Περιμένω έξω από το σπίτι σου τώρα.

I am waiting outside your house now.

Breakdown of Περιμένω έξω από το σπίτι σου τώρα.

• τώρα: now
• το σπίτι: the house
• σου: your
• περιμένω: to wait
• έξω από: outside

Questions & Answers about Περιμένω έξω από το σπίτι σου τώρα.

Why is there no separate word for I in Περιμένω έξω από το σπίτι σου τώρα?

Greek usually leaves out subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows who the subject is. This is called a pro‑drop language.

• περιμένω ends in ‑ω, which marks 1st person singular → I wait / I am waiting
• So I (εγώ) is understood from the verb form.

You only add εγώ if you want to emphasize I:

• Εγώ περιμένω έξω από το σπίτι σου τώρα.
  = I (as opposed to someone else) am waiting outside your house now.

What tense or aspect is περιμένω? Does it mean I wait or I am waiting?

Περιμένω is present tense, imperfective aspect. In Greek this one form covers both:

• I wait (simple present)
• I am waiting (present continuous / progressive)

So Περιμένω έξω από το σπίτι σου τώρα can naturally be translated as:

• I am waiting outside your house now.

Context (especially τώρα, now) makes it clear that this is a right now / ongoing action, so English prefers the continuous: I’m waiting.

Could I say Τώρα περιμένω έξω από το σπίτι σου instead? Does the word order change the meaning?

Yes, you can change the word order; Greek is quite flexible with adverbs like τώρα.

All of these are grammatically correct:

• Περιμένω τώρα έξω από το σπίτι σου.
• Τώρα περιμένω έξω από το σπίτι σου.
• Περιμένω έξω από το σπίτι σου τώρα.

They all essentially mean the same thing. Small nuances of emphasis:

• Τώρα περιμένω... – slightly emphasizes now (as in now I’m waiting…).
• Περιμένω έξω από το σπίτι σου τώρα. – feels very natural and neutral; τώρα just specifies the time at the end.

In everyday speech, all three would be understood the same.

Why do we need έξω από and not just έξω?

έξω by itself means simply outside.

• Είμαι έξω. = I am outside. (in general, not specified where)

When you want to say outside something, you normally use έξω από + noun:

• έξω από το σπίτι = outside the house
• έξω από το σχολείο = outside the school
• έξω από την πόλη = outside the city

So Περιμένω έξω από το σπίτι σου means specifically:

• I’m outside your house, not just “outside somewhere”.

What does από contribute here? Isn’t από usually from?

Yes, the basic meaning of από is from, but it is used in several spatial expressions, including έξω από = outside (of).

Literally you can think of:

• έξω από το σπίτι ≈ outside from the house → outside the house

In other contexts:

• έρχομαι από το σπίτι = I am coming from the house
• μακριά από το σπίτι = far from the house

So here, από is part of a fixed pattern έξω από + noun, meaning outside (something).

Why do we have the article το in το σπίτι σου even though σου already means your? Why not just σπίτι σου?

In Greek, when you use the weak (enclitic) possessive pronoun like σου, you normally keep the definite article before the noun:

• το σπίτι σου = your house
• η μητέρα μου = my mother
• το αυτοκίνητό του = his car

So the normal pattern is:

article + noun + possessive pronoun
το σπίτι σου, η φίλη μου, το βιβλίο μας

Leaving out the article (σπίτι σου) is either incorrect or sounds very unusual/poetic in standard modern Greek. Unlike English, you don’t say something like the your house separately; the article is just part of the noun phrase.

What exactly is σου here, and how is it different from σε?

σου and σε are both forms of the second‑person singular pronoun, but different cases and different uses:

• σου = genitive case, weak/enclitic form
  – used for possession or similar relations
  – το σπίτι σου = your house
  – το βιβλίο σου = your book

• σε = accusative case, weak form
  – used for direct objects or after many prepositions
  – Σε βλέπω. = I see you.
  – Πάω σε εσένα. = I am going to you.

In το σπίτι σου, we need the possessive form, so we use σου, not σε.

How would I say outside my house / his house / our house using the same pattern?

The structure stays the same: έξω από το σπίτι + possessive pronoun.

Singular:

• έξω από το σπίτι μου = outside my house
• έξω από το σπίτι σου = outside your house (singular, informal)
• έξω από το σπίτι του = outside his house
• έξω από το σπίτι της = outside her house

Plural:

• έξω από το σπίτι μας = outside our house
• έξω από το σπίτι σας = outside your house (plural or formal)
• έξω από το σπίτι τους = outside their house

So you can plug any possessive into έξω από το σπίτι ….

What is the difference between σου and σας for your?

Both mean your, but they differ in number and formality:

• σου = your (singular, informal)
  – speaking to one person you know well
  – το σπίτι σου = your house (to one friend)

• σας = your (plural OR formal singular)
  – speaking to more than one person
  – or speaking formally to one person
  – το σπίτι σας = your house / your houses

So a more formal or plural version of the sentence would be:

• Περιμένω έξω από το σπίτι σας τώρα.
  = I am waiting outside your house now (to you all / to you, politely).

I’ve seen απ’ το instead of από το. Could I say έξω απ’ το σπίτι σου?

Yes. In everyday speech and informal writing, από often contracts to απ’ before a word starting with a vowel:

• από το σπίτι → απ’ το σπίτι
• από εκεί → απ’ εκεί

So you can absolutely say:

• Περιμένω έξω απ’ το σπίτι σου τώρα.

This is very natural in spoken Greek. In more careful or formal writing you’ll often see the full από, but απ’ is completely standard.

How is Περιμένω pronounced, and where is the stress?

The word Περιμένω is stressed on the ‑μέ‑ syllable:

• Περιμένω → pe‑ri‑ME‑no
  (more exactly: [pe-ri-MÉ-no])

Details:

• ε = like e in get
• ι = like ee in see (shorter)
• The accent mark (´) always shows where the main stress is: Περιμένω.

So the whole sentence roughly sounds like:

• PeriMÉno Éxo apÓ to SPÍti sou TÓra.

Can σπίτι mean home as well as house?

Yes. σπίτι can mean both house and home, depending on context.

• Πηγαίνω στο σπίτι.
  Often means I’m going home.
• Το σπίτι μου είναι μεγάλο.
  = My house is big. (here it’s clearly the building)

In έξω από το σπίτι σου, it’s more naturally understood as outside your house (the physical place), because we’re talking about waiting outside it. But in many everyday contexts, σπίτι overlaps with home.

Does this sentence sound natural in modern Greek, or is there a more common way to say I’m waiting outside your house now?

Περιμένω έξω από το σπίτι σου τώρα is perfectly natural and correct in modern Greek.

You might also hear very similar alternatives, e.g.:

• Σε περιμένω έξω από το σπίτι σου τώρα.
  = I’m waiting for you outside your house now.
  (Here σε makes the you explicit as the person being waited for.)

• Είμαι έξω από το σπίτι σου τώρα.
  = I’m outside your house now.
  (States location rather than the act of waiting.)

But as written, your sentence is entirely idiomatic and clear.