Λυπάμαι αν σε παρεξήγησα πριν· νόμιζα ότι δεν νοιαζόσουν.

Here Λυπάμαι means I’m sorry or I regret it, not just I’m sad.

It comes from the verb λυπάμαι, which can express sorrow, regret, or sympathy depending on context. In apologies, Λυπάμαι is a very natural way to say I’m sorry.

So in this sentence, it is functioning as an apology: Λυπάμαι αν... = I’m sorry if...

Yes, αν means if.

In a sentence like Λυπάμαι αν σε παρεξήγησα, it often softens the apology a little:

• I’m sorry if I misunderstood you
• I’m sorry in case I misunderstood you

So it can suggest some uncertainty, but very often it is just a polite way to apologize without sounding too direct or too absolute.

Σε is the unstressed object pronoun meaning you (singular, informal).

So:

• σε παρεξήγησα = I misunderstood you

A native English speaker often expects a full pronoun, but Greek very often uses these short object pronouns.

Compare:

• σε = you (object, unstressed)
• εσένα = you (object, stressed/emphatic)

Here no emphasis is needed, so σε is the natural choice.

Because short object pronouns in Greek normally go before the finite verb.

So:

• σε παρεξήγησα = correct, natural
• not normally παρεξήγησα σε

This is one of the patterns English speakers have to get used to, because English puts the object after the verb, while Greek clitic pronouns usually come before it.

Παρεξήγησα is the aorist (simple past) of παρεξηγώ, meaning to misunderstand.

So:

• παρεξηγώ = I misunderstand / I am misunderstanding
• παρεξήγησα = I misunderstood

The aorist is used here because the speaker is referring to a completed past event: the misunderstanding happened earlier.

Also, many Greek verbs in -ώ form their aorist with -ησα, so this pattern is worth noticing.

Historically it is built from parts that suggest that, but as a normal modern Greek verb, παρεξηγώ simply means misunderstand or take the wrong way.

So in practice, you should learn it as a single vocabulary item:

• παρεξηγώ κάποιον = I misunderstand someone
• με παρεξήγησες = you misunderstood me

It is not normally interpreted piece by piece in everyday use.

Here πριν means earlier or before.

In this sentence it works as an adverb:

• σε παρεξήγησα πριν = I misunderstood you earlier

Greek πριν can also be used as a conjunction:

• πριν φύγω = before I leave
• πριν έρθεις = before you came

But in your sentence, it is just the adverb earlier / before.

That is the Greek ano teleia.

In modern text, it usually works like an English semicolon or sometimes a strong pause similar to a colon.

So:

• ... πριν· νόμιζα ... means something like
• ... earlier; I thought ...

A useful warning: the English-looking ; in Greek is actually the question mark. So Greek punctuation can be confusing at first.

Νόμιζα is the imperfect of νομίζω.

That gives the sense of an ongoing past belief or assumption:

• νόμιζα ότι... = I thought that... / I was under the impression that...

Greek often uses the imperfect when describing what someone believed, felt, knew, or thought over some period of time in the past.

By contrast, νόμισα is the aorist and would sound more like a single moment of thinking or concluding:

• νόμισα ότι... = I thought / I assumed... at one moment

In this sentence, νόμιζα fits well because the speaker is describing their previous state of mind.

Here ότι means that and introduces a content clause:

• νόμιζα ότι δεν νοιαζόσουν = I thought that you didn’t care

This is different from ό,τι with a comma, which means whatever or anything that.

So:

• ότι = that
• ό,τι = whatever

In your sentence, only ότι makes sense.

Νοιαζόσουν is the imperfect, second person singular, of νοιάζομαι.

So:

• νοιάζομαι = I care
• νοιαζόσουν = you cared / you were caring

With δεν, it becomes:

• δεν νοιαζόσουν = you didn’t care

This verb has middle/passive-style endings, but its meaning is active. That is very common in Greek. So even though the form may look passive to a learner, here it simply means you cared.

Because νοιάζομαι can be used either:

• absolutely: care
• or with a complement: care about ...

So:

• δεν νοιαζόσουν = you didn’t care
• δεν νοιαζόσουν για μένα = you didn’t care about me

In your sentence, the object of caring is left unstated because it is understood from context.

Yes. The sentence uses singular informal you:

• σε
• νοιαζόσουν

For plural or polite you, it would become: Λυπάμαι αν σας παρεξήγησα πριν· νόμιζα ότι δεν νοιαζόσασταν.

So:

• σε → σας
• νοιαζόσουν → νοιαζόσασταν

Greek word order is fairly flexible, but not completely free.

This sentence is natural as written: Λυπάμαι αν σε παρεξήγησα πριν· νόμιζα ότι δεν νοιαζόσουν.

Some parts can move for emphasis or style, especially πριν:

• Λυπάμαι αν πριν σε παρεξήγησα... is possible, though less neutral.

But the short pronoun σε normally stays before the verb:

• σε παρεξήγησα

So the main thing to remember is:

• overall word order can shift,
• but clitic pronouns like σε usually keep their normal pre-verbal position.