Τι προτείνεις εσύ; Να διαλέξουμε κάτι διαφορετικό;

What do you suggest? Shall we choose something different?

Breakdown of Τι προτείνεις εσύ; Να διαλέξουμε κάτι διαφορετικό;

• τι: what
• εσύ: you
• να: to
• κάτι: something
• διαλέγω: to choose
• διαφορετικός: different
• προτείνω: to suggest

Questions & Answers about Τι προτείνεις εσύ; Να διαλέξουμε κάτι διαφορετικό;

Why is the subject pronoun εσύ included? Can I omit it?

Greek usually drops subject pronouns because the verb ending shows the person. Adding εσύ adds emphasis: Τι προτείνεις εσύ; ≈ “What do you suggest (you in particular)?”

• Neutral: Τι προτείνεις;
• Emphatic options: Τι προτείνεις εσύ; / Εσύ τι προτείνεις; (fronting εσύ is even stronger emphasis)

What form is προτείνεις?

It’s 2nd person singular, present indicative of προτείνω (to suggest/recommend).
Mini paradigm (present):

• εγώ προτείνω (I suggest)
• εσύ προτείνεις (you suggest)
• αυτός/αυτή/αυτό προτείνει
• εμείς προτείνουμε
• εσείς προτείνετε
• αυτοί/ές/ά προτείνουν(ε)

Why is the Greek question mark a semicolon (;)?

In Greek, the symbol (;) serves as the question mark. That’s why you see Τι προτείνεις εσύ; and Να διαλέξουμε κάτι διαφορετικό; both ending with a semicolon.
The Greek semicolon (the “real” semicolon) is a raised dot: · (άνω τελεία), which you’ll rarely meet.

What does να do in Να διαλέξουμε…;?

Να introduces the subjunctive. Here, να + subjunctive (first-person plural) expresses a suggestion: Να διαλέξουμε…; ≈ “Shall we choose…?” / “Should we choose…?” / “How about choosing…?”

Is διαλέξουμε present or aorist? Why that choice?

Διαλέξουμε is the aorist subjunctive (1st person plural) of διαλέγω. The aorist views the action as a single, whole event, which is exactly what you want for a one-off suggestion.
Contrast:

• Να διαλέξουμε (aorist) = “Shall we choose (once, now)?”
• Να διαλέγουμε (present) would suggest ongoing/habitual action: “Should we be choosing (regularly)?”—not the intended meaning here.

Could I say this in other natural ways?

Yes. Common alternatives:

• Ας διαλέξουμε κάτι διαφορετικό. (Let’s choose something different.) — statement-like suggestion
• Μήπως να διαλέξουμε κάτι διαφορετικό; (How about we choose…?) — very idiomatic, soft
• Θες να διαλέξουμε κάτι διαφορετικό; (Do you want us to choose…?) — informal, sounds like a suggestion

Why is it κάτι διαφορετικό and not another gender?

Κάτι (something) is neuter, so any adjective modifying it also appears in neuter singular: διαφορετικό.
More examples: κάτι ωραίο, κάτι σημαντικό, κάτι μικρό.

Is there a difference between κάτι διαφορετικό and κάτι άλλο?

• Κάτι διαφορετικό = “something different” (of a different kind/quality)
• Κάτι άλλο = “something else/another thing” (just not the same one)
  They often overlap, but διαφορετικό highlights difference in nature, άλλο just means another option.

How do I pronounce the sentence?

A simple guide (stress in caps; approximate sounds):

• Τι = tee
• προτείνεις = pro-TEE-nees (ει = /i/)
• εσύ = e-SEE
• Να = na
• διαλέξουμε = thya-LEX-ou-me (δ = voiced “th” as in “this”; δια = dya; ξ = /ks/; ου = /u/)
• κάτι = KA-tee
• διαφορετικό = thya-fo-re-ti-KO
  Together: Ti proteíneis esý? Na dialéxoume káti diaforetikó?

Could/should I use ποιο instead of τι?

Use:

• Τι for “what (in general)” suggestions.
• Ποιο for “which (one from a set).”
  Examples:
• Τι προτείνεις; (What do you recommend?)
• Ποιο πιάτο προτείνεις; (Which dish do you recommend?)

How would I make it polite/plural?

• Τι προτείνετε εσείς; (What do you suggest? — polite/plural)
• A more deferential form: Τι θα προτείνατε; (What would you recommend?)
  The follow-up suggestion stays the same if it’s “we”: Να διαλέξουμε κάτι διαφορετικό;

Can I move words around?

Yes, Greek allows flexible word order for emphasis:

• Τι προτείνεις; (neutral)
• Τι προτείνεις εσύ; / Εσύ τι προτείνεις; (emphasis on “you”)
• Να διαλέξουμε κάτι διαφορετικό; (neutral)
• Κάτι διαφορετικό να διαλέξουμε; (fronted object = emphasis on “something different”)

How do I negate the suggestion?

Use μη(ν) with the subjunctive:

• Να μην διαλέξουμε κάτι διαφορετικό; = “Shouldn’t we choose something different?”
  In practice you’ll see both μη and μην; μην is common before vowels.

Are there synonyms for προτείνω?

Yes:

• συστήνω/συνιστώ = recommend (often more formal)
  Examples:
• Τι μας προτείνεις; (What do you recommend to us?)
• Τι μας συνιστάτε; (polite/formal)

What’s the difference between διαλέγω and επιλέγω?

Both mean “choose,” but:

• διαλέγω is the everyday word: pick/choose.
• επιλέγω is more formal/technical: select/opt for.
  In casual speech here, διαλέξουμε is the natural choice.