Μην βάλεις το ποτήρι πάνω σε αυτό το βιβλίο.

Don't put the glass on this book.

Breakdown of Μην βάλεις το ποτήρι πάνω σε αυτό το βιβλίο.

• αυτός: this
• μην: not
• το βιβλίο: the book
• βάζω: to put

Questions & Answers about Μην βάλεις το ποτήρι πάνω σε αυτό το βιβλίο.

Why does the sentence start with Μην?

Μην is the word used for a negative command in Greek, meaning don't.

So:

• Βάλε το ποτήρι... = Put the glass...
• Μην βάλεις το ποτήρι... = Don't put the glass...

In Modern Greek, negative commands are usually formed with:

• μη(ν)
  • subjunctive-type verb form

That is exactly what is happening here.

Why is it βάλεις and not βάζεις?

This is one of the most important things learners notice.

The basic verb is βάζω = I put.
But after μη(ν) in a negative command, Greek normally uses the aorist subjunctive form, not the ordinary present form.

So:

• βάζεις = you put / you are putting
• βάλεις = form used here after μη(ν), from the aorist stem

This verb is a little irregular:

• present stem: βαζ-
• aorist stem: βαλ-

That is why βάζω becomes βάλεις here.

Is Μην βάλεις literally an imperative?