Οφείλεις να μιλάς με σεβασμό, ακόμα κι αν διαφωνείς.

to speak

Breakdown of Οφείλεις να μιλάς με σεβασμό, ακόμα κι αν διαφωνείς.

• να: to
• με: with
• διαφωνώ: to disagree

Questions & Answers about Οφείλεις να μιλάς με σεβασμό, ακόμα κι αν διαφωνείς.

What does Οφείλεις mean here?

Οφείλεις is the 2nd person singular form of οφείλω.

In this sentence, it means something like:

• you must
• you ought to
• you are obliged to

Literally, οφείλω can also mean to owe, but here it expresses duty/obligation, not money or debt.

So Οφείλεις να... is a fairly strong way to say that someone has a responsibility to do something.

Why is there a να after Οφείλεις?

In Greek, να is used before a verb to introduce what English learners often think of as a subjunctive-type construction.

So:

• Οφείλεις να μιλάς = You must speak / You ought to speak

After verbs like οφείλω, θέλω, πρέπει, μπορώ, Greek commonly uses να + verb.

You do not say Οφείλεις μιλάς. The να is required here.

Why is it να μιλάς and not να μιλήσεις?