Θέλεις νερό ή τσάι;

Do you want water or tea?

Breakdown of Θέλεις νερό ή τσάι;

• θέλω: to want
• το νερό: the water
• ή: or
• το τσάι: the tea

Questions & Answers about Θέλεις νερό ή τσάι;

What does each word literally mean?

• Θέλεις = you want (2nd person singular of θέλω = to want)
• νερό = water
• ή = or
• τσάι = tea So the sentence is literally “You want water or tea?”

How do you pronounce the whole sentence?

Approximate: [THEH-lees ne-RO ee TSA-ee] (with “th” as in “think”). IPA: [ˈθelis neˈro i ˈtsai]. The stress marks (΄) show which syllable is stressed.

Why does the sentence end with a semicolon? Is that a mistake?

No mistake. In Greek, the question mark is written as ; (semicolon). So Θέλεις νερό ή τσάι; is a question.

Where is the English helper “do” (as in “Do you want…”)? How are yes/no questions formed?

Greek doesn’t use a helper verb like “do.” Yes/no questions use normal statement word order and are marked by intonation and the question mark: Θέλεις νερό; = “Do you want water?”

Why is there no article before νερό and τσάι?

Because they’re mass nouns used in a general sense. Greek doesn’t need “some.” You can add λίγο to emphasize “some”: Θέλεις λίγο νερό; (“Do you want a little water?”).

When would I use an article with these nouns?

• Specific item: Θέλεις το νερό ή το τσάι; (“the water or the tea” we both know about)
• One serving (common when ordering): Θέλεις ένα νερό ή ένα τσάι; (“a water or a tea” = a bottle/glass/cup)

What is ή, and why does it have an accent?

ή means “or” and is pronounced “ee.” It’s written with an accent to distinguish it from η (the feminine article “the”). The accent doesn’t change pronunciation here; it avoids ambiguity.

What form is Θέλεις? Can you show me a couple of related forms?

Θέλεις is 2nd person singular present of θέλω (to want). Useful forms:

• I want: θέλω
• You want (singular): θέλεις
• He/She/It wants: θέλει
• You want (plural/formal): θέλετε

Can I say Θες instead of Θέλεις?

Yes. Θες is a very common, slightly shorter colloquial form with the same meaning.

How do I make the question more polite?

• Use the formal/plural: Θέλετε νερό ή τσάι;
• Use a conditional: Θα ήθελες νερό ή τσάι; (singular) / Θα θέλατε νερό ή τσάι; (polite/plural) = “Would you like water or tea?”

How can I soften it further, like “Perhaps you’d like…”?

Add μήπως at the start: Μήπως θέλεις νερό ή τσάι; or Μήπως θα θέλατε νερό ή τσάι; It sounds tentative and polite.

Is the word order fixed? Can I swap νερό and τσάι?

Word order is flexible here. Θέλεις τσάι ή νερό; is equally correct.

What case are νερό and τσάι in?

They’re direct objects, so accusative singular. Both are neuter, and in neuter the nominative and accusative look the same: το νερό, το τσάι.

Why is τσάι written with two marks (accent on α and two dots on ι)? How do I say it?

The two dots on ϊ (diaeresis) show that αι is not the usual digraph pronounced “e.” Instead, the vowels are separated into a diphthong [ai], so τσάι is [tsai] (TSA-ee). Without the diaeresis, τσαί would be read like “tse.”

How would I ask if the person wants both, or neither?

• Both: Θέλεις και τα δύο; or Θέλεις νερό, τσάι ή και τα δύο;
• Neither (as an answer): Δεν θέλω ούτε νερό ούτε τσάι.

Could I include “to drink,” like “Do you want to drink water or tea?”

Yes: Θέλεις να πιεις νερό ή τσάι; Here να πιεις = “to drink” (2nd singular).

How do I offer to bring it?

Use να with a verb of bringing: Να σου φέρω νερό ή τσάι; = “Shall I bring you water or tea?”

How do people typically answer this question politely?

Short, polite replies:

• Νερό, παρακαλώ. (Water, please.)
• Τσάι, ευχαριστώ. (Tea, thank you.)
• Και τα δύο, αν γίνεται. (Both, if possible.)
• Όχι, ευχαριστώ. (No, thank you.)