“Yes” and “no” in Greek are ναι (nai) and όχι (ochi). Learning them will help you accept and decline offers, agree or disagree with statements, and navigate daily life conversations better.
But instead of learning ναι and όχι and calling it a day, why not add to your vocabulary and study related expressions as well? In this article, we’ll cover how to say “of course”, “no way”, and “sure”, besides your usual ναι and όχι.
Here’s a vocabulary list before we jump in:
| English | Greek | Audio |
|---|---|---|
| “Yes” | Ναι (nai) | |
| “No” | Όχι (ochi) | |
| “Indeed” | Μάλιστα (malista) | |
| “Certainly” | Βέβαια (vevaia) | |
| “Of course” | Φυσικά (fisika) | |
| “Of course not” | Και βέβαια όχι (ke veveia ochi) | |
| “Of course not” | Φυσικά όχι! (fisika ochi) | |
| “Unfortunately not” | Δυστυχώς, όχι (distihos ochi) |
Ναι (Nai): “Yes” in Greek
The Greek word for “yes” is ναι, pronounced like “neh”.
Using ναι in Greek Sentences
Ναι is used in both formal and informal situations. Here are some example sentences in Greek:
- Μιλάτε αγγλικά; (Milate anglika?) – “Do you speak English?”
- Ναι, μιλάω. (Nai, milao.) – “Yes, I do.”
- Είναι αυτό το λεωφορείο για την Αθήνα; (Ine afto to leoforio gia tin Athina?) – “Is this bus for Athens?”
- Ναι, είναι. (Nai, ine.) – “Yes, it is.”
- Έχετε μενού στα αγγλικά; (Echete menu sta anglika?) – “Do you have a menu in English?”
- Ναι, βεβαίως. (Nai, veveos.) – “Yes, certainly.”
Όχι (Ochi): “No” in Greek
“No” in Greek is όχι, pronounced “OH-hee,” with the word stress on the first syllable. The “h” sounds similar to the Scottish pronunciation of “loch.”
Using όχι in Greek Sentences
Όχι expresses negation in all contexts. For example:
- Είστε από την Ελλάδα; (Iste apo tin Ellada?) – “Are you from Greece?”
- Όχι, δεν είμαι. (Ochi, den ime.) – “No, I’m not.”
- Θέλετε επιδόρπιο; (Thelete epidorpio?) – “Would you like dessert?”
- Όχι, ευχαριστώ. Είμαι χορτάτος. (Ochi, efcharisto. Ime chortatos.) – “No, thank you. I’m full.”
Other Ways to Say “Yes” and “No” in Greek
Want to go beyond “yes” and “no?” Then it’s useful to learn how to say words like “of course” and “sure”.
“Of Course” in Greek
When you want to express strong agreement or emphasize your willingness to do something, these Greek phrases meaning “of course” will come in handy.
Most of them work in both formal and informal situations:
- Μάλιστα (malista) – “Yes, indeed” or “certainly”
- Βέβαια (vevaia) or *βέβαιος (veveios) – “Certainly” or “of course”
- Φυσικά (fisika) – “Naturally” or “of course”
- Σίγουρα (sigoura) – “Sure”
- Οπωσδήποτε (oposdipote) – “Definitely”
- Σαφώς – “Definitely / clearly”
- Προφανώς – “Obviously”
- Αμέ (Ame) – “Yeah” (informal)
“No Way” in Greek
When you want to express strong disagreement or disbelief, you’ll need these phrases to say “no way” or “of course not.”
- Δεν παίζει (den pezi) – “No way” (slang — literal translation: “it doesn’t play”)
- Με την καμία (me tin kamia) – “No way” (slang)
- Και βέβαια όχι! (ke veveia ochi) – “Of course not!”
- Φυσικά όχι! (fisika ochi) – “Of course not!”
- Σίγουρα όχι! (sigura ochi) – “Of course not!”
- Δεν υπάρχει περίπτωση (den iparhi periptosi) – “There is no way”
- Με τίποτα (me tipota) – “By no means” (informal)
Non-Verbal Ways of Saying “Yes” and “No” in Greek
In Greek, nodding the head up and down, as in many cultures, means “yes.”
