Breakdown of Δεν ξέρω αν το λέω σωστά στα ελληνικά.
Questions & Answers about Δεν ξέρω αν το λέω σωστά στα ελληνικά.
Δεν ξέρω means I don’t know.
- ξέρω = I know (1st person singular, present tense).
- δεν is the standard negation word for verbs in Greek, similar to not.
Position:
- δεν almost always comes right before the verb it negates:
- Δεν ξέρω = I don’t know
- Δεν καταλαβαίνω = I don’t understand
So the basic pattern is: [subject] + δεν + verb (the subject is often dropped because it’s implied in the verb ending).
In Δεν ξέρω αν το λέω σωστά στα ελληνικά, αν means if / whether in the sense of:
I don’t know if / whether I’m saying it correctly in Greek.
It introduces an indirect question:
- Δεν ξέρω αν… = I don’t know if / whether…
So here αν is closer to English whether, but English usually uses if, so both translations are fine.
το is a clitic object pronoun meaning it (neuter, singular).
In this sentence it stands for whatever you are saying (a word, phrase, or sentence). The full idea is:
- Δεν ξέρω αν το λέω σωστά
= I don’t know if I’m saying it correctly.
In Greek, you usually need that object pronoun when English uses it:
- Το καταλαβαίνω. = I understand it.
- Δεν το ξέρω. = I don’t know it.
Without το, Δεν ξέρω αν λέω σωστά sounds incomplete or unnatural, as if something is missing after “say correctly”.
Greek object pronouns like το, τον, τη usually come before the verb in simple tenses:
- Το λέω. = I say it.
- Τον βλέπω. = I see him.
So the normal order is:
(Δεν) + pronoun + verb
Δεν το λέω. = I don’t say it.
You can’t say λέω το to mean I say it in this context; that would normally be followed by a noun (e.g. λέω το ποίημα = I say/recite the poem).
λέω is the present tense, 1st person singular: I say / I am saying.
Here, you’re talking about how you are saying it right now or in general, so present tense fits:
- Δεν ξέρω αν το λέω σωστά.
= I don’t know if I’m saying it correctly.
είπα is the aorist (simple past) of “to say”:
- Δεν ξέρω αν το είπα σωστά.
= I don’t know if I said it correctly.
You’d use είπα if you were talking about something you already said earlier.
σωστά is an adverb here, meaning correctly / right.
- Base adjective: σωστός = correct, right (masculine form).
- Adverb form: σωστά = correctly, in the correct way.
So:
- σωστός λόγος = correct word / correct speech.
- το λέω σωστά = I say it correctly.
You would not say το λέω σωστό for “I say it correctly”; σωστό there would sound like you’re saying “I say it (and it) is correct.”
στα is the combination of the preposition σε (in/at) + the neuter plural article τα:
- σε + τα = στα
ελληνικά here is the neuter plural form of the adjective ελληνικός (Greek), and it’s used as a noun to mean the Greek language. Literally:
- στα ελληνικά = in the Greek (words) → in Greek.
So the structure is:
- σε (in) + τα (the) + ελληνικά (Greek [neuter plural])
You don’t say σε ελληνική here because ελληνική is feminine singular; that would need a feminine noun like γλώσσα (language):
- στην ελληνική γλώσσα = in the Greek language.
But everyday speech prefers στα ελληνικά.
In Greek, names of languages are often formed from the neuter plural of the corresponding adjective:
- ελληνικά = Greek (language)
- αγγλικά = English
- γαλλικά = French
- γερμανικά = German
Historically, it’s like saying “the Greek (words)”, “the English (words)”, etc. So:
- Μιλάω ελληνικά. = I speak Greek.
- Το λέω στα ελληνικά. = I say it in Greek.
The plural is just the normal grammatical pattern for languages in modern Greek.
In modern Greek:
- Adjectives for nationalities and languages (ελληνικά, αγγλικά, γαλλικά, etc.) are usually not capitalized.
So:
- στα ελληνικά (standard, everyday writing)
You may sometimes see Ελληνικά capitalized in certain contexts (like course titles: Μαθαίνω Ελληνικά), but in a normal sentence like this one, ελληνικά is typically written with a lowercase ε.
You can say:
- Δεν ξέρω αν μιλάω σωστά ελληνικά.
This means more generally:
- I don’t know if I speak Greek correctly.
Your original sentence:
- Δεν ξέρω αν το λέω σωστά στα ελληνικά.
focuses on how you are saying a specific thing in Greek (a word, phrase, or sentence).
So:
- το λέω σωστά = I’m saying this particular thing correctly.
- μιλάω σωστά ελληνικά = I speak the Greek language correctly (in general).
They’re related, but not identical in meaning.
αν and εάν are essentially the same word; εάν is the older, slightly more formal form.
In everyday modern Greek, people almost always say αν.
You could say:
- Δεν ξέρω εάν το λέω σωστά στα ελληνικά.
It’s grammatically correct, just more formal or written-sounding. In spoken conversation, αν is more natural.
Yes, you can say:
- Δεν ξέρω αν το λέω σωστά.
That means:
- I don’t know if I’m saying it correctly.
If the context already makes it clear that you’re talking about Greek (for example, you’re in a Greek class), this is perfectly natural.
Adding στα ελληνικά specifies in Greek, which is helpful when context is less clear or you want to emphasize the language.
Stressed syllables are in capitals here:
- ΔΕΝ ΞΕ-ρω αν το ΛΕ-ω σω-ΣΤΑ στα ε-λλη-ΝΙ-κα.
Word by word (stressed syllable in bold):
- Δεν (one syllable, no internal stress mark)
- ξέρω → ΞΕ-ρω
- αν (one syllable)
- το (one syllable)
- λέω → ΛΕ-ω
- σωστά → σω-ΣΤΑ
- στα (one syllable)
- ελληνικά → ε-λλη-ΝΙ-κα
The sentence flows quite smoothly; there are no big pauses inside. You might only pause slightly before αν if you’re speaking slowly:
Δεν ξέρω | αν το λέω σωστά στα ελληνικά.
The normal, neutral word order is:
Δεν ξέρω αν το λέω σωστά στα ελληνικά.
Greek allows some flexibility for emphasis, but not all rearrangements are natural. Some possibilities:
Δεν ξέρω αν στα ελληνικά το λέω σωστά.
– Slight emphasis on στα ελληνικά (in Greek).Δεν ξέρω αν σωστά το λέω στα ελληνικά.
– Emphasis on σωστά (correctly); more marked, but possible.
However, you cannot move δεν away from the verb or separate αν from the clause it introduces in weird ways, e.g.:
- ✗ Ξέρω δεν αν το λέω σωστά… (incorrect)
For a learner, sticking with the original word order is the best and most natural choice.