Coordinating Conjunctions | Greek Grammar

Coordinating conjunctions join elements of equal grammatical status: noun with noun, phrase with phrase, or independent clause with independent clause. Greek has direct equivalents of English and, or, and but, but it also distinguishes ordinary opposition from correction and uses several balanced pairs whose scope is visible through repetition.

Addition and choice: και and ή

Neutral και joins members that are all included. It can coordinate objects, subjects, descriptions, or whole events.

Η Μαρία αγόρασε ψωμί και φρούτα.

i María aghórase psomí ke frúta

Maria bought bread and fruit.

Ο Πέτρος και η Λένα ήρθαν νωρίς.

o Pétros ke i Léna írthan norís

Petros and Lena came early.

A subject formed with X και Y normally denotes more than one participant, so its verb is plural: ήρθαν, not singular ήρθε. The focused meanings “also” and “even,” along with the reduced pre-vowel form κι, are developed on και / κι.

Accented ή presents alternatives. Its tonos distinguishes it in writing from feminine article η, even though both are pronounced i.

Θα μείνεις εδώ ή θα έρθεις μαζί μας;

tha mínis edhó i tha érthis mazí mas;

Will you stay here or come with us?

Θα οδηγήσει ο Νίκος ή η Άννα;

tha odhiyísi o Níkos i i Ána;

Will Nikos or Anna drive?

In the second sentence, the singular verb is natural because the alternatives identify one intended driver. Agreement with coordinated alternatives depends on whether the meaning selects one member or treats several together; και, by contrast, straightforwardly adds them.

Negative addition: ούτε

Ούτε means “nor,” “neither,” or “not even.” In a negative clause it adds another item to the scope of the negation.

Δεν έχω χρόνο ούτε χρήματα για ταξίδι.

dhen écho chróno úte chrímata ya taksídhi

I have neither the time nor the money for a trip.

Δεν μου είπε ούτε καλημέρα.

dhen mu ípe úte kaliméra

He didn't even say good morning to me.

Greek negative concord allows δεν and ούτε to appear together without cancelling each other. The first sentence does not mean that two negatives make a positive; ούτε extends the existing negative statement.

Ordinary contrast: αλλά, μα, όμως, ωστόσο

Neutral αλλά introduces opposition: the second element contrasts with the first. Μα can perform the same job, especially in conversational or expressive style.

Ήθελα να μείνω, αλλά έπρεπε να φύγω.

íthela na míno, alá éprepe na fígho

I wanted to stay, but I had to leave.

Προσπάθησε πολύ, μα δεν τα κατάφερε.

prospáthise polí, ma dhen ta katáfere

She tried hard, but she didn't manage it.

Όμως means “however/but” and is positionally freer. It may open the contrasting clause or appear after one of its constituents. Ωστόσο is a more formal or written “however.”

Ήρθε στην ώρα του, όμως δεν έμεινε πολύ.

írthe stin óra tu, ómos dhen émine polí

He arrived on time, but he didn't stay long.

Ήρθε στην ώρα του· δεν έμεινε όμως πολύ.

írthe stin óra tu; dhen émine ómos polí

He arrived on time; he didn't stay long, however.

Η πρόταση είναι ακριβή· ωστόσο, λύνει το πρόβλημα.

i prótasi íne akriví; ostóso, líni to próvlima

The proposal is expensive; however, it solves the problem.

The contrastive inventory has its own decision guide at αλλά, όμως, and παρά.

Corrective contrast: παρά

After a negative, παρά can mean “but rather”: the first candidate is rejected and replaced by the second. This corrective use is more careful or formal than everyday αλλά in the same frame.

Δεν ήθελε τσάι παρά καφέ.

dhen íthele tsái pará kafé

She didn't want tea, but rather coffee. (careful)

Δεν ήταν αδιαφορία παρά φόβος.

dhen ítan adhiaforía pará fóvos

It wasn't indifference but rather fear. (formal)

This παρά does not merely add an unexpected clause, as English but often does. It corrects the identity of a focused constituent after negation. Other meanings of παρά—including “except” and prepositional uses—need separate analysis.

λοιπόν: consequence and the next step

Λοιπόν often translates as “so,” “then,” or “well then.” Unlike και or ή, it does not coordinate two nouns. It connects the preceding discourse to a conclusion, decision, or next move, so it is better understood as a sentence connector within the wider coordinating system.

Τελείωσε η βροχή· πάμε, λοιπόν, μια βόλτα.

telíose i vrochí; páme, lipón, mia vólta

The rain has stopped, so let's go for a walk.

Λοιπόν, τι αποφασίσαμε τελικά;

lipón, ti apofasísame teliká;

So, what did we decide in the end?

It is neutral and extremely common in conversation; in formal argument, more specialized consequence connectors may be preferable.

Balanced pairs

Greek repeats a coordinator before each focused member to produce three correlative patterns:

Και η Άννα και ο Νίκος ξέρουν την αλήθεια.

ke i Ána ke o Níkos ksérun tin alíthia

Both Anna and Nikos know the truth.

Ή θα τηλεφωνήσεις εσύ ή θα τηλεφωνήσω εγώ.

i tha tilefonísis esí i tha tilefoníso eghó

Either you'll call or I will.

Ούτε βρέχει ούτε φυσάει σήμερα.

úte vréchi úte fisái símera

Today it is neither raining nor windy.

Και…και includes both members, ή…ή presents an explicit choice, and ούτε…ούτε excludes both. Parallel placement matters: each repeated conjunction should immediately precede the constituent it scopes over.

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In a correlative pair, place the repeated conjunctions at matching structural points: noun before noun, phrase before phrase, or clause before clause. The parallel rhythm lets the listener recover the alternatives before the sentence is complete.

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Do not translate every English “but” or “so” mechanically. Use αλλά/μα for ordinary opposition, mobile όμως for “however,” negative-frame παρά for correction, and λοιπόν to draw a conclusion or move the conversation forward.

Common Mistakes

1. Omitting the tonos from ή “or.”

❌ Θα φύγεις τώρα η αργότερα;

Incorrect—the coordinator ‘or’ is ή; unaccented η is an article.

✅ Θα φύγεις τώρα ή αργότερα;

tha fíyis tóra i arghótera;

Will you leave now or later?

2. Using singular agreement with an inclusive και-subject.

❌ Ο Κώστας και η Ελένη έφυγε νωρίς.

Incorrect—the two coordinated subjects require a plural verb.

✅ Ο Κώστας και η Ελένη έφυγαν νωρίς.

o Kóstas ke i Eléni éfiyan norís

Kostas and Eleni left early.

3. Putting a postverbal object pair after affirmative έχω. In this object pattern, negate the finite verb with δεν. Clause-initial ούτε…ούτε can itself supply negation, as in Ούτε βρέχει ούτε φυσάει above.

❌ Έχω ούτε χρόνο ούτε χρήματα.

Incorrect—the negative pair requires δεν on the finite verb.

✅ Δεν έχω ούτε χρόνο ούτε χρήματα.

dhen écho úte chróno úte chrímata

I have neither time nor money.

Key Takeaways

και adds, ή offers alternatives, and ούτε extends negation.
αλλά/μα express ordinary opposition; όμως/ωστόσο mean “however”; negative-frame παρά corrects “not X but Y.”
λοιπόν connects prior discourse to a conclusion or next step rather than joining nouns.
Repeated και…και, ή…ή, ούτε…ούτε make the scope of “both, either, neither” explicit.
A subject joined by inclusive και normally takes plural verb agreement.

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