Sentence intonation
The melody that separates question, statement and surprise — vital, since Greek questions don’t change word order.
The question rise
Πάμε σπίτι. (falls: statement) / Πάμε σπίτι; (rises at the end: question). The difference is ONLY melodic — hence the need to hear and copy it. A wh-question (Πού πας;) falls instead: the πού itself carries the question.
- Πάμε σπίτι.We’re going home.
- Πάμε σπίτι;Shall we go home?
- Πού πας;Where are you going?
Sentence stress: what you want heard
The loudest word carries the information: Ο ΝΙΚΟΣ ήρθε χθες (Nikos, not someone else) / Ο Νίκος ήρθε ΧΘΕΣ (yesterday, not today). Moving the sentence stress answers different questions without changing a single word.
- Ο ΝΙΚΟΣ ήρθε χθες.NIKOS is the one who came yesterday.
- Ο Νίκος ήρθε ΧΘΕΣ.Nikos came YESTERDAY, not today.
- Ο Νίκος ΗΡΘΕ χθες.Nikos DID come yesterday.
Surprise, doubt, obviousness
Έλα! can greet, cheer on, or voice disbelief (“no way!”) — the melody decides. Drawn-out Καλά… = scepticism; short Καλά! = OK. Listen and repeat aloud: intonation is learned by imitation, not by rule.
- Έλα!No way!
- Καλά…Yeah, right…
- Καλά!OK, fine!
Your turn
What does the sentence mean with this melody?