Περί τίνος πρόκειται; = What is this about?

[cosmasad]

If I receive an email message from the tax department that I’m having trouble understanding can I forward it to my accountant and say “Έλαβα αυτό το μήνυμα από την εφορία. Μπορείς να μου πεις περί τίνος πρόκειται» if I want him to read it and explain it to me? Or would «περί τίνος πρόκειται» mean “who does it apply to?” which is not what I would want to say if I know that it applies to me.



Thank you.

 

[Duke_of_Waltham]

Σωστό είναι: «Can you tell me what this is about?» Είναι στερεότυπη έκφραση που σημαίνει «τι αφορά αυτό;» Στην αντίθετη περίπτωση θα ρωτούσε κανείς «ποιον αφορά αυτό;»

 

[cosmasad]

Yes, but can you tell me what the expression Περί τίνος πρόκειται actually means please? Thank you!

 

[Marinos]

"What this is about". Exactly this.

 

[cosmasad]

Thank you, all!

 

[SBE]

τίνος=what/ whose (applies to people and objects), genitive sιngular of the interrogative pronoun τίς, which in modern Greek exists only in this form.
πρόκειται περί/ για = to be about something, third person singular of the verb πρόκειμαι which in modern greek exists only in the third person
Περί τίνος πρόκειται; = what is it about?
In the situation you describe, you could also say μπορείς να μου πεις τί λέει; μπορείς να μου το εξηγήσεις; but περί τίνος πρόκειται is probably the most common and shortest way to express what you want.

 

[cosmasad]

Thank you so much. This is perfect!