Πόσο κοστίζει ο καφές στο σούπερ μάρκετ;

the coffee

Breakdown of Πόσο κοστίζει ο καφές στο σούπερ μάρκετ;

• σε: at
• το σούπερ μάρκετ: the supermarket
• πόσο: how much

Questions & Answers about Πόσο κοστίζει ο καφές στο σούπερ μάρκετ;

How do I pronounce the sentence?

Roughly: PO-so ko-STEE-zee o ka-FES sto SOO-per MAR-ket?

• Πόσο: PO-so (stress on the first syllable).
• κοστίζει: ko-STEE-zee (stress on -στί-, written with an acute on the iota).
• ο: like the “o” in “not.”
• καφές: ka-FES (stress on -φές).
• στο: sto (one syllable).
• σούπερ μάρκετ: SOO-per MAR-ket (two words; stresses on σού- and μάρ-).

Why is there an article (ο) before καφές? In English we’d often say “How much does coffee cost?”

Greek uses the definite article much more than English, even for general categories. Ο καφές here means “coffee (as a product category).” Dropping the article sounds unnatural. If you said ένας καφές, you’d usually be talking about “a (cup of) coffee.”

Can I drop the article and say Πόσο κοστίζει καφές;?

No. That’s unidiomatic in Greek. Use Πόσο κοστίζει ο καφές; for the product in general, or Πόσο κοστίζει αυτός ο καφές; for a specific item.

What case is ο καφές, and why?