Δεν χρειάζομαι τόσα λεφτά για το ταξίδι.

I don't need so much money for the trip.

Breakdown of Δεν χρειάζομαι τόσα λεφτά για το ταξίδι.

• δεν: not
• χρειάζομαι: to need
• για: for
• τα λεφτά: the money
• το ταξίδι: the trip
• τόσος: so many

Questions & Answers about Δεν χρειάζομαι τόσα λεφτά για το ταξίδι.

Why is there no word for I in the Greek sentence?

Greek usually leaves out subject pronouns (εγώ = I) when the verb ending already shows the person.

• χρειάζομαι is 1st person singular (I need).
• So Δεν χρειάζομαι τόσα λεφτά για το ταξίδι is understood as I don’t need that much money for the trip without needing εγώ.

You could say Εγώ δεν χρειάζομαι… for emphasis (like I don’t need…), but it isn’t necessary.

What is δεν and why is it used instead of μην?

Both δεν and μην are negatives, but they’re used in different contexts.

• δεν is used with indicative verbs (normal statements of fact):
  
  • Δεν χρειάζομαι λεφτά. → I don’t need money.
  • Δεν πάω. → I’m not going.
• μην is used with subjunctive, imperative, and some other non‑indicative forms:
  
  • Να μην πας. → Don’t go.
  • Μην πας! → Don’t go!

Here we have a simple statement, so δεν is correct: Δεν χρειάζομαι…

Why does χρειάζομαι end in -ομαι if it means I need and not I am needed?

Verbs ending in -ομαι are usually middle/passive, but some of them are deponent verbs: they look passive but have an active meaning.

• χρειάζομαι is one of these. It means to need, actively:
  • Χρειάζομαι λεφτά. → I need money.
• It conjugates like a middle/passive verb:
  • εγώ χρειάζομαι – I need
  • εσύ χρειάζεσαι – you need
  • αυτός/αυτή/αυτό χρειάζεται – he/she/it needs
  • εμείς χρειαζόμαστε – we need
  • εσείς χρειάζεστε – you (pl/formal) need
  • αυτοί/αυτές/αυτά χρειάζονται – they need

So even though it looks “passive”, you translate it as an active verb.

What does τόσα mean here, and why is it τόσα and not τόσο?

The base word is τόσος, -η, -ο, which means so much / so many / that much / that many.

• τόσος – masculine
• τόση – feminine
• τόσο – neuter singular
• τόσοι / τόσες / τόσα – masculine/feminine/neuter plural

λεφτά is neuter plural, so τόσα is the correct form to agree with it:

• τόσα λεφτά → literally so many money (units), but in English we say that much money.

If the noun were singular neuter, you’d use τόσο instead.

Why is λεφτά used instead of χρήματα? Do they both mean money?

Yes, both mean money, but there is a difference in tone:

• λεφτά – very common, everyday, informal word for money
• χρήματα – more neutral/formal word for money

Examples:

• Δεν έχω λεφτά. → I don’t have (any) money.
• Δεν έχω χρήματα. → Same meaning, a bit more formal or neutral.

In speech, λεφτά is more frequent, so τόσα λεφτά sounds very natural.

Why is there no article before λεφτά, but there is το before ταξίδι?

In Greek, plural nouns without an article often have an indefinite or generic meaning, similar to some / any in English.

• τόσα λεφτά → (that) much money / so much money
  
  • No article, because it’s not the specific money, but an amount of money.
• το ταξίδι → the trip (a specific trip that both speakers know about)
  
  • The article το marks it as definite.

So:

• Δεν χρειάζομαι τόσα λεφτά → I don’t need that much money (in general, not referring to a specific pile of money).
• …για το ταξίδι → for the trip (the particular trip we’re talking about).

What does για mean here, and which case does it take?

για is a preposition. Here it means for (purpose).

• για το ταξίδι → for the trip

In modern Greek, για is followed by the accusative case:

• για μένα – for me
• για σένα – for you
• για το παιδί – for the child
• για το ταξίδι – for the trip

So ταξίδι appears as το ταξίδι (accusative form is the same as nominative for neuter).

Could the word order change? For example, can I say Δεν χρειάζομαι για το ταξίδι τόσα λεφτά?

Yes, Greek word order is quite flexible, and your version is grammatically correct:

• Δεν χρειάζομαι τόσα λεφτά για το ταξίδι.
• Δεν χρειάζομαι για το ταξίδι τόσα λεφτά.

The basic meaning is the same. Differences:

• τόσα λεφτά earlier → slight focus on the amount of money.
• για το ταξίδι earlier → slight focus on the purpose (for the trip).

In normal speech, the original order is very natural, but the alternative is fine.

Why does English say that much money, but Greek says τόσα λεφτά (which looks like so many moneys)?

This comes from how each language treats money:

• In English, money is usually uncountable, so we say:
  • much money, not much money, too much money.
• In Greek, λεφτά is grammatically a countable plural noun (neuter plural):
  • λίγα λεφτά – a little money / few (money units)
  • πολλά λεφτά – a lot of money
  • τόσα λεφτά – so much / that much money

So Greek literally says something like so many money (units), but we translate it as that much money to sound natural in English.

Is the tense here present? Does it mean I don’t need or I won’t need?

Yes, χρειάζομαι is present tense: I don’t need.

However, in context, especially with για το ταξίδι, this can easily be understood as I won’t need that much money for the trip (a future meaning understood from context).

If you want to be explicitly future, you can say:

• Δεν θα χρειαστώ τόσα λεφτά για το ταξίδι. → I won’t need that much money for the trip.

Both are possible; the present is often used for near or planned future in Greek, just like English sometimes says I leave tomorrow.

Does χρειάζομαι always take a direct object like λεφτά? Can it also take a verb?

Most commonly, χρειάζομαι takes a direct object:

• Χρειάζομαι λεφτά. → I need money.
• Χρειάζομαι βοήθεια. → I need help.

It can also be used with να + verb to mean need to do something:

• Χρειάζεται να φύγουμε. → We need to leave.
  (Here it’s 3rd person singular, often impersonal: It is necessary that we leave.)

For I need to do X, you more often hear:

• Πρέπει να… (I must / I have to…)
  
  • Πρέπει να πάρω λεφτά. → I need to take/get money.

So:

• Χρειάζομαι τόσα λεφτά → I need that much money.
• Πρέπει να έχω τόσα λεφτά → I need to have that much money.

What is the gender of ταξίδι, and how does that affect the article το?

ταξίδι (trip, journey) is neuter:

• singular: το ταξίδι
• plural: τα ταξίδια

All neuter singular nouns take το as their definite article in the nominative and accusative:

• το ταξίδι – the trip
• για το ταξίδι – for the trip (accusative)

So the neuter gender is why we use το here.

How do you pronounce Δεν χρειάζομαι τόσα λεφτά για το ταξίδι?

Approximate pronunciation (stress in CAPS):

• Δεν → then (with a soft th as in this)
• χρειάζομαι → hree‑A‑zo‑me
  
  • χρ like an hr with a harsh h in the throat
  • ει → like English ee
  • ά → stressed a as in father
• τόσα → TO‑sa
• λεφτά → lef‑TA
• για → ya
• το → to (like toh)
• ταξίδι → tak‑SEE‑thi (the δ is again a soft th as in this)

So roughly:
Then hree‑A‑zo‑me TO‑sa lef‑TA ya to tak‑SEE‑thi.