But for “no,” there’s a specific gesture you should know about, which is called Τσου. Here’s a fun video to check it out:
@ariannapapalexopoulos The GREEK NO #TSOU 🇬🇷 #water #fyp #greekamerican #greekjokes #greekhumor #greece #greek #no #language #bodylanguage #greekcomedy #greektiktok #greektiktoker ♬ original sound – TwinGirlPeeks
Responding to “Yes” and “No” in Greek
So you asked something, the person said no, and you want to say “no problem” in Greek.
Or they said yes, and you want to reply “thank you.”
Here’s a handy vocabulary list:
“No Problem” in Greek
You might need to say “no problem” after someone thanks you or when they tell you something is not possible.
- Κανένα πρόβλημα (kanena provlima) – “No problem” (informal)
- Δεν πειράζει (den pirazi) – “It doesn’t matter” (informal)
- Εντάξει (endaxi) – “Okay”
- Τίποτα! (tipota!) – “No problem!” (informal — literal translation: “nothing”)
“Yes, please” and “No, thank you” in Greek
Use these phrases when accepting or politely declining an offer.
To sound nice and polite, add παρακαλώ (“please”) after your “yes,” and ευχαριστώ (“thank you”) after your “no.”
- Ναι, παρακαλώ (nai, parakalo) – “Yes, please”
- Όχι, ευχαριστώ (ochi, efcharisto) – “No, thank you”
“Thank You” in Greek
“Thank you” in Greek is ευχαριστώ (efcharisto). Learning it will help you sound polite, and thank people when they accept your offer.
Here are some other ways of saying “thank you” in Greek:
- Ευχαριστώ πάρα πολύ (efcharisto para poli) – “Thank you very much”
- Σας ευχαριστώ (sas efcharisto) – “Thank you” (formal or plural)
- *Ευχαριστούμε (efcharistoume) – “(We) thank you” (used when thanking on behalf of a group of people)
Responding to “Thanks” in Greek
Alternatively, if someone thanks you, you can use these expressions to say “you’re welcome.”
- Παρακαλώ (parakalo) – “You’re welcome”
- Τίποτα (tipota) – “It’s nothing”
- Να ‘στε καλά (na ‘ste kala) – “Be well”
Agreeing in Greek
These words will help you express agreement:
- Σύμφωνοι (simfoni) – “Agreed”
- Εντάξει (endaxi) – “Okay”
- Βεβαίως (veveos) – “Certainly”
Disagreeing in Greek
Sometimes you need to say no, but want to do it politely. These phrases will help you disagree without causing offense.
- Δυστυχώς, όχι (distychos, ochi) “Unfortunately, no”
- Λυπάμαι, αλλά… (lipame, alla…) “I’m sorry, but…”
- Φοβάμαι πως όχι (fovame pos ochi) “I’m afraid not”
FAQs
How do you say yes in Greece?
In Greece, you say ναι (nai) for “yes.”
Does nai mean yes in Greek?
This little word confuses many speakers as it sounds similar to the English word “no,” but ναι (nai) indeed means “yes” in Greek!
How do you say no in Greece?
In Greece, you say όχι” (ochi) for “no.”
What is the Greek word for no?
The Greek word for “no” is όχι” (ochi).
How do you pronounce yes and no in Greek?
“Yes” or ναι (nai) is pronounced as “neh.” The “-eh” is relatively short, and it sounds like the “e” in the English word “bed.”
“No” or όχι (ochi) is pronounced as “OH-hee.” The word stress is on “OH,” the first syllable. The χ is the letter “chi” in Greek, which sounds similar to the “ch” in the word “loch” with a Scottish pronunciation.
Ναι and Όχι Are Some of the Most Common Greek Words!
“Yes” and “no” are essential words in Greek, as in any other language. They won’t make you fluent straight away, but they’ll familiarize you with the basics, help accept and reject offers, or show agreement and disagreement.
Check out our recommendations for Greek resources to continue learning the basics!
