Learn Hardcore Greek: Μπορείτε να μου δώσετε μια ομπρέλα, παρακαλώ; - Can you polite give me an umbrella, please?

Modern Greek uses the second-person plural as a polite form of address (like French vous). Use Μπορείτε for polite/formal “you” (or when addressing more than one person). With a friend or a child, you’d say Μπορείς.

What does να do in να μου δώσετε?

Να introduces the subjunctive. Greek has no infinitive; instead, it uses να + subjunctive to express actions that are desired, possible, requested, etc. Here it’s part of a polite request: “(that you) give me.”

Why is it δώσετε and not δίνετε?

Aspect. Δώσετε is aorist subjunctive (single, complete act: “give once”), which fits a one-off request. Δίνετε would be present (ongoing/habitual: “be giving”), which sounds odd in a single request.

What verb does δώσετε come from?

From δίνω (to give), which has an irregular aorist stem δώσ-. Subjunctive forms: να δώσω, να δώσεις, να δώσει, να δώσουμε, να δώσετε, να δώσουν(ε). The imperative polite form is δώστε.

Why μου and not με?

Μου is the weak pronoun for the indirect object “to/for me.” “Give to me” = δώστε μου / να μου δώσετε.
Με is the direct object “me” (e.g., “You see me” = με βλέπεις). So for “give me,” you need μου.

Where does μου go in the sentence?

With να + verb, weak pronouns go before the verb: να μου δώσετε. With an imperative, they go after: δώστε μου. So να δώσετε μου is incorrect.

Why μια and not μία?

Both are correct forms of the feminine “a/an.” Μια is the common unstressed form. Μία is used when stressed or when you mean the numeral “one.” Here the unstressed μια is natural.

Why not ένα ομπρέλα?

Because ομπρέλα is feminine. The feminine indefinite article is μια/μία. Neuter ένα would be for neuter nouns.

How do I pronounce the sentence?

Approximation: bo-RÍ-te na mu THÓ-se-te mia om-BRÉ-la, para-ka-LÓ? Tips:

μπ = b (so ομπρέλα sounds like “om-brela”).
δ = voiced “th” (as in “this”): δώσετε = THÓ-se-te.
ου = “oo” (as in μου).
Accent marks show the stressed syllable.

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

In Greek, the question mark is ; (what looks like an English semicolon). So …; marks a question. The comma before παρακαλώ just sets off “please” as a parenthetical and is optional but common.

Can I say Δώστε μου μια ομπρέλα, παρακαλώ instead?

Yes. That’s the imperative (“Give me…”). It’s more direct but still polite with παρακαλώ and an appropriate tone. The original with Μπορείτε να… is a bit softer.

Are there other polite ways to ask?

Common options:

Θα μπορούσατε να μου δώσετε μια ομπρέλα; (“Could you…?” more deferential)
Μου δίνετε μια ομπρέλα; (present indicative used as a polite request)
Μήπως έχετε μια ομπρέλα να μου δώσετε; (“By any chance do you have… to give me?” very soft)
Παρακαλώ, θα ήθελα μια ομπρέλα. (“I would like an umbrella, please.”)

Where can I put παρακαλώ?

It can go at the end, at the start, or between commas:

Παρακαλώ, μπορείτε να…
Μπορείτε, παρακαλώ, να…
…μια ομπρέλα, παρακαλώ;
For extra politeness: Σας παρακαλώ (“please, I beg you”).

What’s the difference between δώσετε and δώσατε?

δώσετε: aorist subjunctive (used with να), e.g., να μου δώσετε (“that you give me”).
δώσατε: aorist indicative past (“you gave”), e.g., μου δώσατε (“you gave me”).

Could I use σε μένα instead of μου?

You can, but it’s less natural inside this construction. Prefer μου. You might use σε μένα for emphasis/contrast: Μπορείτε να δώσετε μια ομπρέλα σε μένα; (stress on “to me”). The neutral, most idiomatic choice here is να μου δώσετε.