English Translation
Did you see that?
Does “Το είδατε αυτό;” and “Το είδατε;” mean the same?
*Yes, both “Το είδατε αυτό;” and “Το είδατε;” essentially mean the same thing, which is “Did you see it?” The first sentence includes “αυτό” (this/that), which adds a bit of emphasis or specificity, while the second sentence is more straightforward and commonly used. In casual conversation, both would be understood in the same context.
OK, so the use of “αυτο” can be omitted, but if i were to use it would I have to be careful of gender. So if the thing that I was trying to draw attention to was a male or female noun what would i use?*
*In Greek, the word “αυτό” is a neuter pronoun, so it can be used to refer to objects or concepts regardless of gender. However, if you want to specify the gender of the noun you are referring to, you would use the appropriate pronoun based on the gender of the noun:
For masculine nouns, you would use “αυτός” (this/that).
For feminine nouns, you would use “αυτή” (this/that).
So, if you were drawing attention to a masculine noun, you would say “Το είδατε αυτόν;” (Did you see this one? - referring to a masculine object), and for a feminine noun, you would say “Το είδατε αυτήν;” (Did you see this one? - referring to a feminine object).
However, in the context of your original question, “Το είδατε αυτό;” is still appropriate for a general reference to something without specifying gender.*
Understood! So imagine we were being hunted down by a wolf (ο λύκος) and we were hiding, and trying to look out for it… I would still use “αυτό” if I were to ask you have you seen it?
Yes, in that context, you would still use “αυτό” when asking if someone has seen the wolf. You would say, “Το είδατε αυτό;” which translates to “Did you see it?” Here, “αυτό” refers to the wolf (ο λύκος) in a general sense, and it is perfectly appropriate to use it in this situation. The neuter pronoun “αυτό” is commonly used for animals or objects when the gender is not the focus of the conversation.
Source: ChatGPT-4o 13-Dec-2024