Δεν είχα καν χρόνο να κρύψω την έκπληξή μου.

to have

Breakdown of Δεν είχα καν χρόνο να κρύψω την έκπληξή μου.

• δεν: not
• να: to
• μου: my

Questions & Answers about Δεν είχα καν χρόνο να κρύψω την έκπληξή μου.

Why is there no word for I in this sentence?

Greek often drops subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

• είχα = I had
• So Δεν είχα... already means I didn’t have...

You could add εγώ for emphasis, but it is not necessary.

Why is είχα used here?

είχα is the past form of έχω (to have).

In English, we say I didn’t have time with the simple past. In Greek, είχα is the normal past form used here, even though it is historically the imperfect.

So:

• έχω χρόνο = I have time
• δεν είχα χρόνο = I didn’t have time

What does καν mean here?

With a negative, καν usually means even or at all, depending on context.

So Δεν είχα καν χρόνο... means:

• I didn’t even have time...

It adds emphasis: not only was there little time, there wasn’t even enough time for this one thing.

Why is it χρόνο and not χρόνος?