Σηκώνω το χέρι μου όταν θέλω να κάνω μια ερώτηση.

I raise my hand when I want to ask a question.

Breakdown of Σηκώνω το χέρι μου όταν θέλω να κάνω μια ερώτηση.

• θέλω: to want
• να: to
• μου: my
• όταν: when

Questions & Answers about Σηκώνω το χέρι μου όταν θέλω να κάνω μια ερώτηση.

Why is σηκώνω used here, and what form is it?

Σηκώνω is the 1st person singular present form, so it means I raise / I lift.

In this sentence, it means I raise my hand.

A useful thing to know is that σηκώνω can mean different things depending on context:

• σηκώνω το χέρι μου = I raise my hand
• σηκώνω μια βαλίτσα = I lift a suitcase
• sometimes it can even mean pick up or get up, depending on the object and situation

So the object tells you a lot about the meaning.

Why is it το χέρι and not just χέρι?

Greek often uses the definite article where English might not, especially with:

• body parts
• possessions
• general everyday nouns

So το χέρι μου literally looks like the hand my, but it means my hand.

This is completely normal Greek structure. With body parts, Greek very often says:

• το κεφάλι μου = my head
• τα μάτια μου = my eyes
• το πόδι μου = my leg

So το χέρι μου is the natural way to say my hand.

Why does μου come after χέρι?