Learn How to Say No in Greek

Written by Greek Boston in Learn How to Speak Basic Greek Comments Off on Learn How to Say No in Greek

Are you learning Greek? Are you simply traveling to Greek and want to know some simple phrases to get by? While using the Greek language, there are some basic words and phrases that you will need to know in order to speak with people. Being able to say “no” is essential to increasing your comfort in the language. Here’s a look at how to say no in the Greek language:

Greek Vocabulary – Ways to Say No

• No – όχι – ochi
• Nope – όχι – ochi
• No-no – όχι όχι – ochi ochi (This phrase is an expression used. in cases where your “no” needs to be stronger. So a simple “no” won’t be enough in the cases where this phrase is said).
• Not – δεν – then

Examples on How to Say No in Greek

When someone asks you certain questions, your answer could either be yes or no. Here’s a look at some sample questions where the answer is “no”:

In this example, someone asks their friend if they want to go to the movies. The answer is no because he or she is busy:

• Do you want to go to the movies tonight? Θέλετε να πάτε στις ταινίες απόψε; Thelete na path tis taints apopse.
• No, I am busy tonight. Όχι, είμαι απασχολημένος απόψε. Ohi, eemai aposcholimenos apopse.

In this example, someone is asks if he or she likes flowers. The answer in this case is also no:

• Do you like flowers? Σου αρέσουν τα λουλούδια? Soo aresoun ta louloudia?
• No, I am allergic to them. Όχι, είμαι αλλεργικός σε αυτούς. Ohi, eemai allergies se aftoos.

Grammar Notes for Saying No in Greek

In each of the examples above, the word “no” was used to express that they didn’t like or didn’t want to do something. The word “no” can be used for a variety of situations and in Greek, it is used in a similar way as it is in English.

The word for “No” in Greek is – Όχι – which is pronounced “ohi”.

Here are some sentences in Greek that have the word “no” in it:

• Όχι, δεν έχω τα εισιτήρια. Ohi, then eho ta eisitiria. No, I don’t have the tickets.
• Όχι, δεν μου αρέσει το μπλε χρώμα. Ohi, then mou aresi to ble chroma. No, I don’t like the color blue.
• Όχι, το μουσείο δεν είναι στα δεξιά. Ohi, to mooseia then einai sta theksia. No, the building isn’t to your right.

Turning a Verb Into a Negative Using the Word “Δεν”

Besides using the word Όχι to say “no” in the Greek language, you can also turn a verb into a negative statement. You don’t have the tickets (Δεν έχετε τα εισιτήρια). You don’t want to eat fish (Δεν θέλετε να φάτε ψάρι). You don’t like red wine (Δεν σας αρέσει το κόκκινο κρασί).

As you can see, the Greek word “Δεν” (pronounced “then”) is used to negate a verb. You can speak these by themselves or you can also pair the sentence with the word “Όχι” as pictured in some of the examples above.

Being able to express the word “no” or to express something in the negative is an essential language skill to have in Greek. If you have questions, you should consult with a qualified language teacher.

The Learn Greek section on GreekBoston.com was written by Greeks to help people understand the conversational basics of the Greek language. This article is not a substitute for a professional Greek learning program, but a helpful resource for people wanting to learn simple communication in Greek.

Categorized in: Learn How to Speak Basic Greek

This post was written by Greek Boston