Λυπάμαι αν σε παρεξήγησα πριν· νόμιζα ότι δεν νοιαζόσουν.

I’m sorry if I misunderstood you before; I thought you didn’t care.

Breakdown of Λυπάμαι αν σε παρεξήγησα πριν· νόμιζα ότι δεν νοιαζόσουν.

• δεν: not
• πριν: before
• σε: you
• αν: if

Questions & Answers about Λυπάμαι αν σε παρεξήγησα πριν· νόμιζα ότι δεν νοιαζόσουν.

What does Λυπάμαι mean here? Is it literally I am sad?

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...

Why is αν used? Does it really mean 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.

What is σε doing here?

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.