Greek can prohibit the same action at several levels of force: a parent can say “Don't touch that,” a museum can ask visitors not to use flash, and a legal notice can state that entry is forbidden. The basic negative-command form is μη(ν) + subjunctive, because Greek has no negative imperative form. Its aspect choice and preverbal clitics are taught in full on negative commands: μη(ν) + subjunctive, with extra aspect practice on aspect in the imperative. Here the issue is register: how a prohibition sounds in conversation, on a sign, and in an official rule.
Direct public prohibitions
μη(ν) + second-person plural is the standard direct form on signs and public announcements (formal). The plural addresses the public collectively and also avoids treating an individual stranger with the familiar singular. It is concise and firm without necessarily sounding angry.
Μην καπνίζετε στην αποβάθρα.
min kapnízete stin apováthra
Do not smoke on the platform. (formal)
Μην πατάτε το γρασίδι.
min patáte to ghrasídhi
Keep off the grass. (formal)
Μη ρίχνετε σκουπίδια στην παραλία.
mi ríchnete skupídhia stin paralía
Do not drop litter on the beach. (formal)
The same direct pattern in the singular is ordinary with a friend, child, or family member (informal). It also appears when a safety warning is aimed at the person directly in front of the speaker. On an institutional sign, however, the plural is the unmarked choice.
Μην αγγίζεις το ταψί, καίει ακόμα.
min angízis to tapsí, kéi akóma
Don't touch the tray; it's still hot. (informal)
Impersonal official language
Official rules often remove the addressee altogether. Απαγορεύεται… “…is prohibited” is (formal) and stronger than a personal request. It can introduce either να + verb or a nominative noun phrase naming the banned activity.
Απαγορεύεται να παρκάρετε μπροστά στην είσοδο.
apaghorévete na parkárete brostá stin ísodho
Parking in front of the entrance is prohibited. (formal)
Απαγορεύεται το κάπνισμα σε όλο το κτίριο.
apaghorévete to kápnizma se ólo to ktírio
Smoking is prohibited throughout the building. (formal)
Απαγορεύεται η είσοδος στο κοινό μετά τις δέκα.
apaghorévete i ísodhos sto kinó metá tis dhéka
Members of the public are prohibited from entering after ten. (formal)
Δεν επιτρέπεται… “is not permitted” is also (formal), but it sounds slightly less legalistic than απαγορεύεται.
Δεν επιτρέπεται η φωτογράφιση με φλας.
dhen epitrépete i fotoghráfisi me flas
Flash photography is not permitted. (formal)
The noun phrase after απαγορεύεται or δεν επιτρέπεται is the grammatical subject and therefore nominative: η είσοδος, η φωτογράφιση, το κάπνισμα.
English signage freely builds labels with no + noun (“No entry,” “No smoking”). Greek does not imitate that pattern with μη(ν) + noun. It chooses a complete verbal prohibition or an impersonal predicate. Safety notices also combine a noun warning with a separate command, often in capitals (formal); capitalization increases visual urgency but changes no grammar.
ΚΙΝΔΥΝΟΣ — ΜΗΝ ΠΛΗΣΙΑΖΕΤΕ.
kíndhinos — min plisiázete
DANGER — KEEP AWAY. (formal)
The direct command is best when immediate behaviour matters; the nominal official form is best when the notice states an enduring rule. That is why an electrical hazard favours Μην πλησιάζετε, while building regulations favour Απαγορεύεται η είσοδος.
From requests to advice
An institution can keep the prohibition but add a courtesy frame. Παρακαλούμε, μη(ν)… and Σας παρακαλούμε να μη(ν)… are (formal). The first retains the direct prohibition after a pause; the second embeds it under να and sounds more fully phrased.
Παρακαλούμε, μη μιλάτε κατά τη διάρκεια της παράστασης.
parakalúme, mi miláte katá ti dhiárkia tis parástasis
Please do not talk during the performance. (formal)
Σας παρακαλούμε να μην αφήνετε αποσκευές στον διάδρομο.
sas parakalúme na min afínete aposkevés ston dhiádhromo
Please do not leave luggage in the corridor. (formal)
Advice formulas reduce the force further. Καλύτερα να μη(ν)… “it would be better not to” is unmarked across registers: it recommends avoidance rather than imposing a rule.
Καλύτερα να μην οδηγήσεις μέχρι να περάσει η ζάλη.
kalítera na min odhiyísis méchri na perási i záli
It would be better not to drive until the dizziness passes.
Δεν χρειάζεται να… “there is no need to” is also unmarked across registers. It literally removes an obligation; only context turns that release into a gentle discouragement. It is therefore softer—and less explicit—than a true prohibition.
Δεν χρειάζεται να απαντήσεις τώρα· σκέψου το με την ησυχία σου.
dhen chriázete na apandísis tóra· sképsu to me tin isichía su
You don't need to answer now; think it over in your own time.
Common Mistakes
1. Putting a noun directly after μη(ν). A public prohibition needs a verb, or an impersonal formula plus the noun.
❌ Μην κάπνισμα στην αίθουσα.
Incorrect — μην introduces a verbal prohibition, not the noun κάπνισμα.
✅ Απαγορεύεται το κάπνισμα στην αίθουσα.
apaghorévete to kápnizma stin éthusa
Smoking is prohibited in the hall. (formal)
2. Putting the nominal activity in the accusative. With impersonal απαγορεύεται, it is the nominative subject.
❌ Απαγορεύεται την είσοδο χωρίς κάρτα.
Incorrect — η είσοδος is the subject and must be nominative.
✅ Απαγορεύεται η είσοδος χωρίς κάρτα.
apaghorévete i ísodhos chorís kárta
Entry without a card is prohibited. (formal)
3. Reversing the particles after a polite request. The fixed paired order is να + μη(ν).
❌ Σας παρακαλούμε μην να κλείνετε την πόρτα.
Incorrect — the polite embedded clause begins να μην, in that order.
✅ Σας παρακαλούμε να μην κλείνετε την πόρτα.
sas parakalúme na min klínete tin pórta
Please do not close the door. (formal)
Key Takeaways
- Public signs commonly use μη(ν) + second-person plural (formal).
- Απαγορεύεται… is (formal) and takes either να + verb or a nominative activity noun.
- Σας παρακαλούμε να μη(ν)… is a courteous institutional request; Καλύτερα να μη(ν)… is advice.
- Δεν χρειάζεται να… removes obligation and only indirectly discourages; it is not a literal ban.
Related Topics
- Negative Commands: μη(ν) + SubjunctiveA2 — Greek has no morphologically negative imperative: its productive prohibition uses μη(ν) + a subjunctive form — Μην το κάνεις, Μη φεύγεις — with preverbal clitics and a live aspect contrast that is not a simple event-count switch.
- δεν vs μη(ν)A2 — Choose δεν for indicative facts and μη(ν) inside command, subjunctive, purpose, warning, and fear frames.
- Aspect in the ImperativeB1 — Where a verb supplies the contrast, Greek commands carry aspect too: the perfective imperative (γράψε, κλείσε, φάε) packages an instruction as a bounded whole, while the imperfective imperative (γράφε, πρόσεχε, να τρως) presents an activity internally or as an open habit.
- Softening and DirectnessC1 — Calibrate Greek requests from familiar directness to formal distance by combining request shape, address, particles, diminutives, and tone.