Ποιος είναι δίπλα σου τώρα;

to be

Breakdown of Ποιος είναι δίπλα σου τώρα;

• τώρα: now
• σου: you
• δίπλα σε: next to
• ποιος: who

Questions & Answers about Ποιος είναι δίπλα σου τώρα;

Why is it Ποιος and not another form like ποια or ποιο?

Greek “who” agrees with the expected gender and number of the answer:

• ποιος (masculine singular)
• ποια (feminine singular)
• ποιο (neuter singular)
• ποιοι (masculine plural)
• ποιες (feminine plural)
• ποια (neuter plural, for things) If you don’t know the gender, the default in everyday speech is often masculine singular: ποιος. If you know the person is a woman, you can say ποια: Ποια είναι δίπλα σου τώρα;

Why not ποιον here?

Because ποιος is the subject (“who is…”) and stays in the nominative. The accusative ποιον is used when “who” is the object of a verb or preposition, e.g., Ποιον βλέπεις; (“Whom do you see?”).

How do I pronounce the whole sentence?

Ποιος είναι δίπλα σου τώρα; ≈ “PYOS EE-neh THEE-plah soo TO-ra.”

• π = p
• οι before ο here gives a glide: ποιος ≈ “pyos”
• δ = voiced th as in “this” (δίπλα = THEE-plah)
• η/ι/οι/ει typically sound like “ee”
• ρ is a tapped/rolled r Stress falls on: Ποιος (one beat), εί- (EE), δί- (THEE), τό- (TO).

Why doesn’t Ποιος have an accent mark?

Ποιος is pronounced as one syllable (“pyos”), and Greek usually doesn’t mark stress on monosyllables. That’s why you see Ποιος without an accent, while words like δίπλα and τώρα do carry one.

What exactly does σου mean here, and why is it after δίπλα?

Σου is the unstressed clitic “your/of you” (2nd person singular), used after many adverbs of place to mean “next to you/by you”: δίπλα σου, μπροστά σου, πίσω σου, απέναντί σου. It comes directly after the adverb; you can’t say ✗ σου δίπλα.

Can I say δίπλα σε σένα (or σε εσένα) instead of δίπλα σου?

Yes. Both are correct:

• δίπλα σου (neutral)
• δίπλα σε σένα / σε εσένα (more emphatic on “you”) With nouns you use σε: δίπλα στο σπίτι. With clitic pronouns you use the genitive form: δίπλα μου/σου/του/της/μας/σας/τους.

Do I need από after δίπλα? I’ve heard δίπλα από…

The most standard pattern is δίπλα σε + accusative: δίπλα σε μένα, δίπλα στο σπίτι. You will also hear δίπλα από + accusative in everyday speech (δίπλα από το σπίτι); it’s common, though many prefer δίπλα σε in careful style. With clitic pronouns, use the genitive clitic: δίπλα σου (not ✗ δίπλα από σου).

Can τώρα move around in the sentence?

Yes. Greek word order is flexible for adverbs:

• Ποιος είναι δίπλα σου τώρα;
• Ποιος είναι τώρα δίπλα σου;
• Τώρα, ποιος είναι δίπλα σου; All are natural, with small differences in emphasis.

How do I make it formal or address more than one person?

Change σου (your, singular informal) to σας (your, plural or polite):

• Ποιος είναι δίπλα σας τώρα;

What if more than one person is next to you?

Use the plural “who”: ποιοι (for people):

• Ποιοι είναι δίπλα σου τώρα; (“Who are next to you now?”) Note that είναι is the same in singular and plural; the form ποιος/ποια/ποιοι shows the number.

How do I ask about a thing instead of a person?

Use τι (what) or, if you mean “which one,” use neuter ποιο:

• Τι είναι δίπλα σου τώρα; (“What is next to you now?”)
• Ποιο είναι δίπλα σου; (“Which one is next to you?”—referring to a known set of options)

Do I have to use είναι, or can I drop it?

Keep it. Greek normally uses the verb “to be” here. ✗ Ποιος δίπλα σου τώρα; is not natural. Alternatives like κάθεται/στέκεται/βρίσκεται add nuance:

• Ποιος κάθεται δίπλα σου; (seated)
• Ποιος στέκεται δίπλα σου; (standing)
• Ποιος βρίσκεται δίπλα σου; (more formal/literal “is located”)

Is δίπλα the same as κοντά or πλάι?

• δίπλα = right next to, adjacent
• πλάι = by someone’s side (poetic/literary but common)
• κοντά = near/close (not necessarily adjacent) So “next to” is best captured by δίπλα (or πλάι): Ποιος είναι πλάι σου τώρα; is also fine.

What’s the punctuation at the end? It looks like a semicolon.

In Greek, the semicolon symbol (;) is the question mark. So … τώρα; means it’s a question. The Greek “semicolon” function (pause/colon-like) is a raised dot (·), called άνω τελεία.