Ποιο σύμφωνο ακούς μετά το «α»;

It can feel like either in English. Greek ποιο is asking you to identify one item, and in this sentence English could naturally say either:

• Which consonant do you hear after a?
• What consonant do you hear after a?

So the Greek is not strange here. The exact English choice depends more on style than on grammar.

Because Ποιο has to agree with σύμφωνο.

• ποιος = masculine
• ποια = feminine
• ποιο = neuter

Since σύμφωνο is a neuter singular noun, the question word must also be neuter singular: ποιο σύμφωνο.

Here σύμφωνο means consonant.

It is a neuter singular noun. In alphabet and phonics contexts:

• σύμφωνο = consonant
• φωνήεν = vowel

So the sentence is asking the learner to identify a consonant sound.

Ακούς is the second person singular present form of ακούω, meaning to hear.

So:

• ακούω = I hear
• ακούς = you hear

In this sentence, it means you hear. Greek often uses the present tense here just as English does.

Because Greek often leaves out subject pronouns when they are not needed.

The ending of the verb already shows who the subject is:

• ακούς already tells you the subject is you singular

So Greek does not need εσύ unless the speaker wants emphasis, contrast, or clarification.

In Modern Greek, μετά meaning after is normally followed by the accusative case.

So:

• μετά το α = after a

Here το α is in the accusative. For a neuter singular form like this, the accusative looks the same as the nominative, so nothing visibly changes.

Because when Greek refers to a letter as an item, it often uses the neuter article.

So:

• το α = the letter a
• το β = the letter v / beta
• το κ = the letter k

This is very natural in Greek. It works much like saying the letter A in English.

In practice, it is doing both jobs.

Because the sentence uses ακούς meaning you hear, the exercise is about the sound. But the written symbol α shows which letter/sound the exercise is focusing on.

In beginner reading activities, Greek often moves easily between:

• the written letter
• the sound it represents

So a learner is usually meant to connect both.

Those are standard Greek quotation marks, often called guillemets.

Greek commonly writes quotations or highlighted items like this:

• «α»

Here they are being used to set off the letter α as a symbol. In informal typing, you may also see ordinary straight quotation marks, but « » is very standard in Greek writing.

Because in Greek, the question mark looks like an English semicolon:

• Greek question mark = ;

So Ποιο σύμφωνο ακούς μετά το «α»; is a normal Greek question.

This is one of the first punctuation differences English speakers usually notice.

No, the word order is very normal.

Greek often puts the question word first:

• Ποιο = which/what
• σύμφωνο = consonant
• ακούς = do you hear / you hear
• μετά το α = after a

So the structure is straightforward for Greek: question word + noun + verb + rest of sentence.

Greek word order can be flexible, but this version is completely standard and natural.