Breakdown of Ένας τουρίστας ζητάει οδηγίες για τη διεύθυνση του ξενώνα.
Questions & Answers about Ένας τουρίστας ζητάει οδηγίες για τη διεύθυνση του ξενώνα.
Ένας is the indefinite article (a / an), while ο is the definite article (the).
- Ένας τουρίστας = a tourist (we don’t know which one, he’s not specific)
- Ο τουρίστας = the tourist (a specific, known tourist)
So the sentence means: A tourist is asking for directions…, not The tourist…
Τουρίστας is masculine.
- Masculine nouns in Greek often end in -ας, -ος, or -ης.
- Ένας τουρίστας is in the nominative singular (subject of the sentence).
Basic forms of τουρίστας:
- Nominative: ο τουρίστας (the tourist – subject)
- Genitive: του τουρίστα (of the tourist)
- Accusative: τον τουρίστα (the tourist – object)
So Ένας τουρίστας = a (male) tourist as the subject.
All three come from the same verb: ζητάω / ζητώ (to ask for, to request, to seek).
They are all 3rd person singular present tense and all can mean “he/she/it asks (for)”:
- ζητάει – very common in everyday spoken Greek
- ζητά – also very common, a bit shorter; used both in speech and writing
- ζητεί – more formal, literary or official style
In this sentence, you could also say:
- Ένας τουρίστας ζητά οδηγίες… (completely natural)
- Ένας τουρίστας ζητεί οδηγίες… (sounds more formal or written)
Meaning stays the same: A tourist is asking for directions…
No. The present tense in Greek covers both:
- Ένας τουρίστας ζητάει οδηγίες… can mean
- A tourist asks for directions…
- A tourist is asking for directions…
Greek doesn’t have a separate progressive tense; context decides whether it sounds more like a general habit or something happening right now. Here, it’s naturally understood as something happening at the moment.
Οδηγίες is the plural of οδηγία and it means instructions / directions.
In everyday Greek, οδηγίες is almost always used in the plural when talking about:
- directions (how to get somewhere)
- instructions (how to do something)
Examples:
- Δώσε μου οδηγίες. – Give me directions.
- Οι οδηγίες χρήσης. – The instructions for use.
The singular οδηγία exists, but in practice “directions” are naturally given as a set, so plural οδηγίες is what you use here. You would not normally say ζητάει μια οδηγία in this context.
Για is a preposition usually meaning for or about.
Here:
ζητάει οδηγίες για τη διεύθυνση ≈ he is asking for directions about / for the address.
Is για necessary?
- With οδηγίες, it’s very natural to use για to say directions for / about [something].
- You could instead say:
- ζητάει τη διεύθυνση του ξενώνα = he is asking for the hostel’s address (here he’s asking directly for the address, not for “directions”).
So:
- ζητάει οδηγίες για τη διεύθυνση – asking for directions regarding the address.
- ζητάει τη διεύθυνση – asking directly for the address itself.
Both are grammatically correct, but they say slightly different things.
The full feminine accusative article is την (for “the” before a feminine noun in the object position):
- την πόρτα, την καρέκλα, την γυναίκα
However, in modern Greek, τον and την often drop the final -ν before many consonants. Before the consonant δ (as in διεύθυνση), it is common and correct to drop it:
- τη διεύθυνση (instead of την διεύθυνση)
So:
- τη διεύθυνση = την διεύθυνση grammatically; the ν is just omitted in normal writing/speech.
- Many speakers/writers still keep the ν more often (especially in formal Greek), so you might also see την διεύθυνση. Both are understandable.
Διεύθυνση (address, also “management” in other contexts) is:
- Feminine noun
- Here in the accusative singular: τη διεύθυνση (direct object of ζητάει)
Basic forms:
- Nominative: η διεύθυνση – the address (subject)
- Genitive: της διεύθυνσης – of the address
- Accusative: τη(ν) διεύθυνση – the address (object)
Plural:
- Nominative: οι διευθύνσεις – the addresses
- Accusative: τις διευθύνσεις
Pronunciation: δι-ΕΥ-θυν-ση (stress on the second syllable).
Του ξενώνα is:
- Genitive singular
- Masculine noun ξενώνας (hostel, guesthouse)
The genitive του ξενώνα means of the hostel.
So τη διεύθυνση του ξενώνα literally = the address of the hostel.
Structure:
- τη διεύθυνση – the address (feminine accusative object)
- του ξενώνα – of the hostel (masculine genitive showing possession/belonging)
Yes, but the meaning changes slightly.
ζητάει οδηγίες για τον ξενώνα
= he is asking for directions to the hostel (how to get there)ζητάει οδηγίες για τη διεύθυνση του ξενώνα
= he is asking for directions concerning the address of the hostel (more literally “directions regarding the hostel’s address” – a bit redundant in English but fine in Greek)
More natural equivalents in Greek:
For “directions to the hostel”:
Ένας τουρίστας ζητάει οδηγίες για να πάει στον ξενώνα.For “the hostel’s address”:
Ένας τουρίστας ζητάει τη διεύθυνση του ξενώνα.
Both are related to accommodation but not identical:
ξενώνας
- usually “hostel”, “guesthouse”, “lodge”, sometimes a small inn
- often simpler, cheaper, or smaller than a hotel
ξενοδοχείο
- “hotel”, standard word for a hotel of any size/class
So του ξενώνα here is of the hostel / guesthouse, not of a formal hotel (though in some contexts there can be overlap).
The basic word order used is Subject – Verb – Object:
- Ένας τουρίστας (subject)
- ζητάει (verb)
- οδηγίες για τη διεύθυνση του ξενώνα (object phrase)
That is the most natural order.
Greek word order is flexible, so you could change it for emphasis, but some variants would sound awkward or unnatural, for example:
- Οδηγίες για τη διεύθυνση του ξενώνα ζητάει ένας τουρίστας.
– possible, with emphasis on what is being asked for.
But something like:
- Ένας τουρίστας ζητάει για τη διεύθυνση του ξενώνα οδηγίες
sounds odd; Greeks usually keep οδηγίες right after the verb in this kind of sentence.
Both can translate as directions, but they’re used differently:
οδηγίες – the common word for instructions / directions, very general
- οδηγίες χρήσης – instructions for use
- οδηγίες για το πώς να πάω εκεί – directions how to get there
κατευθύνσεις – literally “directions” as in ways / orientations (north/south, career direction, etc.); less common in everyday speech for “how do I get there?”
For asking for directions in the street, you normally say:
- Μπορείτε να μου δώσετε οδηγίες; – Can you give me directions?
You would not usually use κατευθύνσεις there.
Yes, and that’s very natural.
- ρωτάει = he asks (someone)
- πώς να πάει στον ξενώνα = how to go / how to get to the hostel
So:
- Ένας τουρίστας ζητάει οδηγίες για τη διεύθυνση του ξενώνα.
- Ένας τουρίστας ρωτάει πώς να πάει στον ξενώνα.
Both describe a tourist asking for help to reach the hostel, just phrased differently. The second version focuses more directly on “how to get there”.