Time and frequency adverbs such as τώρα, σήμερα, αύριο, χθες, πάντα, συνήθως and ποτέ, and why ποτέ needs δεν.
Can say when and how often I do things, e.g. Συνήθως πίνω καφέ το πρωί, and use ποτέ with δεν
Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?
Συνήθως πίνω καφέ το πρωί.
I usually drink coffee in the morning.
Δεν πίνω ποτέ ούζο πριν από το φαγητό.
I never drink ouzo before food.
Απόψε θα βγούμε για ουζάκι στο λιμάνι.
Tonight we'll go out for an ouzo at the harbour.
Η Ελένη είναι ακόμα στη δουλειά.
Eleni is still at work.
Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?
Time adverbs tell you when and how often something happens. They do not change form, and they are flexible in position: they can open the sentence, sit just before the verb or close the sentence. What they do affect is the tense around them - χθες needs a past verb, αύριο a future or a present with future meaning.
Romanisation follows today's pronunciation, with the stressed vowel marked: th = θ as in "think", dh = δ as in "this", ch = χ as in Scottish "loch", gh = γ (y before e and i sounds).
| Greek | Meaning | Greek | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| τώρα (tóra) | now | προχθές | the day before yesterday |
| σήμερα (símera) | today | μεθαύριο | the day after tomorrow |
| αύριο (ávrio) | tomorrow | απόψε (apópse) | tonight |
| χθες / χτες (chthes / chtes) | yesterday | αμέσως | immediately |
| νωρίς | early | αργά | late |
| μετά | afterwards, then | πριν | before, earlier |
Combine them with parts of the day: σήμερα το πρωί (this morning), αύριο το βράδυ (tomorrow evening), χθες το απόγευμα (yesterday afternoon).
| Greek | Meaning |
|---|---|
| πάντα (pánda) | always |
| συνήθως (siníthos) | usually |
| συχνά (sichná) | often |
| μερικές φορές / καμιά φορά | sometimes |
| σπάνια (spánia) | rarely |
| ποτέ (poté) + δεν | never |
| κάθε μέρα / κάθε χρόνο | every day / every year |
When it means "never" in a sentence with a verb, ποτέ comes with δεν, which English would call a double negative: Δεν πίνω ποτέ ούζο or Ποτέ δεν πίνω ούζο (I never drink ouzo). On its own, as a one-word answer, ποτέ is enough: Πότε θα έρθεις; - Ποτέ! In a question without δεν it means "ever": Έχεις πάει ποτέ στην Κρήτη; - Have you ever been to Crete?
English puts frequency adverbs between subject and verb ("I always drink"); Greek allows that order but is just as happy with the adverb after the verb or at the start. The two real traps are ποτέ without δεν, and English "yet" and "still", which Greek covers with one word, ακόμα.
Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises
Practice ExercisesMeaning 'never', ποτέ needs δεν with a verb: Δεν πίνω ποτέ ούζο, not *Ποτέ πίνω ούζο. The adverb sets the tense: αύριο θα πάω, not *αύριο πήγα. 'Tonight' is απόψε, 'last night' χθες το βράδυ.
Using ποτέ ("never") without δεν (*Ποτέ πίνω ούζο)
With a verb ποτέ needs δεν: Δεν πίνω ποτέ ούζο, Ποτέ δεν πίνω ούζο.
A time adverb with the wrong tense (*αύριο πήγα)
Match the tense: αύριο θα πάω, χθες πήγα.
Mixing up απόψε and χθες το βράδυ
απόψε = tonight; χθες το βράδυ = last night.
Συνήθως πίνω καφέ το πρωί.
I usually drink coffee in the morning.
συνήθως opens the sentence; it could also follow the verb.
Δεν πίνω ποτέ ούζο πριν από το φαγητό.
I never drink ouzo before food.
ποτέ meaning 'never' comes together with δεν.
Απόψε θα βγούμε για ουζάκι στο λιμάνι.
Tonight we'll go out for an ouzo at the harbour.
απόψε (tonight) points to the future, so θα + verb.
Η Ελένη είναι ακόμα στη δουλειά.
Eleni is still at work.
ακόμα in a positive sentence means 'still'.
The check for this topic is still being prepared
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Practice in course
Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises