Throwback Thursday S1 #13 - Asking About a Choice

The pattern for asking about a choice has four elements.

First, the neuter interrogative pronoun in the accusative meaning which.

Second, a neuter noun in the accusative meaning mobile phone.

Third, the verb to prefer in the second person singular meaning you prefer.

But since we're using it as a question, it means do you prefer.

And last, the strong personal pronoun in the nominative meaning you.

All together we have, which mobile phone do you prefer? There are many ways to ask about a choice in Greek.

In this lesson, we are going to examine a particular pattern that can be used with transitive verbs that require an object in the accusative case.

This pattern follows an OVS structure, meaning that the object comes first.

In this case, the choice we are talking about, then the verb, and then the subject.

You can begin your sentence with one of the interrogative pronouns we saw in the previous lesson, but this time in the accusative case since the pronoun will be defining the object.

In the singular, those are πιον, πιαν, πιο, for the masculine, feminine, and the neuter gender, respectively, meaning whom or which one, depending on the context.

Next comes a complement which will include the object in the accusative.

This can be a noun phrase in the accusative or even a prepositional phrase with the preposition of.

από.

That further specifies the choice we are asking about.

The complement, however, is optional if the object can be understood by the context.

Then comes a transitive verb conjugated in the person and number that agrees with the subject.

For example, the person we are referring to.

Finally, we can have another optional complement that may include our subject usually in the form of a noun phrase in the nominative case.

Mentioning a subject in the complement, however, might not be necessary if it's understood by the context.

Sometimes, the interrogative pronoun and the verb alone are enough to make a question about someone's choice.

For example, Ποιο προτιμάς? Which one do you prefer, instead of Ποιο κινητό προτιμάς εσύ? Which mobile phone do you prefer? So remember, to ask about a choice, you need to use an interrogative pronoun meaning who or which in the accusative case, followed by the optional complement, such as a noun phrase in the accusative case as well, or a prepositional phrase with the preposition of.

Then we use a transitive verb in the form that agrees with the subject and close with another complement if it's necessary.

Here's another example meaning whom do you choose, masculine form.