English as and like cover several different relationships. Greek usually separates them: όπως points to a manner, instruction, or real model that something corresponds to, while σαν presents one person or thing as resembling another. When the comparison expands into an imagined situation, Greek uses σαν να “as if”; conversational λες και expresses a similar judgment with different grammar.
All four constructions are (neutral) unless noted otherwise. The useful contrast is not “formal versus informal,” but correspondence versus resemblance.
όπως: “as,” “the way that”
Όπως normally introduces a clause: its following verb supplies the manner or model. In όπως θέλεις, the meaning is literally “in the way that you want”; in όπως είπα, the later statement corresponds to something actually said.
Κάνε όπως θέλεις, εγώ δεν θα επιμείνω.
káne ópos thélis, eghó dhen tha epimíno
Do as you like; I won't insist.
Όπως σου είπα χθες, το μαγαζί ανοίγει στις εννιά.
ópos su ípa chthes, to maghazí aníyi stis eniá
As I told you yesterday, the shop opens at nine.
Μαγείρεψέ το όπως σου έδειξε η γιαγιά σου.
mayírepsé to ópos su édhikse i yayá su
Cook it the way your grandmother showed you.
The clause after όπως may be understood rather than fully spoken. Όπως κι εγώ means “as I do too,” with an omitted verb recoverable from context. This is why “όπως always takes an overt clause” is a useful beginner’s diagnostic, not an absolute ban on a following noun phrase.
Η Ελένη, όπως κι εγώ, προτιμάει να δουλεύει το πρωί.
i Eléni, ópos ki eghó, protimái na dhulévi to proí
Eleni, like me, prefers working in the morning.
σαν: resemblance rather than a model
Σαν most often stands before a noun or noun phrase and means “like.” It does not assert that the two things are identical. It selects a feature that makes one resemble the other in the current context.
Ο Μάριος είναι σαν αδερφός μου· γνωριζόμαστε από παιδιά.
o Mários íne san adherfós mu; ghnorizómaste apó pedhiá
Marios is like a brother to me; we've known each other since childhood.
Έτρεξε σαν τρελός για να προλάβει το λεωφορείο.
étrekse san trelós ya na prolávi to leoforío
He ran like mad to catch the bus.
Μου φέρθηκε σαν ξένος, παρόλο που είμαστε φίλοι χρόνια.
mu férthike san ksénos, parólo pu ímaste fíli chrónia
He behaved toward me like a stranger, although we've been friends for years.
The case of the comparison relates to its role in the sentence, not to a case mechanically “governed” by σαν. In the examples above, αδερφός, τρελός, ξένος characterize the subject and appear in the nominative. More complex case choices belong to the comparative sentences page.
The reduced form σα is also grammatical, especially in the frequent σα να and before some consonants. It is common in colloquial and literary Greek, so it must not be treated as an error; full σαν is the safest productive choice and is strongly favored in edited prose, particularly before a vowel.
The central contrast
Compare an actual manner with a resemblance:
Με κοίταξε όπως με κοιτάζει πάντα.
me kítakse ópos me kitázi pánda
She looked at me the way she always does. (the manner matches a real pattern)
Με κοίταξε σαν να με έβλεπε πρώτη φορά.
me kítakse san na me évlepe próti forá
She looked at me as if she were seeing me for the first time. (an appearance, not an asserted fact)
The first sentence compares one real look with her established manner. The second constructs an imagined explanation for the look. English can use like rather loosely for both; careful Greek keeps the structural difference audible.
σαν να: “as if”
Σαν να + verb builds a hypothetical or appearance-based comparison. The speaker describes what the situation looks or feels like without asserting that the embedded situation is true. The να is therefore meaningful: it introduces the non-asserted scenario.
Μιλάει σαν να ξέρει τα πάντα για την υπόθεση.
milái san na kséri ta pánda ya tin ipóthesi
He talks as if he knows everything about the case.
Γελούσε σαν να είχε ακούσει το καλύτερο αστείο.
ghelúse san na íche akúsi to kalítero astío
She was laughing as though she had heard the best joke.
Κάνει σαν να μην άκουσε την ερώτηση.
káni san na min ákuse tin erótisi
He's acting as if he didn't hear the question.
The imagined situation can be simultaneous (ξέρει) or earlier (είχε συμβεί, άκουσε). This is one environment where forms referring to past time naturally follow σαν να. The general behavior of να is covered on the να particle.
λες και: “you would think,” “as if”
Λες και is especially frequent in (informal) conversation. Literally “you say and…,” it often carries surprise, irritation, or an evaluative “you would think that…”. Unlike σαν να, it is followed by an ordinary indicative clause, without να.
Μιλάει λες και είναι ο διευθυντής.
milái les ke íne o dhiefthindís
He talks as if he were the director. (informal, annoyed)
Έφυγαν όλοι λες και τελείωσε η παράσταση.
éfighan óli les ke telíose i parástasi
Everyone left as if the show were over. (informal)
Σαν να is the neutral all-purpose choice; λες και makes the speaker’s reaction more audible. They can describe the same apparent situation, but their clause patterns are not interchangeable.
Common Mistakes
1. Stacking όπως with a second complementizer.
❌ Κάνε όπως ότι σου είπα.
Incorrect—όπως itself introduces the manner clause; ότι cannot be stacked after it.
✅ Κάνε όπως σου είπα.
káne ópos su ípa
Do as I told you.
2. Copying English “like that” as σαν ότι.
❌ Κοιτάζει γύρω του σαν ότι φοβάται κάποιον.
Incorrect—an imagined clause after σαν requires να, not ότι.
✅ Κοιτάζει γύρω του σαν να φοβάται κάποιον.
kitázi yíro tu san na fováte kápion
He looks around as if he is afraid of someone.
3. Writing a tonos on monosyllabic λες.
❌ Φέρεται λές και είναι αφεντικό.
Incorrect—λες is a monosyllable and carries no tonos.
✅ Φέρεται λες και είναι αφεντικό.
férete les ke íne afendikó
He acts as if he's the boss. (informal)
Key Takeaways
- όπως + clause matches an actual manner, instruction, or model: όπως είπα.
- σαν + noun phrase marks resemblance: σαν αδερφός, σαν τρελός.
- σαν να + clause presents an unasserted appearance: σαν να ξέρει.
- λες και + indicative is a frequent (informal) alternative with a stronger evaluative flavor.
- The clause-versus-noun distinction is a powerful first guide, but ellipsis allows όπως κι εγώ “as I do too.”
Related Topics
- Comparative SentencesB1 — Build Greek phrasal comparisons of superiority, equality, and inferiority with the correct marker and case.
- Condition: αν, εάν, άμα, σανA2 — Choose Greek conditional linkers by register: standard αν, formal εάν, colloquial άμα and σαν, plus unless and whenever expressions.
- Comparative ClausesB2 — Compare Greek propositions with απ' ό,τι and όσο, leave predictable material unspoken, and reject an alternative with παρά να.