Έχετε νερό ή καφέ;

the water

Breakdown of Έχετε νερό ή καφέ;

• ή: or
• ο καφές: the coffee
• έχω: to have

Questions & Answers about Έχετε νερό ή καφέ;

What does Έχετε mean, and what form is it?

• Έχετε means “you have” and, in a question, “do you have.”
• It’s the present tense, 2nd person plural of the verb έχω “to have.”
• In Greek, the 2nd person plural is used for:
  • addressing more than one person (“you all”), or
  • polite/formal singular (“you,” respectfully).

Can I say Έχεις instead?

Yes. Έχεις is the 2nd person singular (“you have”) and is used informally with one person.

• To a friend: Έχεις νερό ή καφέ;
• To a waiter or a stranger: Έχετε νερό ή καφέ;

Where is the word “you”? Why isn’t it written?

Greek is a “pro‑drop” language: subject pronouns are usually omitted because the verb ending shows person and number. Έχετε already encodes “you (plural/formal).” You can add Εσείς for emphasis or contrast: Εσείς έχετε νερό;

Why is there a semicolon at the end? Isn’t that wrong?

In Greek, the character that looks like a semicolon (;) is the question mark. So Έχετε νερό ή καφέ; is correctly punctuated as a question.

What is ή? Why is it accented?