Language/Modern-greek-1453/Grammar/Negative-Sentence

Turning an Affirmative Sentence into a Negative Sentence in Modern Greek

The Greek language possesses its unique ways of expressing negation and turning affirmative sentences into negative ones. The lesson below aims to familiarize you with these negative expressions and demonstrate how to apply them effectively to enhance your Greek communication skills.

Negation in Greek

In Modern Greek, one can easily transform an affirmative sentence into its negative equivalent by merely appending the particle 'δεν' (den), translating to 'not,' before the verb in the indicative mood.

For instance, the affirmative sentence 'Η Μαρία διαβάζει κάθε μέρα.' (I María diavázi káthe méra), meaning 'Maria studies every day', becomes 'Η Μαρία δε διαβάζει κάθε μέρα.' (I María den diavázi káthe méra), or 'Maria doesn’t study every day', when negated.

Similarly, 'Θέλω να επισκεφτώ την Ελλάδα.' (Thélo na episkeftó tin Elláda), translating to 'I want to visit Greece,' turns into 'Δε θέλω να επισκεφτώ την Ελλάδα.' (Den thélo na episkeftó tin Eláda), or 'I don’t want to visit Greece,' when negated.

Negation in Complex Sentences

Complex sentences composed of two or more clauses connected by the conjunction 'και' (ke), which means 'and,' require the placement of the particle 'δεν' before each verb to negate the whole sentence.

For instance, the affirmative sentence 'Χθες πήγαμε σινεμά και φάγαμε ποπ κόρν.' (Htes pígame sinemá ke fágame popkórn), meaning 'Yesterday, we went to the cinema and we ate popcorn,' becomes 'Χθες δεν πήγαμε σινεμά και δε φάγαμε ποπ κόρν.' (Htes den pígame sinemá ke den fágame popkórn), or 'Yesterday, we didn’t go to the cinema and we didn’t eat popcorn,' when negated.

Negation in the Imperative Mood

The Greek imperative mood, which expresses commands, doesn't have its own negation form. Instead, it employs the negation form of the subjunctive mood, represented by the following particle + the verb in the subjunctive mood.

For example, 'Η μαμά κοιμάται. Μη φωνάζεις!' (I mamá kimáte. Mi fonázis!) translates to 'Mommy is sleeping. Don’t yell!'

Double Negatives

Greek is a negative concord language, meaning that the grammar allows for two or more negatives to occur in a sentence without necessarily turning the statement into a positive one. In general, whether a double negative makes a positive statement or not, relies on the context and choice of words.

- Δε λέω ποτέ ψέματα or Ποτέ δε λέω ψέματα. (Den léo poté psémata .)  "I don't tell lies never." = "I never lie."

- Τα κλειδιά δεν είναι πουθενά. (Ta klidiá den íne puthená.)  "The keys are not nowhere." = "The keys are nowhere."

- Κανείς δεν είναι εδώ. (Kanis den íne edó.) "Nobody is not  here." = "Nobody is here."

Saying 'No' to a Question

To give a negative response to a question, you can simply say 'Όχι' (Óhi), which means 'No.' For example, in response to the question 'Θέλεις να πάμε για καφέ?' (Thélis na páme yia kafé?), meaning 'Do you want to go for a coffee?', one can simply reply, 'Όχι' (Óhi), or 'No.'

Negation Words and Phrases

In addition to 'δεν' and 'Όχι,' Modern Greek has several other words and phrases to express negation:

1. 'ποτέ' (poté) translates to 'never.' For example, 'Δεν έχω πάει ποτέ στην Ελλάδα.' (Den ého pái poté stin Elláda) means 'I have never been to Greece.'
2. 'πουθενά' (puthená) translates to 'nowhere.' For example, 'Χθες έβρεχε και δεν πήγαμε πουθενά.' (Hthes évrehe ke den pígame puthená) translates to 'Yesterday, it was raining, and we didn’t go anywhere.'
3. 'κανείς' (kanís) translates to 'nobody.' For example, 'Κανείς δεν ήρθε στα γενέθλιά μου.' (Kanís den írthe sta yenéthliá mu) means 'Nobody came on my birthday.'
4. 'τίποτα' (típota) translates to 'nothing.' For example, 'Τίποτα δεν θα μας χωρίσει.' (Típota den tha mas horísi) means 'Nothing will tear us apart.'
5. 'ούτε... ούτε...' (úte... úte...) translates to 'neither... nor....' For example, 'Δεν μου αρέσει ούτε το κρασί, ούτε η μπύρα.' (Den mu arési úte to krasí, úte i bíra) means 'I like neither wine nor beer.'
6. χωρίς or δίχως : without

Learning to use negation in Greek will help you express a wider range of thoughts and emotions, enriching your overall communication in this beautiful language. Practice using these examples, and in no time, you'll become fluent in Greek negation!

The particles «να» and «ας» of the subjunctive mood in combination with verb forms of the indicative mood are used to express a hope, a chance, a possibility and a supposition.

Eg :

1. Να μην της δώσεις άλλα λεφτά / Don't give her money anymore.
2. Να μη μιλάς για αυτό το θέμα! / Don't talk about this subject!

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Other Lessons

• Reflective pronouns Αυτοπαθείς αντωνυμίες
• Irregular adjectives
• Greek adverbs through examples
• Syllabification
• How to Use Have
• Word Accentuation
• Definite and Indefinite Article
• Past Tense
• Pronouns

• The combinations «αυ» and «ευ»