Breakdown of Δεν φοβάμαι την παρατήρηση της δασκάλας, γιατί ξέρω ότι με βοηθάει.
Questions & Answers about Δεν φοβάμαι την παρατήρηση της δασκάλας, γιατί ξέρω ότι με βοηθάει.
In Greek, the basic rule is: the negative word δεν (or δε) comes right before the verb it negates.
- Δεν φοβάμαι = I am not afraid / I do not fear
- φοβάμαι by itself means I am afraid / I fear.
Unlike English, Greek doesn’t need an auxiliary like do. You just put δεν in front of the main verb:
- Δεν τρώω. – I do not eat / I’m not eating.
- Δεν καταλαβαίνω. – I don’t understand.
So δεν φοβάμαι is the normal word order for negation. Putting δεν after the verb (φοβάμαι δεν) would be wrong in standard Greek.
Φοβάμαι is one of a group of so‑called medio‑passive verbs that are active in meaning but grammatically look passive/reflexive.
- φοβάμαι = I am afraid / I fear
- It’s present tense, 1st person singular, medio‑passive.
There is an archaic active form φοβώ / φοβάω, but in modern everyday Greek people say φοβάμαι for I fear / I am afraid. You don’t say (εγώ) φοβάω in normal modern speech.
Other similar verbs:
- θυμάμαι – I remember
- κοιμάμαι – I sleep
- κάθομαι – I sit
They all look “passive” but are translated with an active meaning in English.
So Δεν φοβάμαι is simply I am not afraid, not a real passive like I am feared.
In Greek the subject pronoun (like εγώ, I) is usually dropped, because the verb ending already shows the person:
- φοβάμαι clearly means I am afraid (1st person singular).
- So Δεν φοβάμαι… already includes the idea of I.
You only add εγώ when you want emphasis or contrast:
- Εγώ δεν φοβάμαι την παρατήρηση της δασκάλας.
I am not afraid of the teacher’s criticism (implying someone else might be).
So the sentence without εγώ is the most natural, neutral version.
Την παρατήρηση has the definite article την because:
- παρατήρηση is a feminine noun → η παρατήρηση (nominative).
- Here it’s the direct object, so it’s in the accusative → την παρατήρηση.
Greek uses the definite article much more often than English, especially with specific things:
- Δεν φοβάμαι την παρατήρηση της δασκάλας.
Literally: I am not afraid of *the teacher’s criticism.*
In English we often say teacher’s criticism without the, but in Greek the article is natural and often required.
You can omit the article only in special contexts (very general, abstract, or “bare” noun uses), but here, speaking about the teacher’s specific criticism, την παρατήρηση is the normal form.
In Greek, φοβάμαι takes a direct object in the accusative, not a preposition:
- φοβάμαι κάτι – I am afraid of something / I fear something
- Δεν φοβάμαι την παρατήρηση. – I’m not afraid of the criticism.
So:
- English: afraid *of the teacher’s criticism*
- Greek: φοβάμαι την παρατήρηση της δασκάλας (no preposition, just an accusative object).
Using από (φοβάμαι από την παρατήρηση) is not correct in this sense. The verb itself carries the “of” idea.
Παρατήρηση has several meanings, depending on context:
- observation (noticing something, scientific observation)
- comment / remark
- reprimand / telling‑off / criticism (from a teacher, parent, boss)
In a school context, η παρατήρηση της δασκάλας is naturally understood as:
- the teacher’s reprimand / scolding / critical remark
So the sentence means: I’m not afraid of the teacher’s reprimand / criticism, because I know it helps me.
Της δασκάλας is in the genitive case, used here for possession or “belonging to”:
- η παρατήρηση της δασκάλας
= the teacher’s criticism (literally the criticism of the teacher).
So:
- η παρατήρηση – the criticism
- της δασκάλας – of the teacher (female teacher)
You could say η παρατήρηση από τη δασκάλα, but that literally emphasizes coming from the teacher and sounds more like a criticism from the teacher as a source. It’s possible, but less idiomatic than η παρατήρηση της δασκάλας for the simple “teacher’s criticism”.
