Δεν έχω όλα τα υλικά, οπότε δοκιμάζω να κάνω κάτι απλό.

to have

Breakdown of Δεν έχω όλα τα υλικά, οπότε δοκιμάζω να κάνω κάτι απλό.

• δεν: not
• να: to
• κάτι: something

Questions & Answers about Δεν έχω όλα τα υλικά, οπότε δοκιμάζω να κάνω κάτι απλό.

Why is there no word for “I” in Δεν έχω όλα τα υλικά? Where is the subject?

In Greek, subject pronouns (like εγώ = I) are usually dropped because the verb ending shows who the subject is.

• έχω means I have (1st person singular).
• So Δεν έχω already tells us I don’t have, and adding εγώ is usually unnecessary unless you want to emphasize I.

You could say Εγώ δεν έχω όλα τα υλικά, but that would sound like:

• I don’t have all the ingredients (but maybe someone else does).

Why is it Δεν έχω όλα τα υλικά and not something like Δεν όλα τα υλικά έχω?

Greek word order is more flexible than English, but it still has a “neutral” order.

• Neutral order here is: Δεν + verb + object
  → Δεν έχω όλα τα υλικά = I don’t have all the ingredients

Putting δεν right before the verb (έχω) is the standard way to negate a verb phrase.
Moving όλα τα υλικά before έχω would sound marked or poetic in this sentence and is not natural everyday speech.

Why do we say όλα τα υλικά and not just όλα υλικά?