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Let's take a closer look at the conversation.
Do you remember how Sasha asks,
"Excuse me, do you have salt?"
Συγγνώμη, έχετε αλάτι; (Signómi, éhete aláti?)
First is συγγνώμη (signómi), literally "apology," but translates as "pardon me" or "excuse me," in this context. Συγγνώμη. Συγγνώμη.
Next is έχετε (éhete), "you have (plural)." Έχετε. Έχετε.
Έχετε (éhete) is a shortened form of εσείς έχετε (esís éhete), "you have," where "you" is plural, as in "you all." The εσείς is usually omitted, as it’s understood from context.
Note, the plural form, εσείς (esís), is used because Sasha is addressing the clerk as the representative of a group — in this case the business.
Έχετε (éhete) is from the verb έχω (ého), the dictionary form of the verb "to have." Έχω.
Last is αλάτι (aláti), "salt." Αλάτι. Αλάτι.
Αλάτι (aláti) is in the accusative because it’s the object of έχετε (éhete).
All together, Συγγνώμη, έχετε αλάτι; (Signómi, éhete aláti?) This literally means "Excuse me, [you] have salt?" but translates as "Excuse me, do you have salt?"
Συγγνώμη, έχετε αλάτι; (Signómi, éhete aláti?)
Let's take a closer look at the response.
Do you remember how the shop clerk says,
"Yes, it's here."
Ναι, εδώ είναι. (Ne, edó íne.)
First is ναι (ne), "yes." Ναι. Ναι.
Next is εδώ (edó), "here." Εδώ. Εδώ.
Last is είναι (íne), "is." Είναι. Είναι.
Είναι (íne) is from the verb είμαι (íme), the dictionary form of the verb "to be." Είμαι.
All together, it's Ναι, εδώ είναι. (Ne, edó íne.), literally "Yes, here [it] is," but it translates as "Yes, it's here."
Ναι, εδώ είναι. (Ne, edó íne.)
The pattern is
Έχετε (Éhete) ITEM;
"Do you have ITEM?"
Έχετε (éhete) ITEM;
To use this pattern, simply replace the ITEM placeholder with the thing you’re looking for.
Note: This pattern requires a noun in the accusative case, the case used when a noun is the direct object of a verb, in this case "have."
Imagine you're looking for milk, γάλα (gála). Γάλα. Γάλα.
Say,
"Do you have milk?"
Ready?
Έχετε γάλα; (Éhete gála?)
"Do you have milk?"
Έχετε γάλα; (Éhete gála?)
For this lesson, let’s review Greek singular nouns in the accusative case.
Neuter nouns keep the dictionary form.
For example, αλάτι (aláti), "salt," is the dictionary form and also the accusative form. Αλάτι. Αλάτι.
Feminine nouns keep the dictionary form.
For example, ζάχαρη (záhari), "sugar" is the dictionary form and also the accusative form.
Ζάχαρη. Ζάχαρη.
Masculine singular nouns change in the accusative case, as they drop the final -ς (sígma).
For example, καφές (kafés), "coffee," is the dictionary form, but καφέ (kafé) is the accusative form.
In Greek, there are some rules of thumb for the gender of nouns.
Nouns that end in -ς (sígma) tend to be masculine.
καφές (kafés), "coffee,"
Nouns that end in -α (álfa) or -η (éta) tend to be feminine.
μπανάνα (banána), "banana,"
ζάχαρη (záhari), "sugar,"
Nouns that end in -ι (yóta) or -ο (ómikron) tend to be neuter.
αλάτι (aláti), "salt,"
βιβλίο (vivlío), "book."

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