Τρυπάω τον τοίχο για να βάλω ένα ράφι στο σαλόνι.

I am drilling the wall to put up a shelf in the living room.

Breakdown of Τρυπάω τον τοίχο για να βάλω ένα ράφι στο σαλόνι.

• ένα: one
• σε: in
• το σαλόνι: the living room
• για να: in order to

Questions & Answers about Τρυπάω τον τοίχο για να βάλω ένα ράφι στο σαλόνι.

What does τρυπάω mean here? Is it the same as to drill?

More or less, yes. Τρυπάω means to pierce, to make a hole in, or to poke through. In a sentence about a wall and a shelf, the natural English equivalent is often to drill.

So here it does not just mean making a random hole by any method; in context, it strongly suggests drilling holes in the wall so the shelf can be mounted.

Can I also say τρυπώ instead of τρυπάω?

Yes. Both τρυπάω and τρυπώ are used in Modern Greek.

Many Greek verbs have two present-tense forms like this:

• τρυπάω
• τρυπώ

They mean the same thing. Τρυπάω may feel a bit more everyday or transparent to learners, while τρυπώ is a shorter alternative you will also hear and see.

Why is it τον τοίχο and not ο τοίχος?

Because τον τοίχο is the direct object of the verb τρυπάω.

In dictionary form, the noun is:

• ο τοίχος = the wall subject form, nominative

But after a verb when the wall is the thing being drilled, Greek uses the accusative:

• τον τοίχο

So:

• ο τοίχος = the wall as subject
• τον τοίχο = the wall as object

This is exactly why the article changes from ο to τον.