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Punctuation Marks

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Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

Greek punctuation is mostly like English, but the question mark is a semicolon (;).

  • Use a period (.) for statements: 'Είμαι καλά.' (I am well.)
  • Use a semicolon (;) for questions: 'Πώς είσαι;' (How are you?)
  • Use a comma (,) for pauses, just like in English: 'Γεια, Μαρία.' (Hello, Maria.)
Statement: [Sentence] + . | Question: [Sentence] + ;

Meanings

Punctuation marks in Greek serve to organize text, indicate pauses, and clarify the intent of a sentence (statement vs. question).

1

The Question Mark

Indicates an interrogative sentence.

“Πώς σε λένε;”

“Τι ώρα είναι;”

Punctuation Usage

Mark Name Function Example
. Τελεία Statement Είμαι εδώ.
; Ερωτηματικό Question Τι κάνεις;
, Κόμμα Pause Γεια, Μαρία.
! Θαυμαστικό Emphasis Τι ωραία!
... Αποσιωπητικά Omission Δεν ξέρω...

Reference Table

Reference table for Punctuation Marks
Form Structure Example
Statement Sentence + . Είμαι καλά.
Question Sentence + ; Πώς είσαι;
Pause Word + , + Word Γεια, φίλε.
Emphasis Sentence + ! Μπράβο!
List Item + , + Item Μήλα, πορτοκάλια.
Omission Sentence + ... Ίσως...

Spectre de formalité

Formel
Πώς είστε;

Πώς είστε; (Greeting)

Neutre
Πώς είσαι;

Πώς είσαι; (Greeting)

Informel
Τι γίνεται;

Τι γίνεται; (Greeting)

Argot
Τι φάση;

Τι φάση; (Greeting)

Greek Punctuation Map

Punctuation

Endings

  • . Period
  • ; Question Mark

Pauses

  • , Comma
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Exemples par niveau

1

Είμαι καλά.

I am well.

2

Τι κάνεις;

How are you?

3

Γεια, Μαρία.

Hello, Maria.

4

Αυτό είναι νερό.

This is water.

1

Πού είναι το σπίτι;

Where is the house?

2

Θέλω ψωμί, τυρί και γάλα.

I want bread, cheese, and milk.

3

Το μάθημα είναι εύκολο.

The lesson is easy.

4

Ποιος είναι αυτός;

Who is this?

1

Αν έρθεις, θα πάμε σινεμά.

If you come, we will go to the cinema.

2

Πώς θα πάμε εκεί;

How will we go there?

3

Η ζωή είναι ωραία, αλλά δύσκολη.

Life is beautiful, but difficult.

4

Τι ώρα ξεκινάει η ταινία;

What time does the movie start?

1

Είναι αλήθεια, ωστόσο, ότι δεν ξέρουμε τα πάντα.

It is true, however, that we do not know everything.

2

Ποια είναι η γνώμη σου για αυτό;

What is your opinion on this?

3

Δεν ήρθαν, διότι είχαν δουλειά.

They didn't come, because they had work.

4

Γιατί δεν απαντάς;

Why don't you answer?

1

Παρά τις δυσκολίες, καταφέραμε να ολοκληρώσουμε το έργο.

Despite the difficulties, we managed to complete the project.

2

Πώς θα μπορούσαμε να το αποφύγουμε;

How could we have avoided it?

3

Η απόφαση ήταν δύσκολη, αλλά απαραίτητη.

The decision was difficult, but necessary.

4

Ποιος θα αναλάβει την ευθύνη;

Who will take responsibility?

1

Εντούτοις, η κατάσταση παραμένει ασαφής.

However, the situation remains unclear.

2

Πώς εξηγείται αυτό το φαινόμενο;

How is this phenomenon explained?

3

Όπως προαναφέρθηκε, οι κανόνες είναι σαφείς.

As mentioned before, the rules are clear.

4

Ποια είναι τα αίτια της κρίσης;

What are the causes of the crisis?

Facile à confondre

Punctuation Marks vs Question Mark (? vs ;)

English uses ?, Greek uses ;.

Punctuation Marks vs Comma usage

Learners often skip commas in lists.

Punctuation Marks vs Period usage

Learners forget to end sentences.

Erreurs courantes

✗

Τι κάνεις?

✓

Τι κάνεις;

Greek uses ; for questions.
✗

Είμαι καλά

✓

Είμαι καλά.

Sentences need a period.
✗

Γεια Μαρία

✓

Γεια, Μαρία.

Vocative case needs a comma.
✗

Που είσαι?

✓

Πού είσαι;

Question mark is ;.
✗

Θέλω μήλα πορτοκάλια

✓

Θέλω μήλα, πορτοκάλια.

Lists need commas.
✗

Πώς σε λένε?

✓

Πώς σε λένε;

Use ;.
✗

Ναι, αλλά...

✓

Ναι, αλλά...

Correct usage, but ensure spacing.
✗

Είπε ότι θα έρθει.

✓

Είπε ότι θα έρθει.

Correct.
✗

Όμως, δεν ήρθε

✓

Όμως, δεν ήρθε.

Missing period.
✗

Ποιος το είπε?

✓

Ποιος το είπε;

Use ;.
✗

Αν και, ήταν αργά.

✓

Αν και ήταν αργά.

Unnecessary comma.
✗

Ποιος ξέρει?

✓

Ποιος ξέρει;

Use ;.
✗

Είναι, όμως, αλήθεια.

✓

Είναι, όμως, αλήθεια.

Correct.

