Breakdown of Ούτε καν ο έντονος θόρυβος δεν χάλασε τον ενθουσιασμό του παιδιού.
δεν
not
το παιδί
the child
ο θόρυβος
the noise
ούτε καν
not even
Questions & Answers about Ούτε καν ο έντονος θόρυβος δεν χάλασε τον ενθουσιασμό του παιδιού.
What does ούτε καν mean here?
It means not even.
So Ούτε καν ο έντονος θόρυβος... means Not even the loud/intense noise...
- ούτε can mean not even, or it can be part of ούτε... ούτε... = neither... nor...
- καν adds extra emphasis, so ούτε καν is stronger than just ούτε
In this sentence, it highlights that the noise was something you might expect to ruin the child’s excitement, but it did not.
Why is δεν there if the sentence already has ούτε καν?
Because Greek often uses negative concord.
That means Greek can use:
- a negative expression such as ούτε, κανείς, τίποτα
- together with δεν on the verb
So Ούτε καν ... δεν χάλασε is normal Greek.
In English, we usually avoid that and say just Not even ... spoiled. But in Greek, this is not a double negative in the English sense. It is simply the standard way to express the negative idea.
What is the job of ο έντονος θόρυβος in the sentence?
It is the subject of the verb.
The sentence is saying that the loud/intense noise did not spoil the child’s excitement.