Greek όχι does much more than answer “no.” It can reject an offer, contradict what someone has just said, or place a sharp contrast on one person, thing, or degree. The useful organizing principle is simple: δεν normally negates a finite indicative verb, while όχι can stand alone or negate a nonverbal piece of the message.
The independent answer “no”
On its own, όχι is the ordinary neutral answer to a yes/no question. In conversation it can be a complete turn; Greek does not require you to repeat the verb.
Θα έρθεις μαζί μας; — Όχι, έχω δουλειά.
tha érthis mazí mas; — óchi, écho dhuliá
Are you coming with us? — No, I have work to do.
Θέλετε σακούλα; — Όχι, ευχαριστώ.
thélete sakúla; — óchi, efcharistó
Would you like a bag? — No, thank you.
Όχι, ευχαριστώ is the standard polite refusal in both everyday and service encounters. A bare όχι is neutral when it simply supplies information, but voice and context can make it sound abrupt when someone is offering you something.
Speakers also repeat the word. Όχι, όχι is informal and highly dependent on tone: it may strengthen a refusal, quickly correct a misunderstanding, or reassure someone that no apology is needed.
Συγγνώμη, σε διέκοψα. — Όχι, όχι, τελείωσα.
sighnómi, se dhiékopsa — óchi, óchi, telíosa
Sorry, I interrupted you. — No, no, I was finished.
Contradiction and protest
At the beginning of a response, όχι rejects a whole claim. The clause that follows still uses its own ordinary grammar, including δεν if its verb is negative.
Όχι, δεν είναι έτσι· άκουσέ με πρώτα.
óchi, dhen íne étsi; ákusé me próta
No, that isn't how it is; listen to me first.
Όχι, δεν είπα ότι θα φύγω σήμερα.
óchi, dhen ípa óti tha fígho símera
No, I didn't say that I would leave today.
The exclamation Α, όχι! is stronger. In everyday speech it expresses protest, dismay, or a firm boundary rather than merely supplying a negative answer.
Α, όχι! Αυτό δεν το δέχομαι.
a, óchi! aftó dhen to dhéchome
Oh, no! I won't accept that.
Register comes mainly from delivery: όχι itself is neutral, while a clipped or shouted Όχι! is emphatic. More formal refusals may add a reason, but the word does not change.
Negating one constituent
When the intended correction is not “the event did not happen” but “this particular person, object, time, or degree is wrong,” Greek places όχι directly before that constituent. English often uses not in exactly this focused way.
Θέλω τσάι, όχι καφέ.
thélo tsái, óchi kafé
I want tea, not coffee.
Όχι εγώ· ο Νίκος έχει τα κλειδιά.
óchi eghó; o Níkos échi ta klidhiá
Not me; Nikos has the keys.
Θα φύγουμε αύριο, όχι σήμερα.
tha fíghume ávrio, óchi símera
We'll leave tomorrow, not today.
This explains the difference between two superficially similar sentences:
Δεν ήρθε ο Γιάννης.
dhen írthe o Yánis
Yannis didn't come.
Ήρθε όχι ο Γιάννης, αλλά ο Νίκος.
írthe óchi o Yánis, alá o Níkos
It wasn't Yannis who came, but Nikos.
The second is grammatical but strongly contrastive and somewhat marked; in unmarked conversation, speakers often say Δεν ήρθε ο Γιάννης· ήρθε ο Νίκος. The point remains the same: δεν denies the event, while όχι ο Γιάννης corrects the identity of one participant.
Degree and expectation
Before degree expressions, όχι narrows the negation. Όχι πολύ means “not much” rather than an absolute “not at all,” and όχι ακόμα means “not yet,” leaving open the expectation that the situation may change.
Σου άρεσε η ταινία; — Όχι πολύ.
su árese i tenía; — óchi polí
Did you like the film? — Not much.
Είναι έτοιμο το φαγητό; — Όχι ακόμα.
íne étimo to fayitó; — óchi akóma
Is the food ready? — Not yet.
These are often elliptical answers. Inside a full finite clause, Greek normally returns to δεν: Δεν μου άρεσε πολύ and Δεν είναι έτοιμο ακόμα. The finer scale of these expressions is developed on partial and scalar negation.
όχι μόνο… αλλά και…
The neutral construction όχι μόνο … αλλά και … means “not only … but also ….” It does not deny the first item; it says the truth extends beyond it. The two sides should have matching grammatical shape so the listener can process the addition easily.
Δεν μιλάει μόνο ελληνικά· μιλάει και ιταλικά.
dhen milái móno eliniká; milái ke italiká
She doesn't speak only Greek; she speaks Italian too.
Όχι μόνο βρήκε το πορτοφόλι, αλλά και το επέστρεψε αμέσως.
óchi móno vríke to portofóli, alá ke to epéstrepse amésos
Not only did he find the wallet, but he also returned it immediately.
Common Mistakes
1. Using όχι as the ordinary negator before a finite verb.
❌ Όχι θέλω καφέ.
Incorrect — an ordinary negative indicative clause uses δεν before the verb.
✅ Δεν θέλω καφέ.
dhen thélo kafé
I don't want coffee.
2. Using δεν as an independent answer.
❌ Θέλεις νερό; — Δεν.
Incorrect — the independent answer ‘no’ is όχι; δεν needs a finite verb.
✅ Θέλεις νερό; — Όχι.
thélis neró; — óchi
Do you want water? — No.
3. Using δεν to correct a noun phrase.
❌ Θέλω το μικρό, δεν το μεγάλο.
Incorrect — constituent correction uses όχι, not the verbal negator δεν.
✅ Θέλω το μικρό, όχι το μεγάλο.
thélo to mikró, óchi to meghálo
I want the small one, not the large one.
Key Takeaways
- όχι is the independent “no,” including polite Όχι, ευχαριστώ and emphatic Όχι!
- δεν negates an ordinary finite indicative verb; όχι negates a focused nonverbal constituent.
- όχι πολύ and όχι ακόμα express partial negation, not an absolute negative.
- όχι μόνο… αλλά και… is an additive pair: “not only … but also ….”
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.
- Partial and Scalar NegationB2 — Greek softens absolute negatives with όχι πολύ, όχι ακόμα, σχεδόν καθόλου, όχι και τόσο, δεν…παρά, and expressions meaning ‘barely.’
- Yes, No, MaybeA2 — Reply, affirm, deny, hedge, and assess probability in Greek with ναι, όχι, μάλιστα, ίσως, μάλλον, πιθανόν, σίγουρα, ευτυχώς, and δυστυχώς.