Greek can answer or qualify a whole claim with one short word. Ναι affirms, όχι rejects, ίσως leaves a possibility open, and μάλλον says which way the speaker leans. Others add certainty, politeness, or emotional evaluation.
Plain replies: ναι and όχι
Ναι is ordinary “yes” and όχι ordinary “no” in every register. They can stand alone, though repeating the verb is often clearer.
—Θα έρθεις μαζί μας; —Ναι, θα έρθω.
—tha érthis mazí mas; —ne, tha értho
—Will you come with us? —Yes, I will.
As a contrast word, όχι can reject one constituent: τσάι, όχι καφέ “tea, not coffee.” Finite-clause negation instead requires δεν or μη(ν) in its proper particle frame. See the uses of όχι.
Θέλω τσάι, όχι καφέ, γιατί είναι αργά.
thélo tsái, óchi kafé, yatí íne arghá
I want tea, not coffee, because it's late.
Polite and emphatic affirmation
Μάλιστα means “yes, certainly” in service encounters and respectful replies (formal). Elsewhere it means “indeed/in fact,” so it is more marked than everyday ναι.
—Θέλετε και την απόδειξη; —Μάλιστα, παρακαλώ.
—thélete ke tin apódhiksi; —málista, parakaló
—Would you like the receipt too? —Yes, please. (polite/formal)
Βεβαίως “certainly/of course” is courteous (formal) Greek. Φυσικά is neutral everyday “of course,” though sharp intonation can make it impatient.
Βεβαίως, μπορώ να σας στείλω το έγγραφο σήμερα.
vevéos, boró na sas stílo to éngrafo símera
Certainly, I can send you the document today. (formal/polite)
Φυσικά και θα σε βοηθήσω με τη μετακόμιση.
fisiká ke tha se voithíso me ti metakínisi
Of course I'll help you with the move.
In emphatic φυσικά και + clause, και reinforces the affirmation rather than adding a separate “and.”
From possibility to certainty
This semantic scale shows the normal direction of commitment:
| Adverb | Speaker stance | Register |
|---|---|---|
| ίσως | maybe, perhaps; possibility left open | neutral |
| μάλλον | probably; evidence leans one way | neutral |
| πιθανόν | possibly/probably | (formal) in many everyday contexts |
| σίγουρα | certainly, definitely | neutral |
Ίσως κοιμάται ακόμη, γι' αυτό δεν απαντάει.
ísos kimáte akómi, yaftó dhen apandái
Maybe she's still asleep; that's why she isn't answering.
Μάλλον θα βρέξει το απόγευμα· πάρε ομπρέλα.
málon tha vréksi to apóyevma; páre ombréla
It will probably rain this afternoon; take an umbrella.
Πιθανόν να καθυστερήσει η πτήση λόγω ομίχλης.
pithanón na kathisterísi i ptísi lógho omíchlis
The flight may be delayed because of fog. (formal)
Η Δανάη σίγουρα θα θυμηθεί τα γενέθλιά σου.
i Dhanái síghura tha thimithí ta yenéthliá su
Danai will definitely remember your birthday.
ίσως with a finite form, να, or θα
Greek does not require one construction after ίσως. It can precede an ordinary present indicative. A possible bounded event commonly appears as a bare perfective nonpast form or with να, often with the same translation.
Ίσως έρθει η Δάφνη αργότερα.
ísos érthi i Dháfni arghótera
Maybe Dafni will come later.
Ίσως να έρθει η Δάφνη αργότερα.
ísos na érthi i Dháfni arghótera
Maybe Dafni will come later.
Ίσως + θα is also possible for a future prediction; it is not automatically an error.
Ίσως θα χρειαστούμε περισσότερο χρόνο για τη διαδρομή.
ísos tha chriastúme perisótero chróno ya ti dhiadhromí
Perhaps we'll need more time for the journey.
With μάλλον, θα is natural for prediction. By contrast, Μάλλον να φύγουμε is a recommendation—“We had better leave.”
Μάλλον να φύγουμε τώρα, πριν αρχίσει η κίνηση.
málon na fíghume tóra, prin archísi i kínisi
We'd better leave now, before the traffic starts.
Hedging an answer with μάλλον
Μάλλον combines with ναι / όχι when an answer is not categorical.
—Θα τελειώσεις σήμερα; —Μάλλον όχι, αλλά αύριο σίγουρα.
—tha teliósis símera; —málon óchi, alá ávrio síghura
—Will you finish today? —Probably not, but definitely tomorrow.
Evaluating the outcome: ευτυχώς and δυστυχώς
Ευτυχώς “fortunately” and δυστυχώς “unfortunately” evaluate a fact; they do not state probability. Sentence-initially, they normally take a comma in careful writing.
Ευτυχώς, βρήκαμε ταξί πριν αρχίσει να βρέχει.
eftichós, vríkame taksí prin archísi na vréchi
Fortunately, we found a taxi before it started raining.
Δυστυχώς, η αυριανή πτήση ακυρώθηκε.
dhistichós, i avrianí ptísi akiróthike
Unfortunately, tomorrow's flight was cancelled.
Answering negative questions clearly
A negative question can make bare ναι / όχι hard to process across languages. The safest pair is Ναι, θα έρθω for the positive fact and Όχι, δεν θα έρθω for the negative one. See answering yes/no questions.
—Δεν θα έρθεις αύριο; —Ναι, θα έρθω κανονικά.
—dhen tha érthis ávrio; —ne, tha értho kanoniká
—Aren't you coming tomorrow? —Yes, I am coming as planned.
—Δεν θα έρθεις αύριο; —Όχι, δεν θα μπορέσω.
—dhen tha érthis ávrio; —óchi, dhen tha boréso
—Aren't you coming tomorrow? —No, I won't be able to.
Common Mistakes
❌ —Θα έρθεις μαζί μας; —Δεν.
Incorrect as an ordinary standalone reply—δεν must negate a finite verb; the reply word is όχι.
✅ —Θα έρθεις μαζί μας; —Όχι, δεν μπορώ.
—tha érthis mazí mas; —óchi, dhen boró
—Will you come with us? —No, I can't.
❌ Όχι έχω χρόνο σήμερα.
Incorrect for 'I don't have time'—a finite indicative verb is negated with δεν.
✅ Δεν έχω χρόνο σήμερα.
dhen écho chróno símera
I don't have time today.
❌ Η Μαρία σίγουρος θα έρθει αύριο.
Incorrect for sentence-level 'definitely'—use the invariable adverb σίγουρα, not an adjective.
✅ Η Μαρία σίγουρα θα έρθει αύριο.
i María síghura tha érthi ávrio
Maria will definitely come tomorrow.
Key Takeaways
- ναι / όχι are ordinary replies; μάλιστα / βεβαίως are marked (formal/polite) affirmations.
- ίσως leaves possibility open, μάλλον favors one outcome, and σίγουρα signals certainty.
- ίσως may precede an indicative, να, or a θα prediction.
- ευτυχώς / δυστυχώς evaluate facts; after negative questions, repeat the verb for clarity.
Related Topics
- Answering: ναι, όχι, μάλισταA1 — Answer Greek polar questions with ναι and όχι, make negative-question replies explicit by echoing the verb, and use μάλιστα or repeated ναι with the right register and intonation.
- Sentence and Stance AdverbsB2 — Use Greek sentence adverbs to evaluate an entire claim, express certainty or attitude, and organize an argument with appropriate position, punctuation, and register.
- όχι: No and BeyondA1 — Use όχι as an independent ‘no,’ a polite refusal, and a focused negator before nonverbal elements, while δεν negates an ordinary finite verb.