Πότε θα έρθει η παραγγελία μας;

When will our order arrive?

Breakdown of Πότε θα έρθει η παραγγελία μας;

• πότε: when
• έρχομαι: to come
• θα: will
• μας: our
• η παραγγελία: the order

Questions & Answers about Πότε θα έρθει η παραγγελία μας;

What does Πότε mean exactly, and is it only used in questions?

Πότε means “when?” and it is used for questions only.

• Πότε = when? (interrogative, asking for time)
  • Πότε θα έρθει η παραγγελία μας; – When will our order arrive?

You do not use Πότε in statements like “When our order arrives, …”. In such statements you use όταν:

• Όταν έρθει η παραγγελία μας, θα σε πάρω τηλέφωνο.
  When our order arrives, I’ll call you.

What is the role of θα in θα έρθει? Is it like English “will”?

Yes. Θα is the future marker and roughly corresponds to English “will” or “going to”.

• Present: έρχεται – it is coming / it comes
• Future: θα έρθει – it will come / it will arrive

You form the future by putting θα in front of the appropriate verb form:

• Θα έρθω – I will come
• Θα έρθεις – you will come
• Θα έρθει – he/she/it will come

In this sentence, θα έρθει is 3rd person singular future: it will come → will arrive.

Why is the verb έρθει and not something like έρχεται in this question?

Έρθει here is the simple future form (with θα), used for a single event: the order arriving at some point.

• Θα έρθει η παραγγελία μας. – Our order will come/arrive (one event).
• Θα έρχεται η παραγγελία μας. – Our order will be coming (used for repeated/ongoing future situations, much rarer in this context).

Έρχεται is present tense:

• Πότε έρχεται η παραγγελία μας; – When does our order come / when is our order coming?
  This could be used if you mean something like a scheduled, regular delivery, but for a one‑off order you usually say Πότε θα έρθει…;

What is the dictionary form of έρθει and how is it conjugated?

The verb is έρχομαι (to come). It is middle/passive in form but active in meaning. For the simple future, it uses the stem έρθ‑.

Important forms (simple future):

• θα έρθω – I will come
• θα έρθεις – you (sing.) will come
• θα έρθει – he/she/it will come
• θα έρθουμε / θα ‘ρθουμε – we will come
• θα έρθετε – you (pl./formal) will come
• θα έρθουν(ε) – they will come

In the sentence, θα έρθει agrees with η παραγγελία (the order), which is grammatically 3rd person singular.

Why is it η παραγγελία and not something like το παραγγελία?

Παραγγελία is a feminine noun in Greek, so it takes the feminine article:

• η παραγγελία – the order (subject, nominative singular)

Rough rules:

• Nouns ending in ‑ία are very often feminine (e.g. η ιστορία, η ευκαιρία, η εταιρεία).
• Feminine nominative singular article: η
• Neuter nominative singular article: το

So:

• η παραγγελία = the order
  not το παραγγελία, which would be incorrect.

What exactly does παραγγελία mean here? Is it always “order”?

In this context, η παραγγελία means “the order” in the sense of an order you placed (for products, food, etc.).

Common meanings:

• η παραγγελία – a purchase order, delivery order
  
  • Έκανα μια παραγγελία. – I placed an order.
• It can also be used for a request/commission:
  • Έχει πολλές παραγγελίες για πορτρέτα. – He/she has many portrait commissions.

Here, with θα έρθει η παραγγελία μας, it clearly refers to a delivery we are waiting for.

What does μας mean in η παραγγελία μας, and why does it come after the noun?

Μας here is the possessive pronoun meaning “our”.

In Greek, these short possessive forms usually come after the noun:

• η παραγγελία μας – our order
• το σπίτι μας – our house
• το παιδί μας – our child

The full set is:

• μου – my
• σου – your (sing.)
• του – his / its
• της – her / its
• μας – our
• σας – your (pl./formal)
• τους – their

So instead of “our order” (adjective before noun), Greek uses “the order our”: η παραγγελία μας.

What is the subject of the sentence, and why is there no separate word for “it”?

The subject is η παραγγελία μας – our order.

Greek often omits subject pronouns (I, you, he, it, etc.), because the verb ending or the rest of the sentence usually makes the subject clear.

• Θα έρθει. – It will come.
• Θα έρθει η παραγγελία μας. – Our order will come.

In Πότε θα έρθει η παραγγελία μας;:

• “It” is understood from context (η παραγγελία = “it”), so there is no separate “it” in Greek.

Is the word order fixed? Could I say Πότε η παραγγελία μας θα έρθει;?

Word order in Greek is fairly flexible, but there are natural and less natural options.

Most neutral way here:

• Πότε θα έρθει η παραγγελία μας; ✅

Other possible orders:

• Η παραγγελία μας πότε θα έρθει; – also acceptable; puts a bit more emphasis on η παραγγελία μας.
• Πότε θα έρθει η παραγγελία; – acceptable, just leaves out μας.

Πότε η παραγγελία μας θα έρθει; is understandable but feels unusual / awkward in everyday speech. In questions with πότε, the most natural pattern is usually:

Πότε + (auxiliary/verb) + subject … ?
→ Πότε θα έρθει η παραγγελία μας;

Why does the sentence use έρθει (come) instead of something like φτάσει (arrive)?

Greek often uses έρχομαι (to come) where English uses “arrive”.

So:

• Πότε θα έρθει η παραγγελία μας;
  Literally: When will our order come?
  Naturally in English: When will our order arrive?

You could also say:

• Πότε θα φτάσει η παραγγελία μας; – When will our order arrive?

Both are understandable.
Έρθει is more colloquial/neutral; φτάσει focuses a bit more on the idea of reaching the destination but in practice they’re very close here.

How is έρθει pronounced? The spelling is confusing with ρθ and ει.

Έρθει is pronounced approximately like “Ér-thi”:

• έ‑ – like “e” in pet, but a bit clearer/tenser.
• ρ – a tapped or lightly rolled r.
• θ – like “th” in think (not like this).
• ει – a single sound /i/, like “ee” in see.

So you do not pronounce ει as two separate vowels; it’s just one “ee” sound: έρ‑θι.

What is the Greek question mark, and why does it look like a semicolon?

In Greek, the question mark is ; (the same symbol as the English semicolon).

So:

• Πότε θα έρθει η παραγγελία μας;
  Means: When will our order arrive?

A period works the same as in English.
The semicolon (;) in English corresponds to a raised dot (·) in Greek (ano teleia), not used very often in modern writing.

So if you see ; at the end of a Greek sentence, it is a question mark, not a semicolon.

Is this sentence polite enough to use with a shop or delivery service, or is it too direct?

Πότε θα έρθει η παραγγελία μας; by itself is neutral but can sound a bit direct, depending on tone.

To sound more polite, people often add a softening phrase:

• Συγγνώμη, ξέρετε πότε θα έρθει η παραγγελία μας;
  Excuse me, do you know when our order will arrive?
• Μήπως ξέρετε πότε θα έρθει η παραγγελία μας;
  By any chance, do you know when our order will arrive?

Among friends or family, Πότε θα έρθει η παραγγελία μας; is perfectly fine on its own.