Greek has ordinary one-word answers: ναι “yes” and όχι “no.” The challenge is using them clearly after a negative question and recognizing that μάλιστα can signal respectful assent or simply “I see.” Greek often repeats the relevant verb for precision.
In positive questions, ναι affirms and όχι rejects
For a positive yes/no question, the basic pair is straightforward. Ναι presents the positive alternative as true; όχι presents the negative alternative as true.
Θα έρθεις μαζί μας; — Ναι.
tha érthis mazí mas; — ne
Will you come with us? — Yes.
Θέλεις άλλο καφέ; — Όχι, ευχαριστώ.
thélis álo kafé; — óchi, efcharistó
Would you like more coffee? — No, thank you.
Both words work in informal conversation and formal settings. Όχι is the independent reply word; it is not the particle placed before a finite verb. A negative indicative clause uses δεν, while a negative subjunctive or imperative environment uses μη(ν). The division is treated fully on the uses of όχι.
Έχεις χρόνο τώρα; — Όχι, δεν έχω.
échis chróno tóra; — óchi, dhen écho
Do you have time now? — No, I don't.
Echo the verb for a clear, natural answer
English short answers need an auxiliary—yes, I do; no, she didn't. Greek has no general-purpose answer auxiliary. It repeats the meaningful verb, with the person changed to match the speaker. The subject pronoun is normally unnecessary because the verb ending already identifies the person.
Δουλεύεις αύριο; — Ναι, δουλεύω μέχρι τις πέντε.
dhulévis ávrio; — ne, dhulévo méchri tis pénde
Are you working tomorrow? — Yes, I'm working until five.
Πήρε η Άννα τα κλειδιά; — Όχι, τα πήρε ο Μάριος.
píre i Ána ta klidhiá; — óchi, ta píre o Mários
Did Anna take the keys? — No, Marios took them.
Θα προλάβετε το τρένο; — Ναι, θα προλάβουμε.
tha prolávete to tréno; — ne, tha prolávume
Will you make the train? — Yes, we will.
What is echoed is δουλεύω, πήρε, or θα προλάβουμε, not a translation of English do/did/will. A fuller echo is useful when the answer changes part of the question.
Θα το στείλεις σήμερα; — Όχι, θα το στείλω αύριο το πρωί.
tha to stílis símera; — óchi, tha to stílo ávrio to proí
Will you send it today? — No, I'll send it tomorrow morning.
Negative questions: say the fact, because usage varies
A negative question often expects confirmation or expresses surprise: Δεν έφαγες; “Didn't you eat?” Many speakers use a polarity-matching pattern: όχι accompanies a negative answer, while ναι accompanies a positive answer that contradicts the negative wording.
Δεν έφαγες τίποτα; — Όχι, δεν πεινούσα.
dhen éfayes típota; — óchi, dhen pinúsa
Didn't you eat anything? — No, I wasn't hungry.
Δεν έφαγες τίποτα; — Ναι, έφαγα μια τυρόπιτα.
dhen éfayes típota; — ne, éfagha mia tirópita
Didn't you eat anything? — Yes, I ate a cheese pie.
Greek also permits a truth-confirming use of ναι. For speakers who use it, ναι can agree with the negative proposition—but the negative clause must be said aloud:
Δεν δουλεύει ο Νίκος σήμερα; — Ναι, δεν δουλεύει.
dhen dhulévi o Níkos símera; — ne, dhen dhulévi
Nikos isn't working today? — That's right, he isn't. (truth-confirming use; not used by all speakers)
Because speaker usage differs, a bare particle after a negative question is unsafe. The reliable learner strategy is to repeat the fact: Όχι, δεν έφαγα or Ναι, έφαγα, and for speakers using the other pattern, Ναι, δεν έφαγα. When the answer matters—appointments, medication, tickets, deadlines—the following clause carries the unambiguous answer.
Δεν θα έρθεις αύριο; — Όχι, δεν θα μπορέσω.
dhen tha érthis ávrio; — óchi, dhen tha boréso
Aren't you coming tomorrow? — No, I won't be able to.
Δεν θα έρθεις αύριο; — Ναι, θα έρθω κανονικά.
dhen tha érthis ávrio; — ne, tha értho kanoniká
Aren't you coming tomorrow? — Yes, I'm coming as planned.
Polite expansions
Ναι, βέβαια “yes, of course” accepts a request readily. Όχι, ευχαριστώ is the normal courteous refusal of an offer. Βεβαίως is a somewhat more formal “certainly,” especially in service and professional exchanges.
Μπορείς να μου κρατήσεις μια θέση; — Ναι, βέβαια.
borís na mu kratísis mia thési; — ne, vévea
Can you save me a seat? — Yes, of course.
Να σας φέρω νερό; — Όχι, ευχαριστώ, είμαι εντάξει.
na sas féro neró; — óchi, efcharistó, íme endáksi
Shall I bring you some water? — No, thank you, I'm fine.
