The core Greek wh-adverbs are πού “where,” πότε “when,” πώς “how,” γιατί “why,” and πόσο “how much/to what degree.” Their use in direct questions belongs to wh-question formation, and their spelling belongs to question-word accents and the dedicated πού versus που guide. This page leaves direct questions there and concentrates on what learners miss: related free relatives, exclamations, and indirect questions inside statements.
From a missing answer to a free choice
An interrogative asks for one missing value: where, how, or when. A free relative instead refers to any place, manner, time, or amount satisfying its clause—“wherever,” “however,” “whenever,” or “as much as.” Greek usually marks that difference with an ο- form.
| Interrogative | Free-relative partner | Typical meaning |
|---|---|---|
| πού | όπου | wherever / anywhere that |
| πώς | όπως | however / in whatever way |
| πότε | όποτε | whenever |
| πόσο | όσο | as much as / however much |
These relative forms are not “accentless” in spelling: όπου, όπως, όποτε, όσο carry their normal lexical stress on ό-. What they lack is the special interrogative identity of πού / πώς. They introduce subordinate clauses and do not ask a question.
Πήγαινε όπου θέλεις· θα σε βρούμε αργότερα.
píyene ópu thélis; tha se vrúme arghótera
Go wherever you want; we'll find you later.
Κάνε όπως νομίζεις, αλλά ενημέρωσέ με πριν αποφασίσεις.
káne ópos nomízis, alá enimérosé me prin apofasísis
Do as you think best, but let me know before you decide.
Όποτε μπορείς, πέρνα από το γραφείο για έναν καφέ.
ópote borís, pérna apó to ghrafío ya énan kafé
Whenever you can, stop by the office for a coffee.
Πάρε όσο χρειάζεσαι και άφησε το υπόλοιπο για αύριο.
páre óso chriázese ke áfise to ipólipo ya ávrio
Take as much as you need and leave the rest for tomorrow.
The verb inside a free relative
The connector does not force one tense or aspect. A habitual past takes ordinary past forms; an open future occasion can take the perfective nonpast form licensed by the temporal subordinate environment. The clause still describes a time or choice—it does not become a question.
Όποτε είχε χρόνο, ερχόταν να μας δει.
ópote íche chróno, erchótan na mas dhi
Whenever he had time, he would come to see us.
Όποτε μπορέσεις, πάρε με τηλέφωνο.
ópote borésis, páre me tiléfono
Whenever you can, call me.
English uses bare where/how/when for both embedded questions and some free-relative meanings. Greek makes a lexical choice: Δεν ξέρω πότε θα έρθει asks for an unknown time, while Όποτε έρθει, θα χαρούμε leaves the time open and means “whenever.” There is no single punctuation shortcut that chooses the right form.
πώς and πόσο in exclamations
An exclamation can have wh-word shape without requesting information. Πώς expresses amazement at the manner or extent of a change; πόσο expresses a striking degree. Their accents remain, but the sentence closes with an exclamation mark.
Πόσο χάρηκα που σε είδα μετά από τόσα χρόνια!
póso chárika pu se ídha metá apó tósa chrónia!
I was so happy to see you after so many years!
Πώς μεγάλωσε αυτό το παιδί!
pos meghálose aftó to pedhí!
How this child has grown!
Πού + να also appears in exclamatory reactions expressing disbelief or something never imagined. This is a fixed, expressive pattern, not an information-seeking question.
Πού να φανταστώ ότι θα σε έβλεπα εδώ!
pu na fandastó óti tha se évlepa edhó!
Who would have thought I'd see you here!
Indirect questions inside statements
An indirect question packages missing information as the object of verbs such as ξέρω “know,” θυμάμαι “remember,” and ρωτάω “ask.” The containing sentence may be a plain statement ending in a full stop, but πού and πώς retain their interrogative accent.
Δεν ξέρω πού πήγε μετά τη δουλειά.
dhen kséro pu píye metá ti dhuliá
I don't know where she went after work.
Ρώτησε πώς τα πήγαμε στην εξέταση.
rótise pos ta píghame stin eksétasi
He asked how we did on the exam.
Δεν θυμάμαι πότε κλείνει το φαρμακείο.
dhen thimáme póte klíni to farmakío
I don't remember when the pharmacy closes.
Μου είπε πόσο κόστισε η επισκευή.
mu ípe póso kóstise i episkeví
She told me how much the repair cost.
This is where the beginner shortcut “write the accent only when there is a question mark” fails. Πού / πώς mark the embedded interrogative relation, not the punctuation at the end of the larger sentence.
The contrast with complementizer πως is grammatical as well as orthographic. Both forms sound the same, and their romanization is therefore pos in this guide.
Ξέρω πως έφυγε νωρίς.
kséro pos éfiye norís
I know that she left early.
Ξέρω πώς έφυγε από το κτίριο.
kséro pos éfiye apó to ktírio
I know how she left the building.
Common Mistakes
❌ Δεν ξέρω όπου πήγε η Άννα.
Incorrect for an unknown destination—an indirect question requires πού, not free-relative όπου.
✅ Δεν ξέρω πού πήγε η Άννα.
dhen kséro pu píye i Ána
I don't know where Anna went.
❌ Πέρνα πότε μπορείς.
Incorrect for 'whenever'—πότε asks for a time; the free-choice connector is όποτε.
✅ Πέρνα όποτε μπορείς.
pérna ópote borís
Come by whenever you can.
❌ Πως μεγάλωσες από πέρσι!
Incorrect spelling for an exclamation of manner/degree—exclamatory πώς keeps its accent.
✅ Πώς μεγάλωσες από πέρσι!
pos megháloses apó pérsi!
How you've grown since last year!
Key Takeaways
- Direct-question syntax and the tonos rules belong to the linked question pages; this page covers non-direct-question uses.
- όπου, όπως, όποτε, όσο introduce relative meanings such as “wherever, however, whenever, as much as.”
- Exclamatory πώς / πόσο retain their accents and end with an exclamation mark.
- Indirect πού / πώς keep their accents even inside a statement ending in a full stop.
- Punctuation marks the whole sentence; it cannot by itself tell you whether to write πώς, πως, or όπως.
Related Topics
- Accents on Question Words: πού, πώςA2 — Distinguish interrogative and exclamatory πού/πώς from linking που/πως, retain the accent inside embedded questions, and keep πότε ‘when’ apart from ποτέ ‘ever/never.’
- Wh-Questions (ποιος, τι, πού...)A1 — Build neutral Greek information questions by fronting the complete wh-phrase, keeping ordinary clause order after it, and carrying any preposition to the front instead of stranding it.
- πού/που, πώς/πως, πότε/ποτέA2 — Choose accented πού for a missing place—including inside indirect questions—and unaccented που for relative or complement clauses.