Signification
Asking for spelling.
Contexte culturel
Greeks are very proud of their 'historical orthography.' Even though many vowels sound the same today, they are spelled differently to show the word's history. Asking 'Πώς γράφεται;' shows you respect this history. In Cyprus, the local dialect has some different sounds, but the standard Greek spelling is used in schools and offices. You will still use 'Πώς γράφεται;' to ask for the standard form. In communities in the US or Australia, 'Greeklish' (Greek written with Latin characters) is common. You might ask 'Πώς γράφεται στα ελληνικά;' to see the proper script. In universities, spelling is taken very seriously. A single wrong 'i' can change the grammatical case or meaning of a word.
The 'I' Rule
If you ask 'Πώς γράφεται;' and they say 'Me iota,' they mean the simple 'ι'. If they say 'Me eta,' they mean 'η'.
Don't forget the accent
Always put the accent on 'Πώς'. Without it, 'πως' means 'that' and changes the meaning.
Signification
Asking for spelling.
The 'I' Rule
If you ask 'Πώς γράφεται;' and they say 'Me iota,' they mean the simple 'ι'. If they say 'Me eta,' they mean 'η'.
Don't forget the accent
Always put the accent on 'Πώς'. Without it, 'πως' means 'that' and changes the meaning.
Be Polite
Add 'παρακαλώ' (please) at the end: 'Πώς γράφεται, παρακαλώ;' to sound like a pro.
Teste-toi
Choose the correct phrase to ask for the spelling of 'Athens'.
Συγγνώμη, η 'Αθήνα' ______;
'Πώς γράφεται' is the standard way to ask 'how is it written'.
Complete the dialogue between a tourist and a clerk.
Tourist: Το όνομα του δρόμου είναι 'Ερμού'. Clerk: Συγγνώμη, ______;
The clerk needs to write the name down, so they ask for the spelling.
Match the Greek phrase to its English meaning.
1. Πώς γράφεται; 2. Πώς λέγεται; 3. Τι σημαίνει;
These are the three most important clarification phrases in Greek.
In which situation would you say 'Πώς γράφεται;'
You are at a cafe and you want to know...
Spelling is required for passwords.
🎉 Score : /4
Aides visuelles
Banque d exercices
4 exercicesΣυγγνώμη, η 'Αθήνα' ______;
'Πώς γράφεται' is the standard way to ask 'how is it written'.
Tourist: Το όνομα του δρόμου είναι 'Ερμού'. Clerk: Συγγνώμη, ______;
The clerk needs to write the name down, so they ask for the spelling.
Associez chaque element a gauche avec son pair a droite :
These are the three most important clarification phrases in Greek.
You are at a cafe and you want to know...
Spelling is required for passwords.
🎉 Score : /4
Questions fréquentes
10 questionsIt is neutral and can be used in any context, from a government office to a bar.
Yes! You can ask 'Πώς γράφεται το όνομά μου στα ελληνικά;' (How is my name written in Greek?)
'Γράφεται' asks for the general spelling, while 'συλλαβίζεται' asks for the word to be broken down letter by letter.
'Γράφεται' is passive (it is written). 'Γράφει' is active (he/she writes). We use the passive because we are asking about the word's state.
All the time! Because of the many ways to spell the 'i' and 'o' sounds, natives ask this constantly.
You can spell the word out or write it down on a piece of paper.
Yes, you can ask 'Πώς γράφεται αυτή η πρόταση;' (How is this sentence written?)
You can ask 'Πώς γράφεται αυτό το γράμμα;' (How is this letter written?)
Not really, 'Πώς γράφεται;' is already very concise.
You can say 'Αυτό πώς γράφεται;' or 'Πώς γράφεται αυτό;'. Both are correct.
Expressions liées
Πώς συλλαβίζεται;
similarHow is it spelled out (letter by letter)?
Πώς λέγεται;
similarHow is it called?
Τι σημαίνει;
builds onWhat does it mean?
Μπορείτε να το γράψετε;
specialized formCan you write it down?
