Σε ποια χώρα μένεις τώρα;

In which country do you live now?

Breakdown of Σε ποια χώρα μένεις τώρα;

• τώρα: now
• μένω: to live
• σε: in
• ποιος: which
• η χώρα: the country

Questions & Answers about Σε ποια χώρα μένεις τώρα;

Why do we say Σε ποια χώρα and not just Ποια χώρα at the beginning?

In Greek, when you ask in which country, you must include the preposition σε (“in / at”).

• Ποια χώρα; by itself is just “which country?” (it’s like pointing at a list and asking “which country?”).
• Σε ποια χώρα; is “in which country?”, which is what you need with the verb μένω (“to live / stay”), because you “live in a country”.

So Σε ποια χώρα μένεις; literally is “In which country do you live?”.

What does ποια mean here, and why is it ποια and not ποιο or ποιος?

Ποια is the feminine singular form of the question word “which / what”.

Greek has gender (masculine, feminine, neuter), and the question word must agree with the noun it refers to:

• ποιος – masculine (e.g., ποιος άντρας – which man)
• ποια – feminine (e.g., ποια χώρα – which country)
• ποιο – neuter (e.g., ποιο βιβλίο – which book)

The word χώρα (“country”) is feminine, so the correct form is ποια:
Σε ποια χώρα μένεις; – “In which country do you live?”

Why is χώρα in this form? Is this a special case or something?

The form χώρα here is the accusative singular of the feminine noun η χώρα (“country”).

After the preposition σε (“in, at, to”), Greek normally uses the accusative case:

• σε + χώρα → σε (τη) χώρα (“in the country”)
• σε + ποια + χώρα → Σε ποια χώρα (“In which country”)

There’s no visible article (τη) in the question because you’re asking about an unknown country, so you use ποια instead of τη.

How do you pronounce Σε ποια? Is ποια one or two syllables?

In careful pronunciation, ποια has two sounds for the vowel part (pi-a), but in natural speech the π + ια often merge and sound like one syllable.

IPA (roughly):

• Σε → /se/
• ποια → often /pça/ or /pça̠/ (a bit like “pya”)

So the whole phrase is roughly like: “Se pya HÓ-ra MÉ-nis TÓ-ra?”

Key points:

• The οι in ποια is actually π + ια, not the “oi” sound as in ποιώ.
• Many speakers effectively pronounce ποια like πια (“pya”), though the spelling stays ποια.

What exactly does the verb μένεις mean, and how is it formed?

Μένεις is the second person singular, present tense of the verb μένω.

• μένω – I live / I stay
• μένεις – you live / you stay (singular, informal)
• μένει – he/she/it lives
• μένουμε – we live
• μένετε – you live (plural or formal)
• μένουν(ε) – they live

The core meaning is “to stay” or “to reside somewhere”. In everyday speech it often corresponds to English “live” (as in “I live in Athens”).

So Σε ποια χώρα μένεις;: “In which country do you live?”

Is μένεις informal? How would I ask this question politely or formally?

Yes, μένεις is informal singular “you” (used with friends, family, people your age).

To be polite or formal, you use μένετε, which is both plural and formal singular:

• Informal: Σε ποια χώρα μένεις τώρα; – talking to one person you know well.
• Formal: Σε ποια χώρα μένετε τώρα; – talking to one person politely (or to more than one person).

Everything else in the sentence stays the same; only μένεις → μένετε changes.

Can I change the word order, like Τώρα σε ποια χώρα μένεις; or Σε ποια χώρα τώρα μένεις;? Are those correct?

Yes, both are grammatically correct. Greek word order is relatively flexible, but it affects emphasis.

1. Σε ποια χώρα μένεις τώρα;
   Neutral, common; normal emphasis on the whole question.

2. Τώρα σε ποια χώρα μένεις;
   Emphasis on τώρα (“now”), often implying contrast with a previous time or place:

   • “So now, in which country do you live?”

3. Σε ποια χώρα τώρα μένεις;
   Slight extra emphasis on τώρα again, but with a bit more focus on the country as well. Very similar nuance to (2).

All three are understandable; the original is the most standard-sounding.

What does τώρα add to the meaning? Can I leave it out?

Τώρα means “now”. It adds the idea that the question is about your current place of residence, possibly different from before.

• Σε ποια χώρα μένεις; – In which country do you live?
• Σε ποια χώρα μένεις τώρα; – In which country do you live now?

You can omit τώρα if the context already makes it clear you’re asking about the present, but including it emphasizes a contrast (e.g., you moved recently, or you often change countries).

What’s the difference between μένεις and ζεις? Could I say Σε ποια χώρα ζεις τώρα;?

Yes, you can say Σε ποια χώρα ζεις τώρα;, and it sounds natural.

Differences:

• μένω – literally “stay, reside”; very common when talking about where someone lives as an address or residence.

  • Πού μένεις; – Where do you live (what’s your address / where do you stay)?

• ζω – literally “live (be alive), experience life”; also used for “live (reside)” but with a slightly more “life” feel.

  • Πού ζεις; – Where do you live (where is your life happening)?

In everyday conversation, both are used for “live”, but μένω is slightly more neutral for “reside at X”. The original Σε ποια χώρα μένεις τώρα; is perfectly idiomatic.

Is there a more formal or “bookish” way to ask the same thing?

A more formal or somewhat more “official” verb is κατοικώ (“to reside, to inhabit”).

For formal language you could say:

• Σε ποια χώρα κατοικείτε τώρα; – formal/polite “In which country do you reside now?”
• Σε ποια χώρα κατοικείς τώρα; – still somewhat formal, but used with informal singular “you”.

In everyday speech, though, Σε ποια χώρα μένεις τώρα; or …μένετε τώρα; (formal) is much more common and natural.

When I answer, do I also use σε? For example, do I say Μένω Ελλάδα or Μένω σε Ελλάδα or something else?

You also use σε, but in the answer it usually combines with the definite article to form στο / στη / στην.

Examples:

• Μένω στην Ελλάδα. – I live in Greece.
• Μένω στη Γαλλία. – I live in France.
• Μένω στο Μεξικό. – I live in Mexico.

Structure:

• σε + την Ελλάδα → στην Ελλάδα
• σε + τη Γαλλία → στη Γαλλία
• σε + το Μεξικό → στο Μεξικό

So a full exchange could be:

• Σε ποια χώρα μένεις τώρα; – In which country do you live now?
• Μένω στην Ισπανία. – I live in Spain.

Why don’t we use που in the question, like Σε ποια χώρα που μένεις τώρα;?

In Greek, που is a relative pronoun (like “that / which / where”) and also part of some question structures, but it does not go in this kind of direct question.

• Correct direct question:
  Σε ποια χώρα μένεις τώρα; – In which country do you live now?

• Using “που” in a relative clause:
  Η χώρα που μένεις τώρα είναι μακριά. – The country where you live now is far.

If you say Σε ποια χώρα που μένεις τώρα;, it’s ungrammatical because you’re mixing the question structure with a relative clause structure. For a simple question, you just need Σε ποια χώρα… without που.