Δεν πιστεύω τη δικαιολογία.

not

Breakdown of Δεν πιστεύω τη δικαιολογία.

• πιστεύω: to believe
• η δικαιολογία: excuse

Questions & Answers about Δεν πιστεύω τη δικαιολογία.

Why is Δεν at the beginning, and what does it do?

Δεν is the standard negation word for many Greek verb forms. It means not.

So:

• Πιστεύω = I believe
• Δεν πιστεύω = I do not believe / I don’t believe

In Greek, δεν usually comes directly before the verb.

Why does πιστεύω mean I believe?

The verb πιστεύω is in the 1st person singular, present tense, so it means I believe.

The ending -ω is a very common ending for I in Greek verbs.

For example:

• πιστεύω = I believe
• πιστεύεις = you believe
• πιστεύει = he/she/it believes

Greek often shows the subject through the verb ending, so you do not need to add the pronoun εγώ (I) unless you want emphasis.

Why isn’t the word for I included?

Because Greek normally drops subject pronouns when they are not needed.

So Greek says:

• Δεν πιστεύω τη δικαιολογία.

rather than:

• Εγώ δεν πιστεύω τη δικαιολογία.

Both are possible, but the second one sounds more emphatic, like I don’t believe the excuse.

Why is it τη δικαιολογία and not just δικαιολογία?