English “I'm sorry” does two social jobs. λυπάμαι expresses sympathy or regret; συγγνώμη and με συγχωρείτε perform an apology or get someone's attention. λυπάμαι can regret something you did, but after bumping into a stranger, the conventional repair is Συγγνώμη!
Λυπάμαι πολύ για την απώλειά σας.
lipáme polí ya tin apóliá sas
I'm very sorry for your loss.
Συγγνώμη, δεν πρόσεξα ότι περίμενες πίσω μου.
sighnómi, dhen próseksa óti perímenes píso mu
Sorry, I didn't notice you were waiting behind me.
The boundary concerns the speech act, not whether the speaker genuinely feels bad. Λυπάμαι που άργησα can sincerely state regret for being late, and in context it may accompany an apology. What it does not replace is the conventional formula that acknowledges the offense directly. Greek speakers normally say Συγγνώμη που άργησα when the goal is to apologise.
Principal parts
This card treats λυπάμαι as the contracted -άμαι deponent described on deponent verbs; its present endings are on the -άμαι paradigm.
| Slot | Form | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Present | λυπάμαι, λυπάσαι, λυπάται, λυπόμαστε, λυπάστε, λυπούνται | λυπούμαι(formal) |
| Imperfect | λυπόμουν | |
| Aorist | λυπήθηκα | |
| Dependent | λυπηθώ | να / θα λυπηθώ |
| Imperative | λυπήσου / λυπηθείτε | “have pity” |
| Perfect | έχω λυπηθεί | |
| Participle | λυπημένος, -η, -ο | sad; sorry |
| Related active | λυπώ “sadden”; do not substitute analogical ×λυπάω in Standard Greek | |
Λυπήθηκα πολύ όταν έμαθα τι συνέβη.
lipíthika polí ótan ématha ti sinévi
I was very sorry when I found out what happened.
The ordinary active verb λυπώ means “sadden someone”: Με λύπησε η συμπεριφορά του. It is related but not interchangeable with λυπάμαι. The adjective λυπημένος describes a resulting emotional state and agrees with its noun: Έφυγε λυπημένη “she left sad.”
Government
| Frame | Meaning | Model |
|---|---|---|
| bare | express regret; often before bad news | Λυπάμαι, δεν γίνεται |
για
| what the regret concerns | λυπάμαι για την απώλεια |
που
| a real fact causing regret | λυπάμαι που έφυγες |
| bare accusative | pity or spare someone/something | λυπάμαι το παιδί |
να
| be reluctant or pained to act | λυπάμαι να σ' το πω |
The factive που pattern is summarized on χαίρομαι and developed fully on emotion complements.
Λυπάμαι που το ακούω· αν χρειαστείς κάτι, πάρε με.
lipáme pu to akúo; an chriastís káti, páre me
I'm sorry to hear that; if you need anything, call me.
Λυπάμαι να σ' το πω, αλλά η θέση έχει ήδη καλυφθεί.
lipáme na sto po, alá i thési échi ídhi kalifthí
I'm sorry to tell you, but the position has already been filled.
With a person as direct object, the meaning is “pity.” Σε λυπάμαι usually sounds condescending: it judges the other person as pitiable rather than comforting them. The same object frame can mean “spare.”
Τον λυπήθηκα και του έδωσα άλλη μία ευκαιρία.
ton lipíthika ke tu édhosa áli mia efkería
I felt sorry for him and gave him one more chance.
Δεν λυπάται ούτε κόπο ούτε χρήμα για τα παιδιά του.
dhen lipáte úte kópo úte chríma ya ta pedhiá tu
He spares neither effort nor money for his children.
This social warning matters because English I feel sorry for you ranges from warm sympathy to contempt, depending on tone. Greek Σε λυπάμαι defaults much more readily to the superior, dismissive reading. In a condolence, address the loss with Λυπάμαι για… or react to the news with Λυπάμαι που… instead of making the grieving person your direct object.
Set phrases
- Λυπάμαι πολύ. — I'm very sorry.
- Λυπάμαι για την απώλειά σας. — My condolences.
- Λυπήσου με! — Have pity on me!
- δεν λυπάται κόπο και χρήμα — spare no effort or money
Common Mistakes
Use συγγνώμη, not λυπάμαι, as the immediate apology after a minor social offense. For regret or sympathy, use λυπάμαι; the related Standard active is λυπώ “sadden,” not analogical ×λυπάω.
✅ Λυπάμαι ειλικρινά για όσα περάσατε.
lipáme ilikriná ya ósa perásate
I'm sincerely sorry for what you went through.
Key Takeaways
- λυπάμαι expresses regret, sympathy or pity; συγγνώμη performs an everyday apology.
- που introduces a real cause; να introduces an act one is reluctant to perform.
- A direct object means “pity/spare,” and Σε λυπάμαι is usually condescending.
- Active λυπώ is the separate transitive verb “sadden.”
Related Topics
- χαίρομαι (to be glad)B1 — The irregular forms of χαίρομαι, factive που versus activity/prospect να, and the greeting pair Χαίρω πολύ–Χάρηκα.
- πονάω/πονώ (to hurt)B1 — One verb, four argument frames, and English needs a different construction for each: Πονάω, Πονάει το πόδι μου, Με πονάει το κεφάλι, Με πόνεσαν τα λόγια σου. Principal parts with the -εσα aorist, why putting yourself in the subject slot turns the verb causative, and πονεμένος.
- Apologizing and Excuse-MeA2 — Choose natural Greek formulas for apologizing, attracting attention, expressing regret, and responding graciously.
- να After Emotion and EvaluationB1 — Verbs and expressions of feeling and judgement — μου αρέσει να, φοβάμαι να, χαίρομαι, λυπάμαι, αξίζει, είναι κρίμα — take a να-clause for the event itself and που for an established fact that stirs the feeling; how to tell which one you need.
- Present Mediopassive: -ούμαι and -άμαιB1 — The last two mediopassive present patterns — the formal-leaning -ούμαι of Β2 verbs (θεωρούμαι), and the small but ultra-frequent set of -άμαι deponents θυμάμαι, κοιμάμαι, φοβάμαι and λυπάμαι, with their irregular three-vowel paradigm laid out in full.
- Principal Parts: Complete IndexA2 — A consolidated index of the principal parts of 151 frequent Modern Greek verbs, including defective and register-limited paradigms.