Questions & Answers about Μπορείς να με βοηθήσεις τώρα;
What does each word mean and how does the sentence structure work?
- Μπορείς = you can (2nd person singular of μπορώ)
- να = particle that introduces a subordinate verb (subjunctive); Greek has no infinitive, so να + verb often corresponds to English “to + verb”
- με = me (weak object pronoun, accusative)
- βοηθήσεις = you help (aorist subjunctive 2nd singular of βοηθώ “to help”)
- τώρα = now
Structure: [Μπορείς] [να] [με] [βοηθήσεις] [τώρα]; → “Can you help me now?”
Why is there a semicolon at the end instead of a question mark?
In Greek, the symbol that looks like an English semicolon (;) is the question mark. The raised dot (·), called the ano teleia, is the Greek equivalent of the English semicolon. So ; marks a question in Greek.
Why do we need the particle να here?
Greek lacks an infinitive form (“to help”). To express that idea, Greek uses να + subjunctive. So μπορείς να βοηθήσεις literally means “you can that-you-help,” which maps to English “you can help.” Without να, the sentence would be ungrammatical.
Why is it βοηθήσεις and not βοηθάς?