Η τουρίστρια ζητάει οδηγίες για το αεροδρόμιο.

The (female) tourist asks for directions to the airport.

Breakdown of Η τουρίστρια ζητάει οδηγίες για το αεροδρόμιο.

• για: for
• το αεροδρόμιο: the airport
• η τουρίστρια: the female tourist
• ζητάω: to ask for
• η οδηγία: the instruction

Questions & Answers about Η τουρίστρια ζητάει οδηγίες για το αεροδρόμιο.

What does the Η at the beginning of the sentence mean, and why is it capitalized?

Η is the feminine singular definite article in Greek, equivalent to English “the”.

• Η τουρίστρια = the (female) tourist.
• It is capitalized simply because it is the first word of the sentence, not for any special grammatical reason.
• Other forms of “the” in Greek:
  
  • ο (masculine singular) – e.g. ο τουρίστας = the (male) tourist
  • η (feminine singular, same word as Η but not capitalized mid‑sentence)
  • το (neuter singular)

Why is it τουρίστρια and not τουρίστα? What’s the difference?

Both words mean “tourist”, but they differ in gender:

• τουρίστρια = female tourist (feminine noun)
• τουρίστας = male tourist (masculine noun)

In this sentence, Η τουρίστρια clearly tells us the subject is a woman.
If it were a man, you’d say:

• Ο τουρίστας ζητάει οδηγίες για το αεροδρόμιο.
  “The (male) tourist is asking for directions to the airport.”

What does ζητάει mean, and how is it different from ζητά?

Both ζητάει and ζητά are present tense forms of ζητάω / ζητώ, meaning “to ask for / request”.

• ζητάει and ζητά mean the same thing: “(she) asks / is asking”.
• ζητάει is a bit more colloquial / spoken,
• ζητά sounds slightly more compact or formal, but is also very common.

So these are both correct:

• Η τουρίστρια ζητάει οδηγίες…
• Η τουρίστρια ζητά οδηγίες…

Native speakers use both.

Why don’t we say ζητάει για οδηγίες? In English we say “ask for directions”.

In Greek, ζητάω usually takes its object directly, without a preposition:

• ζητάω κάτι = I ask for something
  
  • ζητάω πληροφορίες = I ask for information
  • ζητάει οδηγίες = She asks for directions

Adding για before the object (ζητάω για οδηγίες) is not standard in this meaning and sounds non‑native here.

The για in the sentence belongs with το αεροδρόμιο, not with οδηγίες:

• ζητάει οδηγίες για το αεροδρόμιο
  = she asks for directions for / to the airport

What exactly does οδηγίες mean here? “Instructions” or “directions”?

The word οδηγίες literally means “instructions, directions, guidelines”, depending on context.

• In a travel / location context, οδηγίες is best translated as “directions” (how to get somewhere).
• In a manual or recipe, οδηγίες would be “instructions”.

So in this sentence:

• ζητάει οδηγίες για το αεροδρόμιο
  = she is asking for directions to the airport.

Why do we use για before το αεροδρόμιο? Could we just say οδηγίες το αεροδρόμιο?

You need the preposition για here.

• για often corresponds to English “for” / “about” / “regarding / to”, depending on context.
• οδηγίες για το αεροδρόμιο = directions for / to the airport.

Without για, οδηγίες το αεροδρόμιο is ungrammatical.
You can think of it as a fixed pattern:

• οδηγίες για κάτι = directions for something
• πληροφορίες για κάτι = information about something

What is the form το αεροδρόμιο grammatically? Which case is it?

το αεροδρόμιο is a neuter noun (αεροδρόμιο) with the neuter singular article το.

In this sentence it’s in the accusative case, because:

• It is the object of the preposition για:
  
  • για + accusative → για το αεροδρόμιο

Basic forms of αεροδρόμιο:

• Nominative: το αεροδρόμιο (the airport – subject)
• Accusative: το αεροδρόμιο (the airport – object)

For neuter nouns, nominative and accusative look the same in the singular.

How would I pronounce the whole sentence?

In a broad IPA transcription:

• Η τουρίστρια ζητάει οδηγίες για το αεροδρόμιο.
  /i tuˈɾistria ziˈta.i oðiˈʝies ʝa to aeroˈðromio/

Syllable division and stress (stressed syllables in bold):

• Η τουρί‑στρι‑α
• ζη‑τά‑ει (often pronounced like two quick vowels: [ziˈta.i])
• οδη‑γί‑ες
• για
• το
• α‑ε‑ρο‑δρό‑μι‑ο

In normal fast speech, some speakers may pronounce αε‑ in αεροδρόμιο almost like one syllable: [a.roˈðromio].

Can I change the word order, like Η τουρίστρια οδηγίες ζητάει για το αεροδρόμιο?

Greek word order is flexible, but not all permutations sound natural.

• The default, neutral order here is:
  Η τουρίστρια ζητάει οδηγίες για το αεροδρόμιο.

Possible but more marked orders (with a shift in emphasis):

• Η τουρίστρια για το αεροδρόμιο ζητάει οδηγίες.
  (A bit more focus on “for the airport”.)

What you suggested:

• Η τουρίστρια οδηγίες ζητάει για το αεροδρόμιο

is understandable, but sounds somewhat awkward / poetic in everyday speech. For normal conversation, stick with:

• Η τουρίστρια ζητάει οδηγίες για το αεροδρόμιο.

Does the Greek present tense ζητάει mean “she asks” or “she is asking”?

The Greek present tense usually covers both English present simple and present continuous.

• ζητάει can mean:
  • “she asks” (habitually / generally)
  • “she is asking” (right now)

Context decides which English form is better.
In this specific sentence (a tourist right now), the most natural English rendering is:

• “The tourist is asking for directions to the airport.”

Could I drop Η τουρίστρια and just say Ζητάει οδηγίες για το αεροδρόμιο?

Yes, you can omit the subject if it is obvious from context.

• Ζητάει οδηγίες για το αεροδρόμιο.
  = She is asking for directions to the airport.

Greek is a pro‑drop language: subject pronouns or noun phrases are often left out when the subject is clear from context or the verb ending.

You would keep Η τουρίστρια if you want to introduce or emphasize who the subject is:

• Η τουρίστρια ζητάει οδηγίες… = It is the tourist (the woman) who is asking.

Is there a more polite way to say this in Greek, similar to “She would like to ask for directions…”?

Yes. Greek often uses θα ήθελα (“I would like”) or θα ήθελε (“she would like”) for politeness.

Examples:

• Η τουρίστρια θα ήθελε να ζητήσει οδηγίες για το αεροδρόμιο.
  “The tourist would like to ask for directions to the airport.”

For first person (what you’d actually say yourself):

• Θα ήθελα να μου δώσετε οδηγίες για το αεροδρόμιο.
  “I would like you to give me directions to the airport.”

Are there other common ways to say “ask for directions to the airport” in Greek?

Yes, some natural alternatives:

• Η τουρίστρια ρωτάει πώς θα πάει στο αεροδρόμιο.
  “The tourist is asking how to get to the airport.”

• Η τουρίστρια ρωτάει για το δρόμο προς το αεροδρόμιο.
  “The tourist is asking the way to the airport.”

• Η τουρίστρια ζητάει να μάθει πώς θα πάει στο αεροδρόμιο.
  “The tourist is asking to find out how to get to the airport.”

Your original sentence with ζητάει οδηγίες για το αεροδρόμιο is completely natural and very idiomatic.