Yes and No in Greek: Essential Greek Vocabulary

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“Yes” and “no” in Greek are ναι (nai) and όχι (ochi). You’ll use them to accept or decline offers, answer questions and show agreement or disagreement.

This guide also covers useful related expressions, including “of course,” “no way,” “sure,” polite replies and the Greek gesture for “no.”

A note from the Fluent in 3 Months team before we get started: You can chat away with a native speaker for at least 15 minutes with the “Fluent in 3 Months” method. All it takes is 90 days. Tap this link to find out more.

Here’s a vocabulary list before we jump in:

English	Greek	Audio
“Yes”	Ναι (nai)
“No”	Όχι (ochi)
“Indeed”	Μάλιστα (malista)
“Certainly”	Βέβαια (vevea)
“Of course”	Φυσικά (fisika)
“Of course not”	Και βέβαια όχι (ke vevea 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 works as a standalone “no” in both formal and informal situations. 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:

1. Μάλιστα (malista) – “Yes, indeed” or “certainly”
2. Βέβαια (vevea) or βεβαίως (veveos) – “Certainly” or “of course”
3. Φυσικά (fisika) – “Naturally” or “of course”
4. Σίγουρα (sigoura) – “Sure”
5. Οπωσδήποτε (oposdipote) – “Definitely”
6. Σαφώς – “Definitely / clearly”
7. Προφανώς – “Obviously”
8. 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.”

1. Δεν παίζει (den pezi) – “No way” (slang — literal translation: “it doesn’t play”)
2. Με την καμία (me tin kamia) – “No way” (slang)
3. Και βέβαια όχι! (ke veveia ochi) – “Of course not!”
4. Φυσικά όχι! (fisika ochi) – “Of course not!”
5. Σίγουρα όχι! (sigoura ochi) – “Definitely not!”
6. Δεν υπάρχει περίπτωση (den iparhi periptosi) – “There is no way”
7. 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.”

Greek speakers may signal “no” with a slight upward head movement, sometimes with raised eyebrows and a click of the tongue. The sound is often written as τσου (tsou). The video below shows the gesture in context:

@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”
• Δεν πειράζει (den peirazei) – “It doesn’t matter” or “That’s all right”
• 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). Use it when someone helps you or accepts an 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” or “Thank you” on behalf of a group

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 politely. These phrases soften a disagreement without changing your answer.

• 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.

Start Using Ναι and Όχι

“Yes” and “no” are essential Greek words. Practise them with the polite replies above so you can accept an offer, turn one down or respond naturally.

When you’re ready for the next set of phrases, use these recommended Greek resources to keep practising.

• Learn Greek Online: 39 Free Resources and Classes to Learn the Greek Language
• 40+ Cool Greek Words That Will Make You Want to Learn Greek
• 100+ Essential Greek Words for Beginners