Negation is not always an on/off switch. Greek can deny only a degree, mark a situation as not true yet, or place a quantity just above zero. These choices matter pragmatically: Δεν μου άρεσε rejects something outright, whereas Δεν μου άρεσε πολύ leaves room for “a little.”
Full negation versus a limited degree
A bare negative clause normally has wide scope: it denies the proposition. Adding a degree expression can narrow that scope to one point on a scale.
Δεν μου άρεσε η συναυλία.
dhen mu árese i sinavlía
I didn't like the concert.
Δεν μου άρεσε πολύ η συναυλία.
dhen mu árese polí i sinavlía
I didn't like the concert very much.
The second sentence does not entail complete dislike. It says the liking did not reach a high degree. English uses not very or not much similarly, but Greek commonly places δεν before the finite verb and the scale word later in the clause.
As a short answer, the finite verb disappears and όχι carries the negation:
Κουράστηκες; — Όχι πολύ, αλλά θέλω να καθίσω λίγο.
kurástikes; — óchi polí, alá thélo na kathíso lígho
Did you get tired? — Not much, but I want to sit down for a bit.
Not yet: όχι ακόμα and δεν…ακόμα
Όχι ακόμα means “not yet.” Unlike a permanent “no,” it presents the situation as pending or expected to change. It is natural as an answer; a complete clause usually uses δεν … ακόμα.
Έφυγαν οι άλλοι; — Όχι ακόμα· περιμένουν τη Μαρία.
éfighan i áli; — óchi akóma; periménun ti María
Have the others left? — Not yet; they're waiting for Maria.
Δεν έχει ανακοινωθεί ακόμα το αποτέλεσμα.
dhen échi anakoinothí akóma to apotélezma
The result hasn't been announced yet.
The word ακόμα itself is not negative. The negation comes from όχι in the fragment or δεν in the clause. That is why dropping both negative markers changes “not yet” into “still/already,” depending on context.
Near zero: σχεδόν καθόλου
καθόλου means “at all” under negation; σχεδόν καθόλου places the amount just above zero: “almost not at all” or, more idiomatically, “hardly any.” It remains inside a negative-concord clause with δεν.
Δεν κοιμήθηκα σχεδόν καθόλου χθες βράδυ.
dhen kimíthika schedhón kathólu chthes vrádhi
I hardly slept at all last night.
Στο χωριό δεν είχε σχεδόν καθόλου κίνηση.
sto chorió dhen íche schedhón kathólu kínisi
There was hardly any traffic in the village.
Compare Δεν κοιμήθηκα καθόλου (“I did not sleep at all”) with Δεν κοιμήθηκα σχεδόν καθόλου (“I slept, but only a negligible amount”). The added σχεδόν prevents the reading from reaching absolute zero.
A tactful downgrade: όχι και τόσο
The neutral conversational expression όχι και τόσο means “not all that” or “not particularly.” It often gives a softer, less categorical assessment than a plain negative adjective.
Ήταν δύσκολη η εξέταση; — Όχι και τόσο.
ítan dhískoli i eksétasi; — óchi ke tóso
Was the exam difficult? — Not particularly.
Το ξενοδοχείο δεν είναι και τόσο κοντά στο κέντρο.
to ksenodhochío dhen íne ke tóso kondá sto kéndro
The hotel isn't all that close to the center.
Here και is not simply the additive “and.” Inside the fixed scalar pattern δεν είναι και τόσο…, it helps evoke and then reject a relatively high point on the scale. The tone is often tactful: the speaker downgrades “close” without saying “far.”
δεν…παρά: no more than
In the somewhat formal or careful construction δεν … παρά + quantity, παρά means “except/other than,” and the entire phrase means “only” or “no more than.” The opening δεν is required; this is not the ordinary prepositional use of παρά.
Δεν έχω παρά δέκα ευρώ πάνω μου.
dhen écho pará dhéka evró páno mu
I have only ten euros on me.
Δεν απέμεναν παρά δύο μέρες μέχρι την προθεσμία.
dhen apémenan pará dhío méres méchri tin prothezmía
Only two days remained until the deadline.
Everyday speech more often uses μόνο: Έχω μόνο δέκα ευρώ. The δεν…παρά version frames all other possibilities as excluded and can sound more written or emphatic. The two constructions should not be mechanically stacked; choose the one that matches the register. The other uses of this polysemous word are mapped on παρά.
Barely, and with difficulty
Μόλις και μετά βίας is an emphatic, somewhat formal expression meaning “barely” or “only with great difficulty.” It places success just above the lower boundary: the event happened, but it nearly failed to happen.
Μόλις και μετά βίας προλάβαμε το τελευταίο λεωφορείο.
mólis ke metá vías prolávame to teleftéo leoforío
We barely caught the last bus.
Με τον θόρυβο, μόλις και μετά βίας άκουγα τι έλεγε.
me ton thórivo, mólis ke metá vías ákugha ti éleghe
With all the noise, I could barely hear what he was saying.
This is not grammatical negation: there is no δεν, and the event is affirmed. Its meaning is nevertheless scalar and negative-like because it says the event reached the minimum threshold only with difficulty.
Common Mistakes
1. Using παρά in the “only” construction without δεν.
❌ Έχουμε παρά λίγα λεπτά.
Incorrect for the meaning ‘We have only a few minutes’ — scalar παρά requires the frame δεν…παρά.
✅ Δεν έχουμε παρά λίγα λεπτά.
dhen échume pará lígha leptá
We have only a few minutes.
2. Leaving καθόλου unlicensed in an affirmative statement.
❌ Κοιμήθηκα σχεδόν καθόλου χθες.
Incorrect — declarative καθόλου meaning ‘at all’ needs negative licensing.
✅ Δεν κοιμήθηκα σχεδόν καθόλου χθες.
dhen kimíthika schedhón kathólu chthes
I hardly slept at all yesterday.
3. Placing όχι ακόμα after a finite negative clause.
❌ Δεν έχει έρθει όχι ακόμα.
Incorrect — use δεν…ακόμα in a full clause, or όχι ακόμα as a separate answer.
✅ Δεν έχει έρθει ακόμα.
dhen échi érthi akóma
He hasn't arrived yet.
Key Takeaways
- όχι πολύ is a short answer; a full clause normally uses δεν…πολύ.
- όχι ακόμα / δεν…ακόμα means “not yet” and normally implies that change remains possible.
- σχεδόν καθόλου means “hardly at all,” just above absolute zero.
- όχι και τόσο tactfully lowers a degree; δεν…παρά means “only/no more than” in careful style.
- μόλις και μετά βίας affirms that something happened, but only barely and with difficulty.
Related Topics
- όχι: No and BeyondA1 — Use όχι as an independent ‘no,’ a polite refusal, and a focused negator before nonverbal elements, while δεν negates an ordinary finite verb.
- Adverbs of Quantity and DegreeA2 — Use Greek quantity and degree adverbs such as πολύ, λίγο, αρκετά, τόσο, σχεδόν, περίπου, μόνο, and καθόλου without confusing them with agreeing quantifiers.
- παρά: despite, minus, butB2 — How παρά shifts among preposition, time subtraction, exception, comparison, and adversative connector uses.