Structures de phrases

Πώς ___ ;

Θέλω ___, ___ και ___.

Είμαι ___, αλλά ___.

Ποιος ___ ;

Real World Usage

Texting constant

Τι κάνεις;

Email very common

Αγαπητέ κύριε,

Social Media very common

Πώς σας φαίνεται;

Job Interview common

Ποιες είναι οι δεξιότητές σας;

Travel common

Πού είναι το ξενοδοχείο;

Food Delivery common

Θέλω μια πίτσα, παρακαλώ.

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💡

Keyboard Shortcut

On a Greek keyboard, the semicolon (;) is usually on the key that is the colon (:) on an English keyboard.
⚠️

Don't use ?

Using the English question mark (?) in Greek is a dead giveaway that you are a beginner.
🎯

Consistency

Always check your punctuation before sending a message.
💬

Digital Tone

Using a semicolon in a text message is the only way to ask a question.

Smart Tips

Always check the end of the sentence for a semicolon.

Πώς είσαι? → Πώς είσαι;

Use commas to separate items in a list.

Θέλω ψωμί τυρί → Θέλω ψωμί, τυρί.

Use a comma before the name.

Γεια Μαρία → Γεια, Μαρία.

Always use a period.

Είμαι καλά → Είμαι καλά.

Prononciation

Pause at commas, rise at ;

Punctuation

Punctuation does not change pronunciation, but it dictates the melody of the sentence.

Question

Πώς είσαι; ↑

Rising intonation at the end.

Mémorise-le

Moyen mnémotechnique

The Greek semicolon is a question mark; think of it as a 'curious' semicolon.

Association visuelle

Imagine a semicolon (;) wearing a detective's hat, asking you a question.

Rhyme

When you want to ask a thing, let the semicolon ring.

Story

Maria was writing a letter. She wrote 'How are you'. She looked for the question mark but used a semicolon instead. Her friend understood perfectly.

Word Web

τελείαερωτηματικόκόμμαθαυμαστικόάνω τελεία

Défi

Write 5 questions to your friends using the semicolon (;).

Notes culturelles

Greeks use the semicolon as a question mark in all digital communication.

Punctuation follows the same rules as in Greece.

Some diaspora Greeks might use ? due to English influence, but it is considered incorrect.

The Greek question mark (;) originated from Byzantine manuscripts.

Amorces de conversation

“

Πώς σε λένε;

“

Τι κάνεις;

“

Ποια είναι η γνώμη σου;

“

Πώς θα πάμε εκεί;

Sujets d'écriture

Write 3 questions you want to ask a friend.
Describe your day using 5 sentences.
Write a short dialogue between two people.
Write a formal email asking for information.
Sign up free to see all tips

Test Yourself

Which is the correct question mark? Choix multiple

Πώς είσαι...

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: ;
Greek uses ; for questions.
Add the correct punctuation.

Είμαι καλά___

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: .
It is a statement.
Fix the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Τι κάνεις?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Τι κάνεις;
Use ; for questions.
Order the words. Sentence Building

είσαι / Πώς / ;

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Πώς είσαι;
Correct word order and punctuation.
Match the mark to its function. Match Pairs

Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Question
; is the question mark.
Which punctuation is for a list? Choix multiple

Θέλω μήλα ___ πορτοκάλια.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: ,
Commas separate items.
Complete the question.

Πού ___ ;

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: είσαι
The verb is needed.
Fix the punctuation. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Γεια Μαρία.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Γεια, Μαρία.
Vocative comma.

Score: /8

Exercices pratiques

8 exercises
Which is the correct question mark? Choix multiple

Πώς είσαι...

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: ;
Greek uses ; for questions.
Add the correct punctuation.

Είμαι καλά___

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: .
It is a statement.
Fix the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Τι κάνεις?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Τι κάνεις;
Use ; for questions.
Order the words. Sentence Building

είσαι / Πώς / ;

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Πώς είσαι;
Correct word order and punctuation.
Match the mark to its function. Match Pairs

Match ;

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Question
; is the question mark.
Which punctuation is for a list? Choix multiple

Θέλω μήλα ___ πορτοκάλια.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: ,
Commas separate items.
Complete the question.

Πού ___ ;

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: είσαι
The verb is needed.
Fix the punctuation. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Γεια Μαρία.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Γεια, Μαρία.
Vocative comma.

Score: /8

FAQ (8)

It is a historical convention from Byzantine manuscripts.

No, it is incorrect in standard Greek.

It is a dot placed above the line, used as a pause.

Yes, it distinguishes questions from statements.

Yes, the standard orthography is uniform.

It is usually on the main keyboard or the symbols page.

Yes, like the dash and brackets, used similarly to English.

No, it is just a matter of habit.

Scaffolded Practice

1

1

2

2

3

3

4

4

Mastery Progress

Needs Practice

Improving

Strong

Mastered

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In Other Languages

Spanish low

¿?

Greek uses one mark at the end; Spanish uses two.

French low

?

The symbol used is different.

German low

?

Greek uses the semicolon.

Japanese low

？

Greek uses the semicolon.

Arabic low

؟

Greek uses the semicolon.

Chinese low

？

Greek uses the semicolon.

Learning Path

Prerequisites

Connected Grammar

Alphabet

Prerequisite

You need to know the letters first.

Basic Greetings

Builds On

Apply punctuation to greetings.

Sentence Structure

Similar

Punctuation defines structure.

Formal Writing

Advanced Form

Advanced punctuation rules.

Previous
Stress Marks (Tonos)
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