Learn Hardcore Greek: Ο ξένος ρωτάει πού είναι το ξενοδοχείο.

ξένος is an adjective/noun meaning foreign / stranger / foreigner.
Ο is the definite article for masculine singular nouns in the nominative case (used for the subject of the sentence).

So:

ο ξένος = the foreigner / the stranger
Without the article, ξένος would feel more like “a foreigner / foreign” in a looser, more descriptive way, and in most normal sentences you do use the article with a specific person.

Does ξένος mean “foreigner” or “stranger”? Which is more correct here?

ξένος can mean both:

foreigner (someone from another country)
stranger (someone you don’t know)

Context decides which translation feels more natural. In this sentence:

Ο ξένος ρωτάει πού είναι το ξενοδοχείο.
→ Most natural: The foreigner is asking where the hotel is.

You could also say The stranger asks where the hotel is, but in everyday contexts with ξενοδοχείο, people usually imagine a traveler or tourist, so foreigner fits better.

How do you pronounce the sentence Ο ξένος ρωτάει πού είναι το ξενοδοχείο?

A simple, approximate pronunciation for English speakers:

Ο ξένος → o KSE-nos
- ξ = ks (like box)
ρωτάει → ro-TAI (the -ai sounds like e in bed, but a bit more open; many speakers pronounce it almost like ro-TA-e)
πού → poo (long oo as in food)
είναι → EE-neh (first syllable stressed in actual Greek: ΕΙ-νε = EE-neh)
το ξενοδοχείο → to kse-no-tho-YEE-o
- ξε = kse
- ντο = tho with th as in this
- χείο is something like hEE-o / YEE-o (a soft h/y sound plus ee)

More accurate IPA:
[o ˈksenos roˈtai pu ˈine to kse.no.ðoˈçio]

Why is it ρωτάει and not ρωτά? Are both forms correct?

Both forms exist and are in use:

The verb is ρωτάω / ρωτώ = to ask.
3rd person singular present can appear as:
- ρωτάει
- ρωτά

They mean the same thing: he/she/it asks / is asking.

ρωτάει is a bit more common in everyday spoken Greek.
ρωτά is slightly shorter and may feel a bit more “bookish” or formal, but it’s also used in speech.

So you can also say:

Ο ξένος ρωτά πού είναι το ξενοδοχείο.
with the same meaning.

Is ρωτάει present simple or present continuous?

In Greek, the present tense usually covers both English present simple and present continuous.

So ρωτάει can mean:

he asks
he is asking

Context decides how you translate it into English. In this sentence, natural translations are:

The foreigner asks where the hotel is.
The foreigner is asking where the hotel is.

What is the difference between πού and που?

πού (with an accent) is a question word or interrogative adverb meaning where.
- Πού είναι το ξενοδοχείο; → Where is the hotel?
- Ο ξένος ρωτάει πού είναι το ξενοδοχείο. → …asks where the hotel is.
που (without an accent) is usually a relative pronoun / conjunction, often meaning that / which / who in English.
- Ο άνθρωπος που μιλάει. → The person who is talking.

In modern standard writing, you must write the accent on πού in this sentence, because it’s a question word:
Ο ξένος ρωτάει πού είναι το ξενοδοχείο.

Why is the word order πού είναι and not είναι πού?

In Greek, question words like πού, τι, πότε, πώς normally come at the beginning of the clause:

Πού είναι το ξενοδοχείο; → Where is the hotel?
Ξέρω πού είναι το ξενοδοχείο. → I know where the hotel is.

So in indirect questions, the structure πού είναι is the natural, standard word order.
Είναι πού would sound wrong here.

Why isn’t there a question mark at the end of the sentence?

Because this is an indirect question, not a direct one.

Direct question:
Πού είναι το ξενοδοχείο;
(In Greek, the question mark is ; – a semicolon shape.)
Reported/indirect question:
Ο ξένος ρωτάει πού είναι το ξενοδοχείο.
→ It’s a normal statement that contains a question as its object.

So you use a full stop (.) at the end, not a question mark, even though the meaning includes a question.

What does το ξενοδοχείο mean, and why is the article το?

το ξενοδοχείο means the hotel.

ξενοδοχείο is a neuter noun.
το is the neuter singular nominative/accusative article.

Neuter single article forms:

το (nominative/accusative singular)
του (genitive singular)

In the clause πού είναι το ξενοδοχείο, το ξενοδοχείο is the subject of the verb είναι, so it appears in the nominative with το.

So:

το ξενοδοχείο = the hotel (here, subject)
του ξενοδοχείου = of the hotel (genitive, different role)

What gender is ξενοδοχείο, and does the form change in this sentence?

ξενοδοχείο is neuter.

Important point: in Greek, for neuter nouns, the nominative and accusative singular forms are usually identical, both in the noun and in the article:

το ξενοδοχείο (nominative) – can be subject
το ξενοδοχείο (accusative) – can be direct object

In this sentence, inside the clause πού είναι το ξενοδοχείο, το ξενοδοχείο is grammatically the subject of είναι, so it’s nominative, but it looks the same as the accusative.

Can I say Ο ξένος ρωτάει πού το ξενοδοχείο είναι instead?

You could technically say πού το ξενοδοχείο είναι, and it would be understood, but it sounds unnatural and overly marked in modern Greek.

The normal, natural word order is:

Ο ξένος ρωτάει πού είναι το ξενοδοχείο.

Moving το ξενοδοχείο in front of είναι like that is not typical in this kind of neutral sentence.

How would you say the direct question that the foreigner is asking?

The direct question would be:

Πού είναι το ξενοδοχείο;
→ Where is the hotel?

Note:

πού has an accent.
The Greek question mark is ; (semicolon-shaped), not ?.

How would you say “The foreigner is asking where his hotel is” in Greek?

You add a possessive pronoun:

Ο ξένος ρωτάει πού είναι το ξενοδοχείο του.
→ The foreigner is asking where his hotel is.

Here:

το ξενοδοχείο του = his hotel (literally: the hotel of-him).