Μπορείτε να περιμένετε λίγο; — Βεβαίως.
boríte na periménete lígho; — vevéos
Could you wait a moment? — Certainly. (formal/polite)
A clipped Ναι, βέβαια! can sound impatient or ironic, just as of course! can in English. Context and melody carry that attitude.
μάλιστα: assent, attention, and acknowledgment
As an answer, μάλιστα is a marked “yes/certainly.” It is common in respectful or institutional exchanges—speaking to an official, responding to an instruction, or serving a customer—and can sound overly stiff between close friends.
Θέλετε την απόδειξη; — Μάλιστα, παρακαλώ.
thélete tin apódhiksi; — málista, parakaló
Would you like the receipt? — Yes, please. (polite/formal)
Να σας συνδέσω με το λογιστήριο; — Μάλιστα.
na sas sindhéso me to loyistírio; — málista
Shall I put you through to accounts? — Yes, please. (formal/service interaction)
Μάλιστα also acknowledges information: “I see,” “right,” or “go on.” With rising intonation, Μάλιστα; invites the speaker to continue; with a particular falling or lengthened intonation it may express surprise or skepticism. That use does not answer a hidden yes/no question.
Μάλιστα, καταλαβαίνω. Και τι έγινε μετά;
málista, katalavéno. ke ti éyine metá;
I see, I understand. And what happened next?
Repeated ναι in conversation
Repeated ναι, ναι is (informal). Said warmly, it reassures the other person that you understood or will comply. Said quickly over someone else's speech, it can signal “yes, yes, I know” and sound dismissive. The spelling may be represented as ναι-ναι when the repetition is treated as one rhythmic unit.
Ναι, ναι, θα σε πάρω μόλις φτάσω.
ne, ne, tha se páro mólis ftáso
Yes, yes, I'll call you as soon as I arrive. (informal, reassuring)
Ναι, ναι, το κατάλαβα· άσε με να τελειώσω.
ne, ne, to katálava; áse me na telióso
Yes, yes, I got it; let me finish. (informal, potentially impatient)
Common Mistakes
1. Using δεν as a standalone “no.” Δεν must occupy the negative slot before an indicative verb.
❌ Θέλεις άλλο; — Δεν.
Incorrect — the independent negative reply is όχι; δεν requires a following finite verb.
✅ Θέλεις άλλο; — Όχι, δεν θέλω, ευχαριστώ.
thélis álo; — óchi, dhen thélo, efcharistó
Would you like more? — No, I don't, thank you.
2. Putting όχι directly in the finite-verb negation slot. Use όχι as the reply, then δεν before the verb.
❌ Όχι έφαγα τίποτα.
Incorrect for ‘I didn't eat anything’ — a finite indicative clause needs δεν: Όχι, δεν έφαγα τίποτα.
✅ Όχι, δεν έφαγα τίποτα πριν φύγω.
óchi, dhen éfagha típota prin fígho
No, I didn't eat anything before I left.
3. Giving only a particle after a negative question when the outcome matters. A bare reply is possible, but the echo prevents cross-language misunderstanding.
Ναι.
ne
Grammatical, but potentially unclear in isolation after a negative question.
✅ Ναι, πήρα το φάρμακο το πρωί.
ne, píra to fármako to proí
Yes, I took the medicine this morning.
4. Using μάλιστα as the unmarked answer among friends. It is grammatical, but often too formal; ordinary ναι fits the register.
Μάλιστα, θα έρθω για καφέ.
málista, tha értho ya kafé
Grammatical but stiff in an ordinary chat: ‘Indeed, I shall come for coffee.’
✅ Ναι, θα έρθω για καφέ κατά τις έξι.
ne, tha értho ya kafé katá tis éksi
Yes, I'll come for coffee around six.
Key Takeaways
- After a positive question, ναι selects the positive answer and όχι the negative answer.
- όχι can stand alone; δεν must precede an indicative finite verb: Όχι, δεν μπορώ.
- Greek echoes the meaningful verb rather than using English-style do/did: Ναι, δουλεύω. Όχι, δεν πήγα.
- After a negative question, particle usage varies across speakers; make the outcome explicit by echoing the positive or negative clause.
- μάλιστα is respectful/formal assent and can also mean “I see/go on.”
- Repeated ναι, ναι is informal; intonation makes it reassuring or impatient.
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.
- Yes, No, MaybeA2 — Reply, affirm, deny, hedge, and assess probability in Greek with ναι, όχι, μάλιστα, ίσως, μάλλον, πιθανόν, σίγουρα, ευτυχώς, and δυστυχώς.
- Backchanneling and Active ListeningA2 — Use Greek listening signals to support a speaker, show understanding, and react without taking over the turn.
- Yes/No QuestionsA1 — Turn a Greek statement into a yes/no question with its characteristic intonation and the written question mark ;, without English-style inversion or an added auxiliary.