Modern Greek Grammar - Negation

Negation

For sentence negation, Greek has two distinct negation particles, δε(ν) (, de(n)) and μη(ν) (, mi(n)). Δεν is used in clauses with indicative mood, while μην is used primarily in subjunctive contexts, either after subjunctive-inducing να or as a negative replacement for να. Both particles are syntactically part of the proclitic group in front of the verb, and can be separated from the verb only by intervening clitic pronouns. The distinction between δεν and μην is a particularly archaic feature in Greek, continuing an old prohibitive negation marker inherited from Indo-European. As such, μην is often associated with the expression of a wish for an event not to come true:

• Δεν του ζήτησα να έρθει. (Den tou zitisa na erthei, "I didn't ask him to come.")
• Του ζήτησα να μην έρθει. (Tou zitisa na min erthei, "I asked him not to come.")

When used alone with a subjunctive verb in the second person, prohibitive μην serves as the functional equivalent to a negative imperative, which itself cannot be negated. Thus, the negation of the positive imperative τρέξε (, 'run!') is μην τρέξεις (, 'don't run!').

The particle όχι serves as the stand-alone utterance of negation ('no'), and also for negation of elliptical, verbless sentences and for contrastive negation of individual constituents:

• Κάλεσα την Μαρία, όχι τον Γιώργο. (Kalesa tin Maria, ochi ton Giorgo, "I invited Mary, not George.")

For constituent negation, Greek employs negative concord. The negated constituent is marked with a negative-polarity item (e.g. κανένας 'any, anybody/nobody', τίποτα 'anything/nothing', πουθενα 'anywhere/nowhere'), and the verb is additionally marked with the sentence negator δεν (or μην). In verbless, elliptical contexts the negative-polarity items can also serve to express negation alone.

The negative pronoun κανείς (, kaneis), i.e. nobody or anybody is declined in all three genders and three cases and can be used as the English determiner no.

• Δεν θέλω κανέναν εδώ. (Den thelo kanenan edo, "I want nobody here.")
• —Είναι κανείς εδώ; —Όχι, κανείς. (—Einai kaneis edo? —Ochi, kaneis, "'Is anyone here?' 'No, nobody.'")
• Δεν έκανα κανένα λάθος. (Den ekana kanena lathos, "I have made no mistake.")

On the other hand, the negative pronoun ουδείς (, oudeis), from the learned tradition of Ancient Greek, is used without negative concord:

• Ουδείς πείστηκε. (Oudeis peistike, "No one was convinced.")