Μπορείτε να με ειδοποιήσετε όταν έρθει ο ηλεκτρολόγος, παρακαλώ;

Can you let me know when the electrician arrives, please?

Breakdown of Μπορείτε να με ειδοποιήσετε όταν έρθει ο ηλεκτρολόγος, παρακαλώ;

• παρακαλώ: please
• μπορώ: to be able
• να: to
• έρχομαι: to come
• με: me
• όταν: when
• ειδοποιώ: to let (someone) know / to notify
• ο ηλεκτρολόγος: the electrician

Questions & Answers about Μπορείτε να με ειδοποιήσετε όταν έρθει ο ηλεκτρολόγος, παρακαλώ;

Why does Μπορείτε mean Can you… and why is it plural?

Μπορείτε is the 2nd person plural form of μπορώ (I can / I’m able). Greek often uses the plural (you-plural) as the polite/formal you (like French vous).
So Μπορείτε να… is a standard polite request: Could you… / Can you… (formal).

Why is there να after Μπορείτε?

Greek typically expresses can + verb as μπορώ + να + verb.
Here, να introduces the verb in the subjunctive (a mood used after many verbs like can, want, must, etc.).
So Μπορείτε να με ειδοποιήσετε… literally functions like Are you able to notify me….

What exactly is με ειδοποιήσετε grammatically?

• με = me (weak object pronoun, accusative).
• ειδοποιήσετε = you notify in the aorist subjunctive, 2nd person plural (matching formal Μπορείτε).

Aorist subjunctive here doesn’t mean “past”; it presents the action as a single completed event: to notify me (once/when it happens).

Why is με placed before the verb? Can it go after?

Weak object pronouns in Greek (like με, σε, τον, την, το, μας, σας, τους) normally come before the verb:

• να με ειδοποιήσετε = standard.

Placing it after (e.g., ειδοποιήστε με) is common with imperatives, but in this structure (να + verb) the normal position is before.

Why is it όταν έρθει and not όταν θα έρθει?

After όταν (when) referring to the future, Greek uses the subjunctive with no θα:

• όταν έρθει = when he comes / when he arrives (future context, subjunctive)

όταν θα έρθει is generally considered non-standard in careful Modern Greek (though you might hear it in some speech).

What form is έρθει? Is it past tense?

έρθει is the aorist subjunctive (3rd person singular) of έρχομαι (to come).
Even though “aorist” sounds like past, here it’s not past time—it's used because όταν (future “when”) triggers the subjunctive:

• όταν έρθει ο ηλεκτρολόγος = when the electrician arrives.

Why is ο ηλεκτρολόγος in the nominative with όταν έρθει?

Because ο ηλεκτρολόγος is the subject of έρθει (comes). Subjects take the nominative case:

• ο ηλεκτρολόγος = the electrician (the one who will come).

Is ειδοποιήσετε the only way to say “notify”? What’s the nuance?

ειδοποιώ is a very common, neutral verb meaning notify / let (someone) know—often used for practical situations (deliveries, appointments, arrivals).
Other options exist, with slightly different feel:

• να με ενημερώσετε = to inform me (a bit more formal/“informational”)
• να μου πείτε = to tell me (more casual)

In your sentence, ειδοποιήσετε sounds very natural.

What does παρακαλώ add here, and where can it go?

παρακαλώ means please. It softens the request.
It’s flexible in position:

• …, παρακαλώ; (as in your sentence)
• Παρακαλώ, μπορείτε να…;
• Μπορείτε, παρακαλώ, να…;

Ending with παρακαλώ is common and polite.

How would this change if I’m speaking informally to one person?

You’d typically switch to 2nd person singular:

• Μπορείς να με ειδοποιήσεις όταν έρθει ο ηλεκτρολόγος, παρακαλώ;

Here:

• Μπορείς = informal you can
• ειδοποιήσεις = 2nd singular aorist subjunctive

How is this sentence pronounced (roughly) and where is the stress?

A rough pronunciation guide with stress in CAPS:

• Bo-REE-te na me i-tho-poi-EE-se-te O-tan ER-thi o i-lek-tro-LO-ghos, pa-ra-ka-LO?

Stress is shown by the accent marks in Greek:

• ΜποΡΕΙτε, ειδοποιΗσετε, όΤΑΝ, ΕΡθει, ηλεκτροΛΟγος, παρακαΛΩ.