Το ψέμα δεν βοηθάει ποτέ.

not

Breakdown of Το ψέμα δεν βοηθάει ποτέ.

• ποτέ: never
• βοηθάω: to help
• το ψέμα: the lie

Questions & Answers about Το ψέμα δεν βοηθάει ποτέ.

What does Το mean here, and why is there a definite article if in English we just say “lying” or “a lie”?

Το is the neuter singular definite article in Greek: το = the.

• το ψέμα literally = the lie
• But in Greek, you often use the definite article with a noun to talk about things in general.

So:

• Το ψέμα δεν βοηθάει ποτέ.
  Literally: The lie never helps.
  Natural English: Lying never helps / A lie never helps / Lies never help (depending on context).

Using το here is the normal way to make a generic statement about lying as a concept.

What is ψέμα exactly? Is it singular or plural, and what gender is it?

ψέμα is:

• a neuter noun
• singular
• meaning a lie.

Basic forms:

• Singular: το ψέμα (the lie)
• Plural: τα ψέματα (the lies)

In this sentence, το ψέμα is singular, but just like English “Lying never helps”, it refers to lying in general, not to one specific lie.

Why is the verb βοηθάει and not something like an infinitive form, as in English “to help”?