Τόνοι
Greek has two different accents: acute (ί) and umlaut (ϊ). The acute accent is far more common and has two main uses.
1) Indicates stress on a multi-syllable word.
- Καλημέρα
- συγγνώμη
- ευχαριστώ
When a double vowel is stressed, the accent goes on the second vowel.
- είμαι
- αύριο (tomorrow)
If accent is placed on the first vowel in a double vowel, the two vowels are pronounced separately – see diphthongs.
Words with 4 or more syllables can have two accents when followed by an
unstressed word, such as a possessive adjective:
- τα μαθήματά μας (our lessons)
2) Distinguishes between two single-syllable words, mostly question words:
| πού | where? (interrogative) | που | where (relative) | |
| πώς | what? how? | πως | that | |
| ή | or | η | the (feminine) |
Note: Capital letters can only be accented if the stress is on the first syllable. In this case, the accent precedes the letter:
- Ά
- Έ
- Ή
- Ί
- Ό
- Ύ
- Ώ
See diphthongs for an explanation of the umlaut.