The letters in πότε and ποτέ are the same, but the stress falls in a different place. In the conversation below, one asks when and the other helps say never. Read for meaning first, then read again while noticing the written stress marks. This is a practice worksheet; the full stress-and-syllable lesson is linked at the end.
New to the Greek letters? Start with the complete Greek alphabet guide: all 24 letters, their names and how they sound.
Read the short exchange
| Πότε πίνεις καφέ; | When do you drink coffee? |
| Πίνω καφέ το πρωί. | I drink coffee in the morning. |
| Δεν πίνω ποτέ καφέ το βράδυ. | I never drink coffee in the evening. |
| Το βράδυ πίνω νερό. | In the evening I drink water. |
Hear the difference you can see
In πότε, the mark is on ό: stress the first syllable, πό-τε. In ποτέ, it is on έ: stress the second, πο-τέ. The hyphens here show the two syllables for practice; normal writing joins them. Keep both syllables in each word and make the marked one prominent rather than dropping the other.
Use the sentence to choose the word
Πότε πίνεις καφέ; asks for a time. The answer gives το πρωί, in the morning. Δεν πίνω ποτέ καφέ το βράδυ says the speaker never drinks coffee in the evening. In this sentence, δεν and ποτέ work together. Do not translate ποτέ as never in every possible context: this worksheet practises its use in a negative statement.
Follow the marks in longer phrases
In καφέ and νερό, the last syllable is stressed. In βράδυ, the first syllable is stressed. Read κα-φέ, νε-ρό and βρά-δυ, then return to the complete sentences without inserting pauses inside the words. Το πρωί contains two vowels pronounced separately in πρωί: πρω-ί. Its final syllable is stressed. A written vowel letter is not always a separate syllable, so compare this example with the vowel-combinations guide.
Check the meaning and stress
- Choose the question word: πότε or ποτέ — ___ πίνεις καφέ;
- Complete the negative statement: Δεν πίνω ___ καφέ το βράδυ.
- Which syllable is stressed in νερό: first or last?
- Does the speaker say they never drink coffee at any time?
Show the answers
1. Πότε: the question asks when. 2. ποτέ: never in this negative statement. 3. The last syllable, ρό. 4. No: they drink it in the morning and exclude it in the evening.
Practise without the translation
Cover the translated column and read both roles aloud. Replace καφέ with τσάι, tea, keeping πότε in the question and ποτέ in the negative reply. Check the position of each mark before speeding up.
Review the stress and syllable lesson or practise Greek vowel combinations.