Δεν έχω καθόλου καλά παπούτσια για το βουνό, μόνο για την πόλη.

I don’t have any good shoes for the mountain, only for the city.

Breakdown of Δεν έχω καθόλου καλά παπούτσια για το βουνό, μόνο για την πόλη.

• έχω: to have
• δεν: not
• καλός: good
• για: for
• η πόλη: the city
• μόνο: only
• το βουνό: the mountain
• το παπούτσι: the shoe
• καθόλου: at all

Questions & Answers about Δεν έχω καθόλου καλά παπούτσια για το βουνό, μόνο για την πόλη.

What does καθόλου mean here, and is it necessary in the sentence?

Καθόλου literally means "at all" and is often used with a negative to mean "not at all / not any".

So:

• Δεν έχω καθόλου καλά παπούτσια ≈ "I don't have any good shoes (at all)."

If you remove it:

• Δεν έχω καλά παπούτσια για το βουνό = "I don't have good shoes for the mountain."

That is still correct, but καθόλου makes the negation stronger and more emphatic, closer to English "I don't have any good shoes at all."

Why is καθόλου placed before καλά and not after it?

In Greek, καθόλου usually comes:

• before the adjective (καθόλου καλά παπούτσια), or
• after the verb (Δεν έχω καθόλου καλά παπούτσια).

Putting καθόλου before καλά clearly shows that the degree is zero: "no good shoes at all."

You might also hear Δεν έχω καλά παπούτσια καθόλου, but the most natural and common placement in this kind of sentence is:

Δεν έχω καθόλου καλά παπούτσια…

Is Δεν έχω καθόλου καλά παπούτσια a "double negative"? In English that would be wrong.

In Greek, using δεν together with words like καθόλου, κανένας, τίποτα is completely normal and required. This is called negative concord.

• Δεν έχω καθόλου…
• Δεν έχω κανένα παπούτσι…
• Δεν είδα τίποτα…

All of these are standard Greek and simply mean "I don't have / didn't see anything." They are not considered incorrect or "double negatives" in the English sense.

Why is it καλά παπούτσια and not καλό παπούτσι?

Because παπούτσια is plural:

• Singular: το παπούτσι (neuter) → "the shoe"
• Plural: τα παπούτσια → "the shoes"

Adjectives agree with the noun in gender, number and case:

• Singular neuter nominative/accusative: καλό παπούτσι
• Plural neuter nominative/accusative: καλά παπούτσια

In this sentence we are talking about shoes in general (plural), so we use καλά παπούτσια.

Why is there no word for "any" in the Greek sentence?

English needs "any" in negative sentences: "I don't have any good shoes."

Greek usually expresses this idea with:

• the combination δεν
  • καθόλου:
    Δεν έχω καθόλου καλά παπούτσια…

or

• a negative pronoun like κανένα:
  Δεν έχω κανένα καλό παπούτσι… ("I don't have a single good shoe.")

So Greek doesn't use a direct equivalent of "any" here; the "any" meaning is carried by καθόλου or κανένα together with δεν.

Why do we say για το βουνό and not στο βουνό?

• για το βουνό = "for the mountain" (for mountain use / for hiking)
• στο βουνό = "on the mountain / to the mountain / at the mountain"

We are describing the purpose of the shoes (they are for mountain use), so Greek uses για ("for") + accusative:

παπούτσια για το βουνό = shoes for the mountain

Why is it για το βουνό but για την πόλη? Why does the article change?

Because βουνό and πόλη have different grammatical genders:

• το βουνό – neuter noun ("mountain")
  
  • Accusative singular: το βουνό
• η πόλη – feminine noun ("city")
  
  • Accusative singular: την πόλη

After για, nouns go in the accusative case, so:

• για το βουνό (neuter accusative)
• για την πόλη (feminine accusative)

Could I drop the article and say για βουνό or για πόλη?

You sometimes hear bare nouns like that in very informal speech, especially in set phrases, but:

• για το βουνό, για την πόλη is the normal and safest form.

Greek often uses the definite article even where English uses a bare noun:

• Η Μαρία πάει στο σχολείο. = "Maria goes to school."
• Χρειάζομαι παπούτσια για το βουνό. = "I need shoes for (the) mountain."

So in standard language, keep the article: για το βουνό, για την πόλη.

What exactly does μόνο για την πόλη mean here?

Μόνο means "only". The phrase μόνο για την πόλη modifies the understood object "shoes":

"…I don't have any good shoes for the mountain, only (shoes) for the city."

Greek leaves out the repeated noun παπούτσια, just like English can say "only for the city" without repeating "shoes."

Why is there a comma before μόνο για την πόλη?

The comma marks a small pause and separates two related parts:

• Part 1: Δεν έχω καθόλου καλά παπούτσια για το βουνό
• Part 2: μόνο για την πόλη

This is similar to English:

"I don't have any good shoes for the mountain, only for the city."

Grammatically, the second part is not a full clause (there’s no verb), but Greek punctuation allows a comma to mark that contrast ("not for X, only for Y").

Could I say Δεν έχω καλά παπούτσια καθόλου για το βουνό? Is that wrong?

It's understandable, but it sounds less natural. The most idiomatic options are:

• Δεν έχω καθόλου καλά παπούτσια για το βουνό.
• Δεν έχω καλά παπούτσια για το βουνό καθόλου. (also possible, slightly different rhythm/emphasis)

Putting καθόλου immediately after δεν έχω or right before καλά is more typical. …καλά παπούτσια καθόλου για το βουνό feels clumsy.

Is there a difference between Δεν έχω καθόλου καλά παπούτσια για το βουνό and just Δεν έχω καλά παπούτσια για το βουνό?

Yes, it's a matter of emphasis:

• Δεν έχω καλά παπούτσια για το βουνό.
  = "I don't have good shoes for the mountain."
  (A plain statement. You might have some, but they're not good enough.)

• Δεν έχω καθόλου καλά παπούτσια για το βουνό.
  = "I don't have any good shoes at all for the mountain."
  (Stronger: there are zero shoes you consider good for that purpose.)

Could I use κανένα instead of καθόλου here?

Yes, but you have to change the structure slightly so the grammar stays consistent:

• Δεν έχω καθόλου καλά παπούτσια για το βουνό.
  (plural "shoes")

If you use κανένα ("no / not any"), you more naturally go to the singular:

• Δεν έχω κανένα καλό παπούτσι για το βουνό.
  = "I don't have a single good shoe for the mountain."

Both are correct and mean almost the same, just with a different grammatical pattern (plural + καθόλου vs singular + κανένα).