Δεν αρνούμαι να σε βοηθήσω, αλλά θέλω πρώτα να τελειώσω τη δουλειά μου.

Δεν is the normal Greek word for not when negating a verb in the indicative.

• αρνούμαι = I deny / I refuse
• δεν αρνούμαι = I do not deny / I am not refusing

So Δεν αρνούμαι να σε βοηθήσω literally means I’m not refusing to help you.

A learner should also notice that this is not exactly the same as I want to help you. It has a slightly different nuance:

• Δεν αρνούμαι να σε βοηθήσω = I’m not saying no to helping you
• Θέλω να σε βοηθήσω = I want to help you

The Greek sentence is making a contrast: I’m not refusing to help you, but first I want to finish my work.

This is a very common question in Greek.

αρνούμαι looks like a middle/passive form because it has the ending -μαι, but its meaning here is active: I refuse.

This happens with some Greek verbs. They are often called deponent verbs in older grammar terminology, meaning they use middle/passive forms but have an active meaning.

So you should learn:

• αρνούμαι = I refuse
• not as a passive meaning like I am refused

Its forms follow the middle/passive pattern, but the meaning is active.

να is a very important Greek particle. It usually introduces a subordinate clause with a subjunctive-type verb form.

In this sentence:

• αρνούμαι να σε βοηθήσω = I refuse to help you
• θέλω να τελειώσω = I want to finish

English often uses the infinitive to help, to finish. Modern Greek does not have an infinitive in the same way, so it uses να + verb form instead.

So:

• να βοηθήσω = roughly to help
• να τελειώσω = roughly to finish

This is one of the most basic Greek patterns:

• θέλω να... = I want to...
• μπορώ να... = I can...
• πρέπει να... = I must...

Because after να, Greek often uses a form that shows aspect, and here the speaker is thinking of each action as a single complete event.

Compare:

• να βοηθήσω = to help as one complete action

• να βοηθάω = to be helping / to help repeatedly or continuously

• να τελειώσω = to finish, complete
• να τελειώνω = more like to be finishing / to finish habitually

In this sentence, both actions are seen as whole, completed acts:

• help you
• finish my work

So the aorist subjunctive-type forms are natural:

• βοηθήσω
• τελειώσω

This is not really about past time here. It is about aspect, not tense in the English sense.

σε here is the weak form of the object pronoun meaning you.

So:

• να σε βοηθήσω = to help you

Greek weak object pronouns usually come before the verb, or before the verb form introduced by να.

Examples:

• Σε βλέπω. = I see you.
• Θέλω να σε δω. = I want to see you.
• Μπορώ να σε βοηθήσω. = I can help you.

So the word order is completely normal:

• να σε βοηθήσω not
• να βοηθήσω σε

πρώτα means first.

In this sentence:

• θέλω πρώτα να τελειώσω τη δουλειά μου = I want first to finish my work = more natural English: I want to finish my work first

Greek adverbs like πρώτα are fairly flexible in position. This sentence places it before να τελειώσω, which is very natural.

You may also hear:

• θέλω να τελειώσω πρώτα τη δουλειά μου
• πρώτα θέλω να τελειώσω τη δουλειά μου

These are all possible, though the emphasis may shift slightly.

Greek usually keeps the definite article with possessed nouns.

So:

• η δουλειά μου = my work / my job
• το σπίτι μου = my house
• ο φίλος μου = my friend

In the sentence, τη δουλειά μου is in the accusative because it is the object of τελειώσω:

• nominative: η δουλειά μου
• accusative: τη δουλειά μου

This often feels strange to English speakers, because English usually does not use the with possessives. But in Greek, it is normal and expected.

Here δουλειά most naturally means work or task/work I have to do.

So:

• τελειώσω τη δουλειά μου = finish my work

Depending on context, δουλειά can also mean:

• job
• work
• task
• business

In this sentence, it probably means the work the speaker is currently occupied with, not necessarily their profession in general.

Because αλλά means but, and Greek punctuation often uses a comma before it when it joins two clauses.

So the structure is:

• Δεν αρνούμαι να σε βοηθήσω, αλλά... = I’m not refusing to help you, but...

This is very similar to English punctuation.

Yes, it is natural, but it has a particular tone.

It sounds like the speaker is responding to a situation where someone may think they are unwilling to help. The sentence reassures the listener:

• I’m not refusing to help you
• I just want to finish my work first

So it can sound slightly defensive or clarifying.

If the speaker simply wanted to express willingness more directly, they might say:

• Θέλω να σε βοηθήσω, αλλά... = I want to help you, but...
• Θα σε βοηθήσω, αλλά... = I’ll help you, but...

So the original wording is natural, but its nuance matters.

Not naturally, if the speaker wants those meanings.

• σε is necessary for you
• μου is necessary for my

Compare:

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

and

• τη δουλειά = the work
• τη δουλειά μου = my work

Greek can sometimes omit pronouns when they are understood from context, but here these particular object/possessive pronouns carry important information, so they are normally included.

Because Modern Greek does not use the infinitive the way English does.

English says:

• to help
• to finish

Greek usually expresses this idea with:

• να βοηθήσω
• να τελειώσω

So when learning Greek, it is better not to try to find a one-word equivalent for the English infinitive. Instead, learn the pattern:

• να + verb

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

Only approximately.

A very literal version would be:

• Not I-refuse to you help, but I-want first to finish the work my.

A natural English translation is:

• I’m not refusing to help you, but I want to finish my work first.

This is a good example of why Greek learners should focus on patterns, not word-for-word matching:

• δεν + verb for negation
• να + verb instead of an infinitive
• weak pronoun before the verb
• article + possessed noun, as in τη δουλειά μου