Νομίζω ότι θα έρθει απόψε.

I think that she will come tonight.

Breakdown of Νομίζω ότι θα έρθει απόψε.

• έρχομαι: to come
• θα: will
• ότι: that
• νομίζω: to think
• απόψε: tonight

Questions & Answers about Νομίζω ότι θα έρθει απόψε.

What does the word ότι do here? Do I need it, and can I replace it with πως?

• ότι is the complementizer meaning that, introducing the clause after Νομίζω (I think).
• It’s optional in everyday speech: Νομίζω θα έρθει απόψε is perfectly natural.
• You can replace ότι with πως (no accent) with the same meaning: Νομίζω πως θα έρθει απόψε.
• Be careful: πώς (with an accent) means how, not that.

Why is it θα έρθει and not έρχεται?

• θα έρθει uses the perfective aspect and refers to a single, complete future event (a simple arrival).
• έρχεται is present/imperfective and can mean is coming, often implying a plan or schedule: Νομίζω ότι έρχεται απόψε = I think he is coming tonight (arranged).
• θα έρχεται is future progressive/imperfective, implying ongoing or habitual future: he will be coming/used to come (context-dependent).

What exactly is the form έρθει?

• έρθει is the non-past perfective form of έρχομαι used after particles like θα, να, ας.
• With θα, the perfective form (θα έρθει) gives the simple future. With the imperfective you’d get θα έρχεται (progressive/habitual future).
• Related forms you’ll hear: να έρθω; να έρθεις; να έρθει; past simple: ήρθα.

How do I pronounce έρθει?

• Roughly: ER-thee.
• ρ is a tapped/rolled r. θ is the unvoiced th of English thin. ει sounds like English ee.
• So έρθει ≈ ER-thee, not ERTH-ee with a hard t.

What exactly does απόψε mean? Are there synonyms?

• απόψε means tonight (this evening/tonight, typically the period after sunset).
• Common alternatives:
  • σήμερα το βράδυ = today in the evening/tonight (a bit longer phrase).
  • το βράδυ = in the evening/tonight (may rely on context).
• You may also hear απόψε το βράδυ; it’s a bit pleonastic but common in speech.

How do I say I don’t think he will come tonight?

• Δεν νομίζω ότι θα έρθει απόψε. (most common and natural)
• Νομίζω ότι δεν θα έρθει απόψε. (shifted emphasis onto the not coming)
• Very idiomatic with να after negation: Δεν νομίζω να έρθει απόψε.

Can I use να instead of ότι after νομίζω?

• In affirmative statements, no: Νομίζω να έρθει sounds wrong.
• After negation, it’s idiomatic: Δεν νομίζω να έρθει = I don’t think he will come.
• With a positive main clause, stick to ότι/πως: Νομίζω ότι/πως θα έρθει.

Is there a difference between ότι and ό,τι?

• Yes:
  • ότι (no comma) = that (conjunction), as in this sentence.
  • ό,τι (with a comma) = whatever/anything that.
• In this sentence you must use ότι. Also, you don’t normally put a comma before ότι when it means that.

How do I ask Do you think he will come tonight?

• Informal singular: Νομίζεις ότι θα έρθει απόψε;
• Formal or plural: Νομίζετε ότι θα έρθει απόψε;

Does θα έρθει mean he or she? How can I make the gender explicit?

• θα έρθει is 3rd person singular with no gender marking; context supplies he or she.
• To make it explicit (usually for emphasis): Νομίζω ότι αυτός θα έρθει απόψε (he), Νομίζω ότι αυτή θα έρθει απόψε (she).
• Greek normally drops subject pronouns unless you want emphasis or clarity.

Can I change the word order?

• Yes, Greek word order is flexible for emphasis:
  • Απόψε νομίζω ότι θα έρθει. (focus on tonight)
  • Νομίζω ότι απόψε θα έρθει. (focuses tonight within the that-clause)
  • Θα έρθει απόψε, νομίζω. (tagging your opinion at the end)
• Keep ότι immediately before the clause it introduces.

Could I use πιστεύω or θεωρώ instead of νομίζω?

• Πιστεύω often sounds stronger/more confident than Νομίζω: Πιστεύω ότι θα έρθει απόψε.
• Θεωρώ is more formal or evaluative: Θεωρώ ότι θα έρθει απόψε.
• For hedging probability, you can also say: Μάλλον θα έρθει απόψε or Ίσως έρθει απόψε.

Is there a more formal/older variant of θα έρθει?

• Yes, θα έλθει is a learned/older form you may see in formal writing or announcements. In everyday speech, θα έρθει is standard.

How do I say I think they will come tonight?

• Νομίζω ότι θα έρθουν(ε) απόψε.
• The final -ε in έρθουνε is optional and colloquial; both θα έρθουν and θα έρθουνε are common.

When should I use έρθει versus πάει?

• έρθει/έρχομαι is used for motion toward the speaker or the contextually relevant place: Νομίζω ότι θα έρθει απόψε (come here/to us).
• πάει/πηγαίνει is for motion away to somewhere else: Νομίζω ότι θα πάει απόψε (go there).
• The choice mirrors English come vs go, though context sometimes lets Greek use έρθει relative to a shared destination.

Is there any pronunciation or stress pitfall with ότι?

• ότι (that) is stressed on the first syllable and has no comma. Do not confuse it with ό,τι (whatever), which always has a comma.
• There is usually no comma before ότι when it means that.