Δεν μπορώ να κάνω θαύματα, αλλά μπορώ να σε βοηθήσω.

Δεν means not and is the normal way to negate a verb in Greek.

So:

• μπορώ = I can
• δεν μπορώ = I can't / I cannot

In Greek, δεν usually comes directly before the verb phrase it negates:

• Δεν μπορώ = I can't
• Δεν ξέρω = I don't know
• Δεν θέλω = I don't want

In this sentence, Δεν negates the first μπορώ only:

• Δεν μπορώ να κάνω θαύματα = I can't do miracles

μπορώ means I can / I am able to.

It appears twice because the sentence has two separate clauses:

• Δεν μπορώ να κάνω θαύματα = I can't do miracles
• αλλά μπορώ να σε βοηθήσω = but I can help you

Greek often repeats the verb where English might also repeat it for emphasis or clarity. Here it sounds completely natural to say I can't..., but I can...

In Modern Greek, verbs like μπορώ are followed by να plus another verb.

So:

• μπορώ να κάνω = I can do
• μπορώ να βοηθήσω = I can help

English uses the bare infinitive after can (can do, can help), but Greek does not use an infinitive in the same way. Instead, it uses να + a finite verb form.

This is a very common Greek pattern:

• Θέλω να πάω = I want to go
• Πρέπει να φύγω = I must leave
• Μπορώ να έρθω = I can come

Modern Greek no longer uses the old infinitive the way English does. Instead, it usually uses να with a verb form that looks like a conjugated form.

So where English says:

• to do
• to help
• to go

Greek usually says:

• να κάνω
• να βοηθήσω
• να πάω

This is one of the big structural differences between English and Greek.

Literally, κάνω θαύματα means I do miracles or I make miracles, but the natural English meaning is work miracles or simply do miracles.

Word by word:

• κάνω = I do / I make
• θαύματα = miracles

This is a normal Greek expression. In context, Δεν μπορώ να κάνω θαύματα means something like:

• I can't work miracles
• I can't do the impossible

Because the expression is idiomatic: κάνω θαύματα = work miracles.

Greek often uses the plural here, just as English often says work miracles rather than work a miracle.

Some useful details:

• το θαύμα = the miracle (singular)
• τα θαύματα = the miracles (plural)

In the sentence, θαύματα is the plural object of κάνω.

αλλά means but.

It connects the two contrasting parts of the sentence:

• Δεν μπορώ να κάνω θαύματα = I can't do miracles
• αλλά μπορώ να σε βοηθήσω = but I can help you

So it marks a contrast:

• I can't do something extraordinary,
• but I can still do something useful.

Here, σε means you as a direct object, so:

• να σε βοηθήσω = to help you

This σε is the unstressed object pronoun for you (singular).

Compare:

• βλέπω εσένα = I see you (stressed/emphatic)
• σε βλέπω = I see you (normal, unstressed)
• να σε βοηθήσω = to help you

So σε is not the preposition σε meaning in / to / at here. It is the pronoun you.

Because βοηθώ / βοηθήσω takes a direct object in Modern Greek.

So:

• σε βοηθώ = I help you
• να σε βοηθήσω = to help you

You use σε for the direct object you.

By contrast, σου usually means to you / your, depending on context:

• σου μιλάω = I speak to you
• το βιβλίο σου = your book

English says help you, and Greek also treats you here as a direct object, not an indirect one.

In Greek, weak object pronouns like με, σε, τον, τη, το, μας, σας, τους usually come before the verb.

So:

• σε βοηθώ = I help you
• θα σε πάρω = I will call you / pick you up
• μπορώ να σε βοηθήσω = I can help you

That is the normal position.

With να, the pronoun still comes before the verb:

• να σε βοηθήσω
• να τον δω
• να μας πει

Because after να, Greek often uses the form associated with the perfective aspect when talking about a single, complete action.

So:

• να βοηθήσω = to help (as one complete act / to give help)
• να βοηθώ = to be helping / to help repeatedly or continuously in a more ongoing sense

In this sentence, the speaker means something like:

• I can help you
• I can give you some help

So να σε βοηθήσω is the natural choice.

This is a common Greek contrast:

• να γράψω = to write (one complete act)
• να γράφω = to be writing / to write regularly

Not by itself.

βοηθήσω here is not a standalone future tense. It appears after να, so it is part of the να construction:

• να βοηθήσω

Greek future is normally made with θα:

• θα βοηθήσω = I will help

But in this sentence, we have:

• μπορώ να σε βοηθήσω = I can help you

So βοηθήσω is not functioning as I will help here. It is the verb form used after να.

Yes. Greek usually drops subject pronouns when they are not needed, because the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

So:

• μπορώ already means I can
• You do not need to say εγώ μπορώ unless you want emphasis

That is why the sentence does not include εγώ.

If you wanted strong contrast, you could say:

• Εγώ δεν μπορώ να κάνω θαύματα, αλλά μπορώ να σε βοηθήσω. This would sound more like:
• I can't do miracles, but I can help you.

The basic sentence without εγώ is more neutral and natural.

Because the sentence contains two coordinated clauses joined by αλλά (but):

• Δεν μπορώ να κάνω θαύματα
• αλλά μπορώ να σε βοηθήσω

The comma helps separate the two contrasting ideas. This is very common in Greek punctuation.

Greek word order is more flexible than English, but this version is the most neutral and natural.

The standard order here is:

• Δεν μπορώ να κάνω θαύματα, αλλά μπορώ να σε βοηθήσω.

You could change word order for emphasis, but that would affect tone. For example:

• Δεν μπορώ να κάνω θαύματα, αλλά να σε βοηθήσω μπορώ.

That sounds more marked and emphatic, something like:

• I can't do miracles, but help you I can.

So yes, word order can change, but the original sentence is the normal choice.

Usually the contrast is the important part:

• Δεν μπορώ να κάνω θαύματα, αλλά μπορώ να σε βοηθήσω.

So the emphasis often falls on the contrast between:

• can't do miracles
• can help you

A speaker might also stress σε if they want to emphasize you:

• αλλά μπορώ να σε βοηθήσω = but I can help you

The exact stress depends on context, but the sentence naturally contrasts limitation with willingness or ability to help.