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Η πόλη σου είναι κοντά ή μακριά από εδώ;

Η πόλη σου είναι κοντά ή μακριά από εδώ;
Is your city near or far from here?
FromLesson 5inHardcore Greek
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Breakdown of Η πόλη σου είναι κοντά ή μακριά από εδώ;

είμαι
to be
ή
or
εδώ
here
σου
your
από
from
η πόλη
the city
κοντά
near
μακριά
far

Questions & Answers about Η πόλη σου είναι κοντά ή μακριά από εδώ;

Why is the article Η used before πόλη when English wouldn’t use “the” with a possessed noun?
Greek normally uses the definite article with possessives. So η πόλη σου literally means “the city of you.” The article agrees with the noun in gender and number: η because πόλη is feminine.
What gender is πόλη, and how can I tell?
Πόλη is feminine. Many feminine nouns end in -η. Its plural is πόλεις.
Why does σου come after πόλη? Can it go before?
Greek possessive pronouns like μου/σου/του… are enclitics and follow the noun: η πόλη σου. They do not go before the noun. For emphasis you can say η δική σου πόλη.
Why is it είναι and not είσαι?
The subject is third-person singular (η πόλη), so the verb is είναι. Basic forms: εγώ είμαι, εσύ είσαι, αυτός/αυτή/αυτό είναι.
Can I drop είναι in casual speech?
Generally no. Greek keeps the verb είμαι in full sentences; Η πόλη σου είναι… is the natural form. Dropping it sounds fragmentary.
Why is it από εδώ? Could I just say εδώ or use σε?

To express distance relative to a point, Greek uses prepositions:

  • μακριά από
    • place: standard and required (e.g., μακριά από εδώ).
  • κοντά typically takes σε with nouns (e.g., κοντά στο σπίτι). With adverbs like εδώ/εκεί, you’ll hear both από εδώ and (εδώ) κοντά in everyday speech. The given pairing κοντά … από εδώ / μακριά από εδώ is natural.
Does μακριά always take από?
Yes: μακριά από + noun/pronoun/adverb (e.g., μακριά από το κέντρο, μακριά από εδώ).
Is the word order fixed? Could I say Είναι η πόλη σου κοντά ή μακριά από εδώ;?
Yes, that order is also natural. In questions, placing the verb first is common: Είναι η πόλη σου…;
How should I pronounce tricky letters here?
  • The accent mark shows stress: πόλη (stress on πό), κοντά, μακριά, εδώ.
  • η/ι/υ/ει/οι sound like English “ee.”
  • δ (as in εδώ) sounds like the th in “this.”
Why does ή have an accent but the initial Η doesn’t?
ή (or) is a stressed monosyllable and takes an accent, which also distinguishes it from the article η. The capital Η at the start is the article and is unstressed; Greek capitals often appear without the accent.
Why is there a semicolon at the end?
In Greek, the semicolon character (;) is the question mark. It marks questions.
How do I make the question polite or address more than one person?
Use σας instead of σου: Η πόλη σας είναι κοντά ή μακριά από εδώ;
How can I ask for degree of distance instead?
  • Πόσο μακριά είναι η πόλη σου από εδώ; (How far…)
  • Πόσο κοντά είναι η πόλη σου; (How close…)
  • For exact distance: Πόσα χιλιόμετρα είναι από εδώ;
What case is πόλη here, and what about εδώ after από?
Πόλη is nominative singular feminine (it’s the subject). Εδώ is an adverb (here), so it doesn’t take case; after από with nouns/pronouns you would use the accusative.
How could I answer briefly in Greek?
  • Κοντά. / Είναι κοντά.
  • Μακριά. / Είναι μακριά.
  • Είναι περίπου [αριθμός] χιλιόμετρα από εδώ.
What are the other unstressed possessives like σου?
  • μου (my), σου (your sg), του (his/its), της (her/its), μας (our), σας (your pl/formal), τους (their). They follow the noun: το σπίτι μας, η πόλη τους.

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