Learn Hardcore Greek: Δεν θέλω να λέω ψέματα στη μαμά μου.

Δεν θέλω = I do not want / I don’t want.
The negative «δεν» almost always goes right before the conjugated verb:
- Δεν θέλω…
- Δεν έχω… (I don’t have…)
- Δεν ξέρω… (I don’t know…)

In this sentence, «δεν» negates the wanting itself (I don’t want), not the action of telling. So we get:
Δεν θέλω να λέω ψέματα… = I don’t want to tell lies…

What is the function of «να» here? Is it like English “to”?

«Να» is a particle that introduces a subordinate verb clause, often called the subjunctive in Greek.

After verbs like:

θέλω (I want),
μπορώ (I can),
πρέπει (I must),

you very often get «να» + verb:

Θέλω να φάω. – I want to eat.
Μπορώ να πάω. – I can go.

So here «να λέω» corresponds quite closely to English “to tell”:

Δεν θέλω να λέω ψέματα…
= I don’t want to tell lies…

But grammatically, «να» is not a verb like English “to”; it’s a particle that marks this special verb form (the subjunctive).

What form is «λέω» after «να», and what’s the difference between «να λέω» and «να πω»?

After «να», Greek verbs appear in a subjunctive form. For many verbs, the present subjunctive looks the same as the normal present:

(εγώ) λέω – I say / I tell (present indicative)
να λέω – (that I) say / tell (present subjunctive, but same form)

Greek makes a strong distinction between imperfective (ongoing / habitual) and aorist (single / completed) aspect:

να λέω – imperfective: to be telling / to tell (habitually, in general)
να πω – aorist: to tell (once, as a single act)

So:

Δεν θέλω να λέω ψέματα.
→ I don’t want to lie (in general) / to be a person who lies.
Δεν θέλω να πω ψέματα.
→ I don’t want to tell a lie (this time / on this occasion).

Both are correct, but they express different nuances: general habit vs. one specific act.

Why is «ψέματα» in the plural? Could we say «ψέμα» instead?

«Ψέμα» = a lie (singular, neuter).
«Ψέματα» = lies (plural, neuter).

Greek very often uses the plural to talk about doing something in general or repeatedly:

να λέω ψέματα = to tell lies / to lie (as a habit).

If you want to focus on a single lie, you would normally say:

να πω ένα ψέμα – to tell a lie (one lie, one occasion).

So in your sentence, «ψέματα» matches the idea of lying as a general behavior, not just once.

What exactly is «στη»? Why not just «σε»?

«Στη» is a combination of the preposition «σε» (to, at, in) and the feminine singular article «τη(ν)» (= “the”):

σε + τη → στη
Literally: “to the mom”.

Some patterns:

σε + την Ελλάδα → στην Ελλάδα (to/in Greece)
σε + τη μαμά → στη μαμά (to mom)

So «στη μαμά μου» = to my mom, literally to the mom of mine.

Why is it «στη μαμά μου» and not «στη μου μαμά»? How do possessives work here?

In Greek, possessive pronouns like μου (my), σου (your) come after the noun, not before it as in English.

The pattern is:

(article) + noun + possessive clitic

Examples:

η μαμά μου – my mom
το σπίτι σου – your house
ο φίλος μας – our friend

With a preposition:

στη μαμά μου – to my mom
στον πατέρα σου – to your father

You cannot say «στη μου μαμά»; that is ungrammatical. The possessive must follow the noun: μαμά μου.

What’s the difference between «μαμά» and «μητέρα»?

Both mean “mother”, but they differ in tone and formality:

μαμά – informal, affectionate, everyday word; what children normally say; also what adults usually say about their own mother in casual speech.
μητέρα – more formal / polite / distant; used in more formal contexts, in writing, or when you want to sound a bit more serious.

So:

Δεν θέλω να λέω ψέματα στη μαμά μου.
→ Natural, informal: I don’t want to tell lies to my mom.
Δεν θέλω να λέω ψέματα στη μητέρα μου.
→ A bit more formal: I don’t want to tell lies to my mother.

Can I drop the article and say «σε μαμά μου» or just «σε μαμά»?

«σε μαμά μου» is wrong in standard Greek; with a possessive (μου, σου, etc.) you normally must have the article:
- στη μαμά μου, στον πατέρα σου, στην αδερφή μας, etc.
«σε μαμά» (without μου) can exist in very specific contexts and means “to the mom” (some mom already known from context), e.g. in a kindergarten:
- Πήγαινε σε μαμά / στη μαμά! – Go to (your) mom!
  But for your own mother in a neutral sentence, you normally keep the article and usually also the possessive: στη μαμά μου.

So for “to my mom” the natural form is only: στη μαμά μου.

Sometimes I see «δε θέλω» without the ν. Is that the same as «δεν θέλω»?

Yes, it’s essentially the same word.

«δεν» is the full form.
In speech, the final ν is often dropped before consonants, so people say [ðe θélo] instead of [ðen θélo].
In informal writing, this is sometimes shown as «δε θέλω».

Standard, careful writing usually keeps «δεν» in all cases, and that’s what you see in your sentence:

Δεν θέλω να λέω ψέματα…

Before a vowel, you must normally keep the ν:

δεν έχω (I don’t have), δεν είδα (I didn’t see).

Is «λέω» the same as «λέγω»? Which one should I use?

«Λέω» and «λέγω» are related, but not used the same way nowadays:

λέω – the normal modern form in everyday speech and writing.
- Δεν θέλω να λέω ψέματα. ✅
λέγω – old‑fashioned / very formal / learned. You may see it:
- in legal or very formal texts,
- in some fixed expressions,
- or as a kind of “elevated” style.

For modern spoken Greek, you should always use «λέω», not «λέγω», in this sentence.

Can the word order change? For example, is «Δεν θέλω να λέω στη μαμά μου ψέματα» okay?

Yes, Greek word order is fairly flexible, especially with phrases introduced by prepositions.

Both of these are correct:

Δεν θέλω να λέω ψέματα στη μαμά μου.
Δεν θέλω να λέω στη μαμά μου ψέματα.

The difference is only in emphasis:

Ending on «στη μαμά μου» slightly highlights who you’re lying to.
Ending on «ψέματα» slightly highlights what you’re telling (lies).

Grammatically, both are fine; the original order is the most neutral and common.

How would I say “I don’t want to tell a lie to my mother” as a one‑time action?

To stress one specific act, use the aorist form «πώ» and usually a singular noun:

Δεν θέλω να πω ένα ψέμα στη μαμά μου.
= I don’t want to tell a lie to my mom (one time).

You could also replace the full phrase «στη μαμά μου» with an indirect‑object pronoun:

Δεν θέλω να της πω ένα ψέμα.
= I don’t want to tell her a lie.

But the clearest one‑time version parallel to your sentence is:
Δεν θέλω να πω ένα ψέμα στη μαμά μου.