The central meaning of από is a source or starting point. In a comparison, that starting point becomes a baseline: one situation is measured outward from another. This is why the same Greek word can mean “from” in από το σπίτι and correspond to English “than” in καλύτερα από χθες. This page concentrates on that semantic extension, especially when Greek compares actions, times, amounts, and limits rather than two adjective-bearing nouns.
From a source to a comparison baseline
With physical movement, από answers “from where?”. With comparison, it answers “from what reference point are we measuring the difference?”. English switches to the separate word than; Greek keeps the image of departure from a point of reference.
Με το καινούριο μικρόφωνο, ακούγεσαι πιο καθαρά από πριν.
me to kenúrio mikrófono, akúyese pio kathará apó prin
With the new microphone, you sound clearer than before.
The comparison is between how clearly you sound now and before: πριν supplies the baseline marked by από.
Σήμερα μίλησε πιο ήρεμα από χθες και τον άκουσαν όλοι.
símera mílise pio írema apó chthes ke ton ákusan óli
Today he spoke more calmly than yesterday, and everyone listened to him.
Μετά από λίγη εξάσκηση, παίζεις καλύτερα από παλιά.
metá apó líyi eksáskisi, pézis kalítera apó paliá
After a little practice, you play better than you used to.
The word before από expresses degree; the phrase after it supplies the reference situation. Building the degree form belongs to the comparative with πιο, the comparative in -τερος, and comparison of adverbs. This page asks what από contributes once the comparison exists.
Time and circumstances as standards
The baseline can be a time such as χθες “yesterday,” πριν “before,” or πέρσι “last year,” or a whole set of circumstances.
Το πρωί πονούσα, αλλά τώρα νιώθω πολύ καλύτερα από χθες.
to proí ponúsa, alá tóra niótho polí kalítera apó chthes
I was in pain this morning, but now I feel much better than yesterday.
Χωρίς την κίνηση της Δευτέρας, φτάσαμε νωρίτερα από συνήθως.
chorís tin kínisi tis Dheftéras, ftásame norítera apó siníthos
Without Monday's traffic, we arrived earlier than usual.
Από συνήθως uses the usual situation as a norm; από πριν and από παλιά compare with earlier states. Contrast actual source Γύρισα από τη δουλειά “I came back from work” with baseline Δουλεύω πιο ήρεμα από παλιά “I work more calmly than before.”
Amounts and thresholds
With numbers and quantities, από introduces a threshold. Περισσότερο από Χ crosses upward from X; λιγότερο από Χ stays below X. English again says more than or less than, but Greek conceptualizes X as the reference point.
Η διαδρομή κράτησε λιγότερο από δέκα λεπτά.
i dhiadhromí krátise lighótero apó dhéka leptá
The journey took less than ten minutes.
Για τη συναυλία πουλήθηκαν περισσότερα από χίλια εισιτήρια.
ya ti sinavlía pulíthikan perisótera apó chília isitíria
More than a thousand tickets were sold for the concert.
Το δωμάτιο δεν κοστίζει πάνω από ογδόντα ευρώ τη βραδιά.
to dhomátio dhen kostízi páno apó oghdhónda evró ti vradhiá
The room doesn't cost more than eighty euros a night.
Here πάνω από sets an upper threshold; negative δεν ... πάνω από ογδόντα makes eighty the maximum.
από ποτέ: “than ever”
Normally ποτέ appears in negative statements as “never” or in questions as “ever.” After comparative από, however, ποτέ supplies the widest possible time baseline: all earlier occasions. Καλύτερα από ποτέ therefore means “better than at any previous time,” naturally translated as “better than ever.” No negation is missing.
Μετά την αλλαγή του μενού, το μαγαζί έχει περισσότερο κόσμο από ποτέ.
metá tin alayí tu menú, to maghazí échi perisótero kózmo apó poté
Since changing the menu, the restaurant is busier than ever.
Η ομάδα παίζει καλύτερα από ποτέ και ο κόσμος το απολαμβάνει.
i omádha pézi kalítera apó poté ke o kózmos to apolamváni
The team is playing better than ever, and the fans are enjoying it.
This productive frame is neutral in speech and writing: the comparison licenses ποτέ as “at any time,” not negative “never.”
When the baseline is a proposition
The reference point can instead be what someone expected or calculated:
Το ταξίδι κράτησε περισσότερο απ' ό,τι υπολογίζαμε.
to taksídhi krátise perisótero ap' óti ipoloyízame
The trip took longer than we had calculated.
Its nominal form, case, and register alternatives belong to case in comparisons. Semantically, the calculation remains the baseline that the actual duration exceeded.
Common Mistakes
1. Omitting από before an earlier-time baseline. English than may feel semantically empty, but Greek must explicitly mark the reference point.
❌ Σήμερα νιώθω καλύτερα χθες.
Incorrect—χθες needs από to function as the comparison baseline.
✅ Σήμερα νιώθω καλύτερα από χθες.
símera niótho kalítera apó chthes
Today I feel better than yesterday.
2. Leaving a numerical threshold unmarked. Περισσότερο gives the direction of comparison; από introduces the boundary being crossed.
❌ Η επισκευή πήρε περισσότερο τρεις ώρες.
Incorrect—the three-hour threshold must be introduced by από.
✅ Η επισκευή πήρε περισσότερο από τρεις ώρες.
i episkeví píre perisótero apó tris óres
The repair took more than three hours.
3. Treating ποτέ as ordinary negative “never” inside the fixed comparative frame. Here it means “at any previous time,” but only when από introduces it.
❌ Φέτος ταξιδεύουμε περισσότερο ποτέ.
Incorrect—'more than ever' requires the complete frame περισσότερο από ποτέ.
✅ Φέτος ταξιδεύουμε περισσότερο από ποτέ.
fétos taksidhévume perisótero apó poté
This year we're traveling more than ever.
Key Takeaways
- Comparative από extends the preposition's source meaning: it marks the baseline from which a difference is measured.
- The baseline can be a manner, an earlier time, usual circumstances, an amount, or a numerical threshold.
- Από ποτέ means “than ever”: ποτέ ranges over all previous occasions rather than supplying negation.
- When a full proposition supplies the baseline, follow the cross-linked comparison pages for the form; the source-to-baseline semantics remain the same.
Related Topics
- Case in ComparisonsB1 — How to say 'than' in Greek and what case follows — everyday από + accusative with a nominal standard, the learned genitive of comparison (ψηλότερος του αδερφού του) in formal writing, απ' ό,τι before a clause, and the narrow job that παρά still does.
- από: from, of, by, thanA1 — How από marks sources, passive agents, comparison standards, members of a group, and routes through a place.
- Comparing AdverbsB1 — Compare Greek actions with πιο + adverb, established synthetic forms in -ότερα, irregular καλύτερα and χειρότερα, and equality or maximum-degree patterns.