Also note the gender:
- ο δάσκαλος (male teacher) → του δασκάλου / του δάσκαλου
- η δασκάλα (female teacher) → της δασκάλας
Γιατί is a very common word that has two main uses:
As “why” (in questions):
- Γιατί δεν φοβάσαι; – Why aren’t you afraid?
As “because” (in answers or statements):
- Δεν φοβάμαι, γιατί ξέρω ότι με βοηθάει.
I’m not afraid, because I know it helps me.
- Δεν φοβάμαι, γιατί ξέρω ότι με βοηθάει.
So the meaning is decided by context, punctuation, and intonation:
- Question: Γιατί…; → Why…?
- Statement: …, γιατί… → …, because…
Here, after a comma and without question intonation, γιατί = because.
Yes, you can say:
- Δεν φοβάμαι την παρατήρηση της δασκάλας, επειδή ξέρω ότι με βοηθάει.
Επειδή also means because, and in most everyday contexts it is interchangeable with γιατί in the because sense.
Subtle tendencies (not absolute rules):
- γιατί is more common and more informal, used both for why and because.
- επειδή is only because and can sound slightly more formal or “careful”, though it’s also very common in speech.
In this particular sentence, both γιατί and επειδή are fine.
Both ότι and πως can introduce a that‑clause in modern Greek:
- ξέρω ότι με βοηθάει
- ξέρω πως με βοηθάει
Both mean: I know that it helps me.
Differences:
- ότι is slightly more neutral and often used in more formal or written contexts.
- πως is very common in speech and informal writing.
In everyday usage they are often interchangeable. The main thing: here ότι does not mean what; it’s a conjunction equivalent to English that.
Με is the unstressed object pronoun (= me), and in standard Greek its position in a simple statement is before the verb (this is called proclitic position):
- με βοηθάει – it helps me
Saying βοηθάει με is wrong in this structure; you’d only use a stressed form εμένα after the verb for emphasis, and with a preposition:
- Βοηθάει εμένα. (emphatic: It helps me)
- Βοηθάει εμένα περισσότερο. – It helps me more.
But the normal neutral way is:
- με βοηθάει (or με βοηθά)
No difference in meaning here; both are present tense, 3rd person singular of βοηθάω / βοηθώ (to help):
- με βοηθάει
- με βοηθά
Both mean it helps me.
The -άει ending is a fully standard, very common spoken form; -ά is a slightly shorter form, also standard. Some people feel βοηθά sounds a bit more “careful” or written, but both are acceptable.
So you can say:
- Δεν φοβάμαι…, γιατί ξέρω ότι με βοηθάει.
- Δεν φοβάμαι…, γιατί ξέρω ότι με βοηθά.
Both are correct.
You can, but the nuance changes:
- με βοηθάει – neutral: it helps me
- εμένα με βοηθάει – emphasized: me, it helps / it helps *me (in particular)*
- βοηθάει εμένα – also emphasized, but less natural without some contrast.
Με is the unstressed clitic form and is the normal choice here. Εμένα is the stressed form and is used when you want to stress or contrast:
- Εμένα με βοηθάει η παρατήρηση, όχι τους άλλους.
The criticism helps me, not the others.
Greek word order is relatively flexible, but there are natural and less natural choices.
- Δεν φοβάμαι την παρατήρηση της δασκάλας is the most natural, neutral order:
verb – object – genitive (teacher’s).
You can say:
- Δεν φοβάμαι της δασκάλας την παρατήρηση.
This is grammatically correct, but it sounds more marked / emphatic and a bit literary or stylistic. It puts extra focus on της δασκάλας (“the teacher’s”), a bit like saying in English: I’m not afraid of the *teacher’s criticism* (as opposed to someone else’s).
For everyday usage and for learners, stick with:
- Δεν φοβάμαι την παρατήρηση της δασκάλας…
Yes, grammatically you can say:
- Δεν φοβάμαι την παρατήρηση, γιατί ξέρω ότι με βοηθάει.
I’m not afraid of criticism, because I know it helps me.
In that version, την παρατήρηση would be understood more generally as criticism (in general), or a/the criticism from context.
Adding της δασκάλας makes it clear you are talking specifically about the teacher’s criticism. So both are correct, but they don’t say exactly the same thing.