Μην μιλάτε όλοι μαζί, δεν καταλαβαίνω.

Don't all speak at once, I don't understand.

Breakdown of Μην μιλάτε όλοι μαζί, δεν καταλαβαίνω.

• μιλάω: to speak
• δεν: not
• καταλαβαίνω: to understand
• μην: not

Questions & Answers about Μην μιλάτε όλοι μαζί, δεν καταλαβαίνω.

Why does the sentence use μην instead of δεν?

Because Greek uses μην for negative commands and δεν for negative statements.

• Μην μιλάτε = Don’t speak / Don’t talk
• Δεν μιλάτε = You are not speaking or You don’t speak

So in this sentence, the speaker is telling people not to do something, so μην is the correct choice.

What form is μιλάτε here?

Μιλάτε is the 2nd person plural form of μιλάω / μιλώ (to speak, to talk).

In this sentence, it is used with μην to make a negative command:

• Μην μιλάτε = Don’t talk

This same form can also be used:

• as a normal present-tense form: μιλάτε = you speak / you are speaking
• as a positive command to more than one person: Μιλάτε! = Speak!

So the context tells you how to understand it.

Is μιλάτε talking to several people, or could it also be polite singular?

Grammatically, μιλάτε can be either:

• plural you = speaking to more than one person
• formal singular you = speaking politely to one person

But in this sentence, όλοι makes it clear that the speaker is addressing several people, not just one person.