ότι vs ό,τι | Greek Grammar

Ότι and ό,τι are pronounced identically—óti—but do different grammatical work. Ότι is the complementizer “that”: it introduces a reported or entertained proposition. Ό,τι, with an obligatory internal comma, is a free relative meaning “whatever,” “anything that,” or “everything that.” It fills a role such as object inside the larger sentence.

The comma is part of standard spelling. It does not mark a pause and is not optional punctuation.

The two-question decision

Question	If yes	Write
Does the word simply introduce a proposition after “say, think, know, hear”?	It can often be replaced by πως “that.”	ότι
Does the word itself mean “whatever / everything that” and fill a noun-like slot?	It can often be replaced by αυτό που or οτιδήποτε.	ό,τι

Η Άννα μου έγραψε ότι θα καθυστερήσει μισή ώρα.

i Ána mu éghrapse óti tha kathisterísi misí óra.

Anna wrote to me that she would be half an hour late. (proposition → ότι)

Η Άννα μου έγραψε ό,τι θυμόταν από τη συνάντηση.

i Ána mu éghrapse óti thimótan apó ti sinándisi.

Anna wrote to me everything she remembered from the meeting. (object → ό,τι)

The first clause answers “what did Anna report?” by giving one proposition; ότι merely opens that clause. In the second, ό,τι θυμόταν is itself the thing Anna wrote. That noun-like role is the clearest diagnostic.

💡

Substitute before spelling. Πως points to complementizer ότι; αυτό που / οτιδήποτε points to free-relative ό,τι. The English word “what” is not reliable enough by itself.

Ότι introduces content

Complementizer ότι commonly follows verbs of saying, thinking, believing, knowing, discovering, and perception-as-information. It does not certify that the content is objectively true; it packages it as a proposition.

Πιστεύω ότι η δεύτερη λύση είναι πιο πρακτική.

pistévo óti i dhéfteri lísi íne pio praktikí.

I believe that the second solution is more practical.

Άκουσα ότι το μουσείο θα μείνει κλειστό τη Δευτέρα.

ákusa óti to musío tha míni klistó ti Dheftéra.

I heard that the museum will remain closed on Monday.

Ισχυρίζεται ότι δεν έλαβε ποτέ το μήνυμα.

ischirízete óti dhen élave poté to mínima.

He claims that he never received the message.

In all three, πως could replace ότι without turning the clause into a noun phrase. Selection among ότι, πως, and factual που belongs to That-Clauses; this page decides only ότι / ό,τι.

Ό,τι fills a role

Free-relative ό,τι has its antecedent built in. It normally means “whatever,” “anything that,” or “everything that” and is invariable. In the following sentences, the entire ό,τι-clause is an object.

Διάλεξε ό,τι ταιριάζει καλύτερα στο δωμάτιο.

dhiálekse óti teriázi kalítera sto dhomátio.

Choose whatever fits the room best.

Θα κρατήσω ό,τι χρειάζομαι και θα χαρίσω τα υπόλοιπα.

tha kratíso óti chriázome ke tha charíso ta ipólipa.

I'll keep whatever I need and give away the rest.

Κατέγραψα ό,τι είπε στο τέλος της ομιλίας.

katéghrapsa óti ípe sto télos tis omilías.

I wrote down everything he said at the end of the talk.

The last sentence is important: ό,τι need not always translate as emphatic “whatever.” Here it has the exhaustive reading “everything that.” The full system of free relatives belongs to Free Relatives.

Minimal contrasts

Because the two forms sound alike, some of the clearest contrasts exist only in writing.

Θυμάμαι ότι άλλαξες τον κωδικό τον περασμένο μήνα.

thimáme óti álakses ton kodhikó ton perazméno mína.

I remember that you changed the password last month.

Θυμάμαι ό,τι μου είπες για τον καινούριο κωδικό.

thimáme óti mu ípes ya ton kenúrio kodhikó.

I remember everything you told me about the new password.

Πες ότι συμφωνείς, για να τελειώνουμε.

pes óti simfonís, ya na teliónume.

Say that you agree so we can get this over with.

Πες ό,τι θεωρείς σωστό στη συνάντηση.

pes óti theorís sostó sti sinándisi.

Say whatever you think is right at the meeting.

The comma is not heard. Romanization therefore writes óti for both, just as speech relies on sentence structure and context.

💡

Do not insert a spoken pause for the comma in ό,τι. It is a visual disambiguator inside the word, not ordinary clause punctuation.

High-frequency frames

The comma survives inside larger fixed patterns.

απ' ό,τι... — from what / as far as...
ό,τι κι αν... / ό,τι και να... — whatever / no matter what...
ό,τι να 'ναι — random, nonsensical, any old thing (informal)

Απ' ό,τι καταλαβαίνω, η παράδοση θα αργήσει δύο μέρες.

ap' óti katalavéno, i parádhosi tha aryísi dhío méres.

From what I understand, the delivery will be two days late.

Ό,τι κι αν διαλέξεις, κράτησε την απόδειξη.

óti ki an dhialéksis, krátise tin apódhiksi.

Whatever you choose, keep the receipt.

Η εξήγησή του ήταν ό,τι να 'ναι και μπέρδεψε τους πάντες.

i eksíyisí tu ítan óti na 'ne ke bérdhepse tus pándes.

His explanation was complete nonsense and confused everyone. (informal)

Common Mistakes

Omitting the comma when “whatever” is the object

❌ Πάρε ότι χρειάζεσαι για το αυριανό ταξίδι.

Incorrect for ‘take whatever you need’ — the object is the free relative ό,τι.

✅ Πάρε ό,τι χρειάζεσαι για το αυριανό ταξίδι.

páre óti chriázese ya to avrianó taksídhi.

Take whatever you need for tomorrow's trip.

Adding the comma to ordinary reported content

After λέει here, the clause reports one proposition, so use ότι.

✅ Η ανακοίνωση λέει ότι η είσοδος είναι δωρεάν.

i anakínosi léi óti i ísodhos íne dhoreán.

The notice says that admission is free.

Trusting pronunciation

There is no audible contrast to memorize. Use the substitution test and syntactic role.

Μου εξήγησε ότι έφυγε και μου είπε ό,τι είχε συμβεί.

mu eksíyise óti éfiye ke mu ípe óti íche simví.

He explained that he had left and told me everything that had happened.

Forgetting the comma in a concessive frame

❌ Ότι κι αν συμβεί, θα σε ενημερώσω αμέσως.

Incorrect standard spelling — ‘whatever happens’ requires ό,τι.

✅ Ό,τι κι αν συμβεί, θα σε ενημερώσω αμέσως.

óti ki an simví, tha se enimeróso amésos.

Whatever happens, I'll let you know immediately.

Key Takeaways

ότι introduces a proposition and can often be replaced by πως.
ό,τι means “whatever/everything that,” fills a noun-like role, and can often be replaced by αυτό που or οτιδήποτε.
The internal comma is obligatory standard spelling; it does not represent a pause.
Both forms are pronounced and romanized óti. Syntax—not sound—decides.
Preserve the comma in απ' ό,τι, ό,τι κι αν, and ό,τι να 'ναι.

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