Breakdown of Δεν βρίσκω το αρχείο στον υπολογιστή μου.
Questions & Answers about Δεν βρίσκω το αρχείο στον υπολογιστή μου.
Greek usually drops subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows who the subject is.
- βρίσκω = I find / I am finding
- the ending -ω tells us it’s 1st person singular (“I”).
So Δεν βρίσκω το αρχείο… literally is “(I) do not find the file…”.
You only add εγώ (I) for emphasis or contrast:
- Εγώ δεν βρίσκω το αρχείο. = I (as opposed to someone else) can’t find the file.
Δεν is the standard negative particle used with verbs in the indicative mood. It usually corresponds to “not / don’t / doesn’t / can’t” depending on context.
- Βρίσκω το αρχείο. = I find / I can find the file.
- Δεν βρίσκω το αρχείο. = I don’t find / I can’t find the file.
In this sentence, natural English is “I can’t find the file…”, but Greek doesn’t need a separate word for “can” here. The “can’t” meaning comes from context plus δεν.
Both are negative words, but they are used in different structures.
δεν is used with indicative verbs (normal statements/questions in present, past, future):
- Δεν βρίσκω το αρχείο. – I can’t find the file.
- Δεν βρήκα το αρχείο. – I didn’t find the file.
μην is used mainly:
- with subjunctive (να
- verb):
- Να μην το ξεχάσεις. – Don’t forget it.
- verb):
- in many negative commands / suggestions:
- Μην το κάνεις. – Don’t do it.
- with subjunctive (να
So:
- δεν βρίσκω = I do not find
- να μην βρω = (that) I not find / so that I don’t find
These are different forms/aspects of the same verb.
- βρίσκω – present tense, continuous aspect
→ “I (am) find(ing) / I (can) find” - βρήκα – aorist past (simple past)
→ “I found” - βρω – aorist subjunctive (usually with να)
→ “(that) I find”, often after να, θα, αν etc.
In your sentence:
- Δεν βρίσκω το αρχείο…
→ Right now, in general, I cannot locate it.
Compare:
- Δεν μπορώ να βρω το αρχείο…
→ “I can’t find the file…”, using να βρω (subjunctive) after μπορώ (“can”).
Both are natural; Δεν βρίσκω… sounds a bit more like an ongoing situation: “I’m not finding it.”
Greek uses the definite article (ο, η, το) much more than English.
- το αρχείο = the file (a specific, known file)
- ένα αρχείο = a file (any file, not specific)
- αρχείο with no article is possible but is much rarer and often sounds like “file” in a generic or abstract sense.
In your sentence you are clearly talking about a specific file you expect to find, so Greek must use the article:
- Δεν βρίσκω το αρχείο. ✅ (natural)
- Δεν βρίσκω αρχείο. ❌ (sounds odd here, like “I find no file at all”, and even then it’s unusual)
- Δεν βρίσκω κανένα αρχείο. ✅ “I don’t find any file at all.”
So in practice: when you would say “the file” in English (a known, specific one), Greek almost always needs το αρχείο.
στον is a contraction of the preposition σε + the definite article τον (masculine accusative).
- σε + τον υπολογιστή → στον υπολογιστή
This happens very regularly:
- σε + τον → στον (masculine)
- σε + το → στο (neuter)
- σε + την → στην (feminine, before vowel or voiced consonant)
- σε + τη → στη (feminine, in many contexts)
So we say:
- στον υπολογιστή (because υπολογιστής is masculine: ο υπολογιστής), not στο υπολογιστή (that would be correct only if it were neuter).
The preposition σε is very general and can correspond to “in, on, at, to” in English, depending on the context.
- στην τσάντα → in the bag
- στο τραπέζι → on the table
- στο γραφείο → at the office
For στον υπολογιστή:
- Natural English: “on my computer” (meaning “on my computer’s drive / desktop etc.”)
- In some contexts you might also say “in my computer” in English, but Greek still uses στον.
So you mostly have to learn common combinations:
- στον υπολογιστή = on the computer (in the sense of “stored on it”).
υπολογιστής is a masculine noun:
- ο υπολογιστής – nominative (subject form)
- τον υπολογιστή – accusative (object form, after σε)
After the preposition σε, Greek uses the accusative case.
That’s why we have:
- σε + τον υπολογιστή → στον υπολογιστή.
So:
- Ο υπολογιστής είναι καινούριος. – The computer is new. (subject → nominative)
- Δεν βρίσκω το αρχείο στον υπολογιστή μου. – I can’t find the file on my computer. (object of σε → accusative)
μου is the weak (unstressed) possessive pronoun for “my”. In Greek it normally comes after the noun:
- ο υπολογιστής μου – my computer
- το αρχείο μου – my file
- ο φίλος μου – my friend
You can’t move μου in front of the noun the way you do in English:
- μου ο υπολογιστής ❌ (ungrammatical)
If you want to strongly emphasize “mine”, you use a different form:
- ο δικός μου υπολογιστής – my own computer / my computer (as opposed to someone else’s)
But in normal, neutral speech: noun + μου is how you say “my _”.
Yes, Greek word order is relatively flexible. All of these are grammatical:
- Δεν βρίσκω το αρχείο στον υπολογιστή μου.
- Δεν βρίσκω στον υπολογιστή μου το αρχείο.
They both mean essentially the same thing. The differences are subtle emphasis:
- Version 1 (original) feels neutral: “I can’t find the file on my computer.”
- Version 2 puts slightly more focus on “on my computer” as the place where you’re trying (and failing) to find it.
In normal speech, the original order (το αρχείο directly after the verb) is the most common and natural.
υπολογιστή is pronounced roughly: ee-po-lo-yee-STEE.
- Syllables: υ-πο-λο-γι-στή
- The stress mark (´) shows which syllable is stressed: υπολογιστή → stress on the last syllable: -στή.
Some details:
- υ here sounds like “ee” (as in “see”).
- γ before ι is like the English “y” in “yes”, but softer, more like “y” plus a slight “gh” sound.
- Final -ή is “ee”, stressed and a bit longer/louder.
No, αρχείο is broader than just a computer file.
Common meanings:
- file (on a computer)
- άνοιξε το αρχείο – open the file
- archive / records (paper or digital documents kept as records)
- τα αρχεία του δήμου – the municipality’s records/archives
- registry / office of records in some contexts
- υποβάλλω αίτηση στο αρχείο (context-dependent)
In your sentence with a computer, το αρχείο is naturally understood as “the (computer) file”.