Breakdown of Δεν βαριέμαι ποτέ όταν διαβάζω μια ενδιαφέρουσα ιστορία.
δεν
not
ποτέ
never
διαβάζω
to read
όταν
when
Questions & Answers about Δεν βαριέμαι ποτέ όταν διαβάζω μια ενδιαφέρουσα ιστορία.
Why are there both δεν and ποτέ? Isn’t that a double negative?
In Greek, using more than one negative word in a sentence is normal and does not cancel the negation. This is called negative concord.
- δεν = not
- ποτέ = ever / never (depending on context)
Together, δεν … ποτέ means “never”, not “not ever (so actually yes)” as in English logic.
So:
- Δεν βαριέμαι ποτέ = I never get bored.
- If you removed δεν, Ποτέ βαριέμαι would be ungrammatical in standard Greek.
Can I say Ποτέ δεν βαριέμαι όταν διαβάζω μια ενδιαφέρουσα ιστορία instead? Is that still correct?
Yes, that is completely correct and very natural.
Both of these are fine:
- Δεν βαριέμαι ποτέ όταν διαβάζω μια ενδιαφέρουσα ιστορία.
- Ποτέ δεν βαριέμαι όταν διαβάζω μια ενδιαφέρουσα ιστορία.
The meaning is the same (“I never get bored when I read an interesting story”).
Putting ποτέ first (Ποτέ δεν…) can sound a bit more emphatic, like stressing never: “I never get bored…”
Why is it δεν and not μην before βαριέμαι?