinates.
- The word πού is a direct descendant of the Proto-Indo-European root *kʷos, making it a distant linguistic cousin to the English word 'who' and the Latin 'quis'.
- The verb είσαι comes from the same root as the English word 'is'. This is because Greek and English both belong to the Indo-European language family.
Examples in context
- Πού είσαι. Είσαι στο γραφείο;Where are you? Are you at the office?
- Είμαι στο πάρκο.I am at the park.
- Πού είσαι;Pou eisai;Where are you?
Example conversation
Nikos is calling Kyriaki to find her in a crowd.
- Νίκος NikosΚυριακή, πού είσαι;Kyriaki, pou eisai?Kyriaki, where are you?
- Κυριακή KyriakiΕίμαι δίπλα στο ταξί.Eimai dipla sto taxi.I am next to the taxi.
- Νίκος NikosΔεν σε βλέπω εδώ.Den se vlepo edo.I don't see you here.
- Κυριακή KyriakiΚοιτάξτε πίσω σου, Νίκο!Koitakste piso sou, Niko!Look behind you, Niko!
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries πού, CC BY-SA 4.0.
