Learn Hardcore Greek: Στον σταθμό ρωτάω την υπάλληλο για πληροφορίες σχετικά με το τρένο. - At the station I ask the employee female for information about the train.

So the correct form is «στον σταθμό», not «στο σταθμό», and in normal modern Greek you almost always use the contracted form «στον», not «σε τον».

Why is it «σταθμό» and not «σταθμός»?

Greek changes the noun ending depending on its case (grammatical role).

ο σταθμός = the station (nominative, subject form)
τον σταθμό = the station (accusative, used after many prepositions and as direct object)

After the preposition σε (in/at/to), Greek uses the accusative case:

στον σταθμό = σε + τον σταθμό → “at the station”

So «σταθμό» is the accusative form of «σταθμός».

Why is there no word for “I” in «ρωτάω»? How do we know it means I ask?

In Greek, the verb ending shows the subject, so the pronoun is usually dropped.

ρωτάω (or ρωτώ) = I ask (1st person singular)
ρωτάς = you ask
ρωτάει / ρωτά = he/she/it asks

Because the ending -ω (or -ώ) marks “I”, you normally don’t need to say εγώ (“I”) unless you want to emphasize I in contrast to someone else:

Εγώ ρωτάω την υπάλληλο. = I am the one who asks the employee.

What’s the difference between «ρωτάω» and «ρωτώ»?

Both forms are correct and mean “I ask”.

ρωτάω (rotáo) – more common in everyday spoken modern Greek
ρωτώ (rotó) – slightly more formal or bookish, but still very normal

In this sentence, you can say either:

Στον σταθμό ρωτάω την υπάλληλο…
Στον σταθμό ρωτώ την υπάλληλο…

The meaning is the same.

Why is it «την υπάλληλο» and not «η υπάλληλος»?

Again, this is about case and also about gender.

The basic (dictionary) form of the noun is:

η υπάλληλος = the employee (feminine, nominative)

But in our sentence, η υπάλληλος is the direct object of the verb (the person being asked), so Greek uses the accusative:

την υπάλληλο = the employee (feminine, accusative)

Notice two things:

The article changes:
- η → την in the accusative.
The noun υπάλληλος is feminine even though it ends in -ος.
Some Greek feminine nouns end in -ος, and their accusative singular often ends in -ο.

So:

η υπάλληλος (subject)
την υπάλληλο (object)

Could I say «ρωτάω υπάλληλο» without «την»?

In standard modern Greek, you normally keep the article with specific people:

ρωτάω την υπάλληλο = I ask the employee (a specific one there)
ρωτάω μια υπάλληλο = I ask an employee (some employee, not specific)

Omitting the article (ρωτάω υπάλληλο) sounds incomplete or unnatural in this context, unless you are using a very telegraphic or note-style language.

Why do we say «για πληροφορίες»? Can I say «ρωτάω την υπάλληλο πληροφορίες»?

In Greek, when you say “ask someone for something”, you usually use:

ρωτάω κάποιον για κάτι = I ask someone about/for something

So:

ρωτάω την υπάλληλο για πληροφορίες
= I ask the employee for information / about information

Saying «ρωτάω την υπάλληλο πληροφορίες» without «για» is not natural in Greek. The preposition «για» is needed to mark what the question is about.

Why is «πληροφορίες» plural in Greek, when English uses singular “information”?

In English, “information” is uncountable. In Greek, «η πληροφορία» is a countable noun:

η πληροφορία = one piece of information
οι πληροφορίες = information (in general) / several pieces of information

So in most real-life contexts you’ll hear:

ζητάω πληροφορίες = I ask for information
παίρνω πληροφορίες = I get information

Using the plural is completely normal and does not necessarily mean you are counting them; it often corresponds simply to English “information”.

What does «σχετικά με» add here, and could we just say «για το τρένο»?

The phrase «σχετικά με» means “regarding / concerning / about”.
So «σχετικά με το τρένο» = “regarding the train”.

You absolutely can say:

…για πληροφορίες για το τρένο.

That also means “for information about the train” and is very common.

The nuance:

για το τρένο – neutral, everyday “about the train”
σχετικά με το τρένο – sounds a bit more formal / explicit, like “regarding the train”

In speech you’ll often hear just «για το τρένο»; using both «για» and «σχετικά με» together is perfectly correct and slightly more elaborate.

Why is «το τρένο» in that form? Is it accusative, and why?

Yes, «το τρένο» here is in the accusative case:

το τρένο (nominative = accusative for most neuter nouns)

We use the accusative because it comes after the preposition «με» in «σχετικά με»:

σχετικά με το τρένο = regarding the train

In Greek, most prepositions are followed by the accusative, including για and με in these meanings.

Can we change the word order, for example: «Ρωτάω την υπάλληλο στον σταθμό για πληροφορίες σχετικά με το τρένο»?

Yes. Greek word order is flexible, because the roles of words are largely marked by endings and articles, not just position.

All of these are grammatically correct and natural:

Στον σταθμό ρωτάω την υπάλληλο για πληροφορίες σχετικά με το τρένο.
Ρωτάω την υπάλληλο στον σταθμό για πληροφορίες σχετικά με το τρένο.
Ρωτάω στον σταθμό την υπάλληλο για πληροφορίες σχετικά με το τρένο.

The differences are about emphasis and flow:

Στον σταθμό… at the beginning sets the scene first: At the station, I ask…
Putting στον σταθμό later just shifts the rhythm but doesn’t change the basic meaning.

Could I use a different tense, like «ρώτησα την υπάλληλο» instead of «ρωτάω»?

Yes, but the meaning in time changes:

ρωτάω την υπάλληλο = I ask / am asking the employee (present, general or ongoing)
ρώτησα την υπάλληλο = I asked the employee (simple past, one completed action)

So:

Στον σταθμό ρωτάω την υπάλληλο…
= At the station, I (usually) ask / I’m in the process of asking.
Στον σταθμό ρώτησα την υπάλληλο…
= At the station, I asked the employee (it already happened, once).

Both are correct; you just choose the tense according to the time frame you want to express.