πού/που, πώς/πως, πότε/ποτέ | Greek Grammar

The spoken form pu has three important written uses. Accented πού represents an unknown place: “where?” Unaccented που can attach a relative clause to a noun—“who/which/that”—or introduce a complement clause, especially the established cause of an emotion. The sound is identical; syntax chooses the spelling.

The complete accent inventory belongs to Accents on Question Words. This decision page isolates the three-way πού / relative που / complementizer που contrast and the embedded-question trap.

The three-way decision

Ask	Write	Job
Does the word stand for an unknown place?	πού	direct or indirect interrogative “where”
Does it attach a clause that identifies or describes a noun?	που	relative “who/which/that”
Does it introduce a whole fact or event after a predicate such as χαίρομαι?	που	complementizer “that”

Πού θα συναντηθούμε μετά τη δουλειά;

pu tha sinandithúme metá ti dhuliá;

Where shall we meet after work? (interrogative place)

Το καφέ που συναντηθήκαμε έκλεισε τον περασμένο μήνα.

to kafé pu sinandithíkame éklise ton perazméno mína.

The café where we met closed last month. (relative modifying καφέ)

Χαίρομαι που πρόλαβες το τελευταίο λεωφορείο.

chérome pu prólaves to teleftéo leoforío.

I'm glad that you caught the last bus. (complement causing the emotion)

The first πού fills a place slot: an answer might be στην πλατεία. In the second sentence, που συναντηθήκαμε identifies the café. In the third, no place is missing and no noun is being identified; the clause states what caused the speaker's pleasure.

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Try replacing the word. A place answer such as εκεί / στο γραφείο points to πού. English “who/which/that” after a noun or a factual clause after an emotion points to unaccented που.

Direct and indirect “where” are both πού

A direct question is easy to recognize because the whole sentence asks for information and ends in the Greek question mark ;.

Από πού περνάει το λεωφορείο για το αεροδρόμιο;

apó pu pernái to leoforío ya to aerodhrómio;

Where does the airport bus pass through?

An indirect question places the same unknown inside a larger statement or question. Πού keeps its tonos because it still represents the missing place; final punctuation follows the whole sentence.

Δεν κατάλαβα πού πρέπει να αλλάξουμε γραμμή.

dhen katálava pu prépi na aláksume ghramí.

I didn't understand where we have to change lines.

Θυμάσαι πού κατεβήκαμε την προηγούμενη φορά;

thimáse pu katevíkame tin proiyúmeni forá;

Do you remember where we got off last time?

The first matrix sentence is a statement, so it ends in a full stop. The second matrix sentence asks Θυμάσαι;, so it ends in ;. Neither punctuation mark creates or removes the accent inside the embedded clause. The full syntax of embedding belongs to Indirect Questions.

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Do not use the question mark as your spelling test. Ask whether πού itself still carries unknown place information. It does in Δεν ξέρω πού είναι, even though the sentence is a statement.

Relative που: a noun is its anchor

Relative που follows a noun or noun-like antecedent and connects a description. It never changes for gender, number, or case, and it remains unaccented even when the relative clause refers to a place.

Η στάση που κατεβαίνω είναι ακριβώς απέναντι από την τράπεζα.

i stási pu katevéno íne akrivós apénandi apó tin trápeza.

The stop where I get off is directly opposite the bank.

Οι γείτονες που μας βοήθησαν μετακόμισαν στην Κρήτη.

i yítones pu mas voíthisan metakómisan stin Kríti.

The neighbors who helped us moved to Crete.

English may omit its relative word in “the place we stayed.” Greek may not omit που. Case roles and resumptive pronouns are taught on The Relative που; this page only decides the accent.

Complementizer που: a clause is its content

Complementizer που introduces a fact or event, especially after emotions and evaluations. It has no place meaning and no noun antecedent.

Λυπάμαι που δεν πρόλαβα να σε αποχαιρετήσω.

lipáme pu dhen prólava na se apocheretíso.

I'm sorry that I didn't manage to say goodbye to you.

Μας έκανε εντύπωση που το κατάστημα ήταν ακόμη ανοιχτό.

mas ékane endíposi pu to katástima ítan akómi anichtó.

We were surprised that the shop was still open.

The related page That-Clauses: ότι, πως, που explains which predicates select this complementizer. For spelling, the decisive point is simple: it links content rather than asking for a place, so it has no tonos.

What about πώς/πως and πότε/ποτέ?

The title groups three famous spelling contrasts, but their full inventory already has an owner.

Pair	Quick route
πώς / πως	πώς asks or exclaims “how”; πως introduces a proposition meaning “that.” They are homophones.
πότε / ποτέ	πότε asks “when”; ποτέ means “ever/never.” Their stress and pronunciation differ: póte / poté.

Use Accents on Question Words for examples, indirect uses, exclamations, and fixed phrases. Use ότι vs ό,τι for the separate comma distinction.

Common Mistakes

Accenting relative που

❌ Το χωριό πού μεγάλωσε η μητέρα μου είναι ορεινό.

Incorrect standard spelling — this που modifies χωριό; it is not interrogative.

✅ Το χωριό που μεγάλωσε η μητέρα μου είναι ορεινό.

to chorió pu meghálose i mitéra mu íne orinó.

The village where my mother grew up is mountainous.

Dropping the accent in an embedded place question

Unaccented που could introduce a different relative or complement structure. For the intended unknown place, write πού.

✅ Δεν θυμάμαι πού άφησα την κάρτα του ξενοδοχείου.

dhen thimáme pu áfisa tin kárta tu ksenodhochíu.

I don't remember where I left the hotel key card.

Accenting complementizer που after an emotion

❌ Χάρηκε πού βρήκαμε τελικά εισιτήρια.

Incorrect standard spelling — the clause states the cause of her joy; it does not ask where.

✅ Χάρηκε που βρήκαμε τελικά εισιτήρια.

chárike pu vríkame teliká isitíria.

She was pleased that we finally found tickets.

Letting final punctuation decide

The whole sentence may be declarative while the embedded word remains interrogative.

Ξέρω πού σταματάει το νυχτερινό λεωφορείο.

kséro pu stamatái to nichterinó leoforío.

I know where the night bus stops.

Key Takeaways

πού stands for an unknown place in direct and indirect questions.
Relative που attaches a clause to a noun; complementizer που introduces factual content. Both are unaccented.
All three are pronounced pu; the tonos distinguishes grammatical function only in writing.
The matrix sentence controls final punctuation, but the embedded word's function controls its accent.
Route πώς/πως and πότε/ποτέ to the full question-word accent owner rather than inferring their spelling from this pair alone.

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