Learn Hardcore Greek: Δεν έχω πολλά χρήματα σήμερα.

There is also μη(ν), another word for not, but that is used mainly with imperatives, subjunctive, and some fixed expressions, not in a simple present statement like this. So Δεν έχω πολλά χρήματα σήμερα is the normal way to say I don’t have much money today.

Why is it πολλά and not πολύ?

In Greek, πολύ changes form depending on how it is used:

As an adverb (modifying a verb or adjective): πολύ
- Τρέχω πολύ. = I run a lot.
- Είναι πολύ καλός. = He is very good.
As an adjective (modifying a noun), it agrees with the noun in gender, number, and case:
- Masculine: πολύς
- Feminine: πολλή
- Neuter: πολύ (singular), πολλά (plural)

Here it modifies χρήματα, which is neuter plural, so we use πολλά:
πολλά χρήματα = a lot of money / much money.

Why is χρήματα plural when English “money” is singular?

English treats money as an uncountable singular noun. Greek usually treats χρήματα as a countable plural noun:

χρήμα (singular) exists, but is rarely used in everyday speech to mean “money” in general.
The everyday word is χρήματα (plural) or λεφτά (also plural).

So Greek literally says many moneys where English says much money:

Έχω λίγα χρήματα. = I have little money / I don’t have much money.
Δεν έχω πολλά χρήματα. = I don’t have much money / I don’t have a lot of money.

What is the difference between χρήματα and λεφτά?

Both mean money, but:

χρήματα: slightly more formal / neutral, often used in writing, news, careful speech.
λεφτά: very colloquial, extremely common in everyday speech.

You could say:

Δεν έχω πολλά χρήματα σήμερα. (neutral)
Δεν έχω πολλά λεφτά σήμερα. (very common spoken Greek)

Both are correct and natural.

Can I say Δεν έχω πολύ χρήμα instead?

You can say Δεν έχω πολύ χρήμα, but it:

Sounds more formal or abstract, as if talking about “capital” or “funds” in a more general sense.
Is less common in everyday spoken Greek when you just mean ordinary “money in my pocket/bank”.

For everyday speech, Δεν έχω πολλά χρήματα or Δεν έχω πολλά λεφτά is much more natural for I don’t have much money.

How would I say “I don’t have any money” or “I have no money” in Greek?

Very natural options:

Δεν έχω καθόλου χρήματα. = I don’t have any money at all.
Δεν έχω καθόλου λεφτά. = I don’t have any money (colloquial).

καθόλου means at all / any in negative sentences.

Compare:

Δεν έχω πολλά χρήματα. = I don’t have much money.
Δεν έχω καθόλου χρήματα. = I have no money at all.

Why is σήμερα at the end? Can it go in other positions?

Yes, σήμερα is flexible. All of these are correct:

Δεν έχω πολλά χρήματα σήμερα.
Σήμερα δεν έχω πολλά χρήματα.
Δεν έχω σήμερα πολλά χρήματα.

The basic meaning is the same (today I don’t have much money). Word order in Greek is relatively flexible; moving σήμερα can slightly shift emphasis:

Σήμερα δεν έχω πολλά χρήματα.
Emphasizes today (maybe compared to other days).
Δεν έχω πολλά χρήματα σήμερα.
Feels more neutral, like casual information.

In everyday speech, the first two positions are most common.

How do I conjugate έχω so I can say “you/we/they don’t have much money today”?

Present tense of έχω (to have):

(εγώ) έχω = I have
(εσύ) έχεις = you have (singular, informal)
(αυτός/αυτή/αυτό) έχει = he/she/it has
(εμείς) έχουμε = we have
(εσείς) έχετε = you have (plural or polite)
(αυτοί/αυτές/αυτά) έχουν(ε) = they have

Negating with δεν and keeping the rest of the sentence:

Δεν έχεις πολλά χρήματα σήμερα. = You don’t have much money today.
Δεν έχουμε πολλά χρήματα σήμερα. = We don’t have much money today.
Δεν έχουν πολλά χρήματα σήμερα. = They don’t have much money today.

How do you make a question like “Don’t you have much money today?” in Greek?

Greek often keeps exactly the same word order and just uses a question mark (;) and rising intonation:

Statement: Δεν έχεις πολλά χρήματα σήμερα. = You don’t have much money today.
Question: Δεν έχεις πολλά χρήματα σήμερα; = Don’t you have much money today?

Written Greek uses ; (semicolon) as the question mark.

How do you pronounce χρήματα and the letter χ?

χρήματα is pronounced roughly: HREE-ma-ta:

χρ = like an h sound plus a rolled or tapped r
ή = “ee” as in “see”, stressed: χΡΗ-
μα = “ma” as in “mama”
τα = “ta” as in “taco”

The Greek χ is not like English “ch” in “church”. It’s a voiceless velar fricative, like:

The ch in German Bach
The j in Spanish José (in many accents)

So χρήματα: [ˈxrimata] with a strong kh/h sound at the beginning.

Is σήμερα the same as “now”, or is that a different word?

σήμερα means today (this day).

now is τώρα.

Δεν έχω πολλά χρήματα σήμερα. = I don’t have much money today.
Δεν έχω πολλά χρήματα τώρα. = I don’t have much money now (at this moment).

They can overlap in meaning in some contexts, but they are not the same word.