Μην αδειάσεις τελείως το ψυγείο, γιατί έχω ακόμα γάλα και βούτυρο μέσα.

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Breakdown of Μην αδειάσεις τελείως το ψυγείο, γιατί έχω ακόμα γάλα και βούτυρο μέσα.

• έχω: to have
• γιατί: because
• μην: not

Questions & Answers about Μην αδειάσεις τελείως το ψυγείο, γιατί έχω ακόμα γάλα και βούτυρο μέσα.

Why does the sentence use μην instead of δεν?

Because μην is used for negative commands and negative subjunctive forms, while δεν is used for simple statements.

• Μην αδειάσεις... = Don’t empty...
• Δεν αδειάζεις... would mean something like You are not emptying... or You don’t empty..., not a command.

So in this sentence, μην is the correct word because the speaker is telling someone not to do something.

What form is αδειάσεις?

Αδειάσεις is the 2nd person singular form of the aorist subjunctive of αδειάζω (to empty).

Here it appears after μην, which is a very common way to form a negative command in Modern Greek:

• Μην αδειάσεις = Don’t empty
• literally: Don’t (you) empty

Even though English learners often think of commands as imperatives, Greek very often uses μην + subjunctive for negative commands.

Is μην αδειάσεις the same as a negative imperative?