Δεν ξέρω αν το λέω σωστά στα ελληνικά.

not

Breakdown of Δεν ξέρω αν το λέω σωστά στα ελληνικά.

• ξέρω: to know
• αν: if
• το: it
• λέω: to say
• στα ελληνικά: in Greek
• σωστά: correctly

Questions & Answers about Δεν ξέρω αν το λέω σωστά στα ελληνικά.

What does Δεν ξέρω literally mean, and how does negation work here?

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).

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What exactly does αν mean in this sentence? Is it “if” or “whether”?

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.

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Why do we need το in αν το λέω? What does it refer to?

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”.

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Why does το come before the verb (το λέω) instead of after, like in English?

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).

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What tense is λέω, and why not use something like είπα?

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.

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What is σωστά? Is it an adjective or an adverb, and what would the base form be?

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.”

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Why is it στα ελληνικά and not something like σε ελληνικά or σε ελληνική?

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.

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Why is ελληνικά in the plural? English just says “in Greek”.

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.

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Should ελληνικά be capitalized here, like Ελληνικά?

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.

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Could I say Δεν ξέρω αν μιλάω σωστά ελληνικά instead? Does it mean the same thing?

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.

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Is αν the same as εάν? Could I use εάν here?

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.

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Can I omit στα ελληνικά and just say Δεν ξέρω αν το λέω σωστά?

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.

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What is the natural word stress and rhythm when pronouncing this sentence?

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.

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Is the basic word order here fixed, or can I move things around for emphasis?

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.