Learn Hardcore Greek: Πίνεις νερό τώρα ή τρως ψωμί; - Are you drinking water now or eating bread?

In Greek, the question mark is the symbol that looks like an English semicolon: ;. So ; is the Greek question mark. The raised dot · (ano teleia) is a different punctuation mark.

Why is there no subject pronoun like “you” (εσύ)?

Greek verbs encode the subject person and number. Πίνεις and τρως are both 2nd person singular (“you”), so εσύ is optional and only used for emphasis or contrast: Εσύ πίνεις νερό τώρα ή τρως ψωμί;

What tense/aspect is being used, and does it mean “Are you drinking” or “Do you drink”?

It’s the present indicative with imperfective aspect. In Modern Greek, this single form covers both English simple present and present progressive. Context (here, τώρα = now) makes it clearly progressive: “Are you drinking… or eating… (now)?”

What are the verb forms here and their dictionary entries?

Πίνεις = 2nd person singular present of πίνω “to drink.” Paradigm (present): πίνω, πίνεις, πίνει, πίνουμε, πίνετε, πίνουν(ε).
Τρως = 2nd person singular present of τρώω “to eat.” Paradigm (present): τρώω, τρως, τρώει, τρώμε, τρώτε, τρώνε/τρών(ε).

Why is it spelled τρως and not τρώς?

Monosyllabic words in Modern Greek normally do not take a written accent, so the correct form is τρως. The 1st person singular is τρώω (with an accent because it’s two syllables: τρώ-ω). Also note the final sigma ς at the end of τρως (Greek uses ς at word-final position, not σ).

Why is there no article with νερό and ψωμί?

They’re mass nouns here and appear “bare” to mean “some water/bread” in a non-specific sense:

Πίνεις νερό; = “Are you drinking (some) water?”
Adding the article makes it specific: Πίνεις το νερό; = “Are you drinking the water (that we mentioned)?”
Similarly: Τρως ψωμί; vs Τρως το ψωμί;

What’s the difference between ή and η?

ή (with accent) = “or.” It’s accented to distinguish it from…
η (no accent) = the feminine nominative singular article “the.” So you need ή in this sentence.

Can I repeat ή before both options?

Yes. Both are correct:

Πίνεις νερό τώρα ή τρως ψωμί; (most common in speech)
Ή πίνεις νερό τώρα ή τρως ψωμί; (more emphatic, often written as “either…or”) You can also use the more formal pair είτε…είτε: Είτε πίνεις νερό τώρα είτε τρως ψωμί.

Where can I place τώρα?

Greek word order is flexible. Common placements:

Πίνεις νερό τώρα ή τρως ψωμί;
Τώρα πίνεις νερό ή τρως ψωμί;
Πίνεις τώρα νερό ή τρως ψωμί; Moving τώρα changes emphasis slightly but not the core meaning.

Is ή inclusive or exclusive?

In everyday Greek, ή is normally understood as exclusive (one or the other, not both) in questions like this.

How can I say “or maybe” to make the contrast softer?

Use ή μήπως:

Πίνεις νερό τώρα ή μήπως τρως ψωμί; = “Are you drinking water now, or maybe eating bread?” Μήπως adds a tentative, polite, or speculative tone.

How would someone answer this question naturally?

Short answers:

Πίνω (νερό). = “I’m drinking (water).”
Τρώω (ψωμί). = “I’m eating (bread).”
Όχι, τρώω ψωμί. / Όχι, πίνω νερό. You can add τώρα for clarity: Πίνω νερό τώρα.

What cases and genders are νερό and ψωμί?

Both are neuter nouns. In neuter singular, nominative and accusative have the same form:

το νερό (nom./acc. sg.)
το ψωμί (nom./acc. sg.) In this sentence, they are direct objects, so accusative—but they look identical to nominative because they’re neuter.

How do I talk about quantities or count them?

For water, use measures: λίγο νερό (a little water), ένα ποτήρι νερό (a glass of water), ένα μπουκάλι νερό (a bottle of water).
For bread, count pieces/types: μια φέτα ψωμί (a slice of bread), ένα ψωμάκι (a bread roll), μια φραντζόλα (a loaf).

Do I need to change word order to make a question in Greek?

No. Greek often keeps the statement order and relies on intonation and the question mark. Compare:

Statement: Πίνεις νερό τώρα.
Question: Πίνεις νερό τώρα; Your sentence is a choice question formed the same way, using ή to connect the options.