Πού είναι το τηλέφωνό σας;

Word by word:

• Πού = where
• είναι = is / are
• το = the (neuter singular)
• τηλέφωνό = telephone / phone
• σας = your

So the structure is literally Where is the phone your?, but natural English is Where is your phone?

Greek usually uses the definite article much more regularly than English.

Here, το τηλέφωνό σας means your phone, but Greek still keeps the article:

• το τηλέφωνό σας = literally the phone your
• natural English = your phone

This is completely normal in Greek. You should get used to seeing article + noun + possessive.

In Greek, possessive forms like μου, σου, του, της, μας, σας, τους often come after the noun.

So:

• το τηλέφωνό σας = your phone
• το βιβλίο μου = my book
• το σπίτι της = her house

This is one of the most common patterns in Greek. English says your phone, but Greek often says something more like the phone of yours.

σας can mean:

• your when speaking to one person formally
• your when speaking to more than one person

So this sentence could mean:

• Where is your phone? — said politely to one person
• Where is your phone? — said to several people, depending on context

If you were speaking to one person informally, you would usually say:

• Πού είναι το τηλέφωνό σου;

This happens because of the possessive σας after the noun.

The basic word is:

• τηλέφωνο

But when a weak possessive pronoun like μου, σου, του, της, μας, σας, τους follows, Greek often adds a second written stress mark:

• το τηλέφωνό σας
• το βιβλίο μου → often written το βιβλίό μου
• το όνομά του

This helps show the correct pronunciation rhythm. It is a normal spelling feature with these combinations.

Πού is accented because it is a stressed question word meaning where.

The accent tells you where the stress falls in pronunciation. You pronounce it like poo, with the stress on that single syllable.

You will often see accents on Greek question words, for example:

• πού = where
• πώς = how

In Greek, the semicolon (;) is used as the question mark.

So:

• Πού είναι το τηλέφωνό σας; = Where is your phone?

This is one of the first punctuation differences English speakers notice in Greek.

Also, the Greek semicolon-like dot · is a different punctuation mark, closer to a colon or semicolon in English.

A simple pronunciation guide is:

POO EE-ne to tee-LE-fo-NO sas?

More roughly:

• Πού = poo
• είναι = EE-ne
• το = to
• τηλέφωνό = tee-LE-fo-NO
• σας = sas

The stress falls on:

• Πού
• εί- in είναι
• -λέ- and then the added rhythm on -νό in τηλέφωνό σας

Yes. τηλέφωνο can mean:

• telephone
• phone

In everyday English translation, phone is usually the most natural choice.

Depending on context, it can refer to:

• a landline phone
• a mobile phone

If someone specifically wants to say mobile phone, Greek often uses:

• κινητό
• κινητό τηλέφωνο

Yes, Greek word order is more flexible than English.

The most neutral version is:

• Πού είναι το τηλέφωνό σας;

But you may also hear other orders for emphasis, such as:

• Το τηλέφωνό σας πού είναι;

That can sound like Your phone, where is it? with extra focus on your phone.

Still, for learners, Πού είναι το τηλέφωνό σας; is the safest and most standard pattern.

You would usually say:

• Πού είναι το τηλέφωνό σου;

The difference is:

• σου = your for one person, informal
• σας = your for one person, formal or for more than one person

So:

• Πού είναι το τηλέφωνό σου; = talking to a friend, child, sibling, etc.
• Πού είναι το τηλέφωνό σας; = talking politely or to multiple people