Basic Conjunctions in Greek

In Brief

The core Greek conjunctions are και (“and”), αλλά (“but”), ή (“or”), γιατί and επειδή (“because”), όταν (“when”), and αν (“if”). Και, αλλά, and ή connect equal items or ideas; the others introduce a reason, time, or condition. Their forms never change, and basic Greek word order usually remains the same after them.

Overview

A conjunction is a connecting word. It can join individual words, such as καφέ και νερό (“coffee and water”), or clauses—parts of a sentence that contain a verb—such as Μένω γιατί μου αρέσει (“I’m staying because I like it”). In Greek, conjunctions are called σύνδεσμοι.

These small words have a large effect on what you can say. Instead of producing separate statements—“I’m tired. I’m happy.”—you can show the relationship between them: Είμαι κουρασμένος αλλά χαρούμενος (“I’m tired but happy”). At A1, the goal is to recognize the seven common connectors in this article and use each one in a clear, short pattern.

Much of this will feel familiar to an English-speaking learner: Greek normally places the connector between the ideas it links. There are still important differences. Greek γιατί can mean both “why” and “because”; ή needs its accent to mean “or”; and future time clauses with όταν do not copy English tense patterns exactly. Begin with the simple rules below, then treat the later details as material to recognize rather than master immediately.

How It Works

The core set

Greek	Core meaning	Main job	Basic pattern
και	and	adds an item or idea	A και B
αλλά	but	introduces a contrast	A αλλά B
ή	or	presents an alternative	A ή B
γιατί	because; why	gives a reason or asks for one	result γιατί reason
επειδή	because	introduces a cause	result επειδή cause
όταν	when	introduces a time relationship	όταν event, main event
αν	if	introduces a condition	αν condition, result

These conjunctions are invariable, meaning their spelling does not change for gender, number, person, or grammatical role. Learn each as one fixed form.

Adding with και

Use και to connect nouns, descriptions, actions, or complete clauses:

• ψωμί και τυρί — “bread and cheese”
• ήσυχος και ευγενικός — “quiet and polite”
• Διαβάζω και γράφω. — “I read and write.”
• Η Μαρία μαγειρεύει και ο Νίκος στρώνει το τραπέζι. — “Maria is cooking, and Nikos is setting the table.”

English sometimes uses “both … and.” Basic Greek often needs only και: Μιλάει ελληνικά και αγγλικά (“She speaks Greek and English”). A paired form, και … και …, can emphasize that both alternatives apply: Και η Άννα και ο Πέτρος έρχονται (“Both Anna and Petros are coming”).

Before a vowel, especially in speech, και is often shortened to κι: κι εγώ (“me too,” literally “and I”), κι αυτός (“he too”). The full form remains correct, so beginners can safely use και everywhere.

Contrasting with αλλά

Use αλλά when the second item limits, corrects, or contrasts with the first:

• μικρό αλλά άνετο — “small but comfortable”
• Θέλω να έρθω, αλλά δουλεύω. — “I want to come, but I’m working.”

The contrast does not have to be negative. It simply changes the direction of the thought: Είναι ακριβό αλλά πολύ καλό (“It is expensive but very good”). When αλλά joins two full clauses, a comma before it is common and helps the reader see the contrast. A comma is usually unnecessary in a short phrase such as κουρασμένος αλλά χαρούμενος.

Offering alternatives with ή

Use ή between alternatives:

• τσάι ή καφέ; — “tea or coffee?”
• Θα πάμε σήμερα ή αύριο; — “Will we go today or tomorrow?”

The accent matters. ή means “or,” while unaccented η is the feminine singular definite article, “the”: η Μαρία (“Maria”). In ordinary writing, do not omit the accent from the conjunction.

Greek can repeat ή to make the choice more explicit: Ή μένουμε ή φεύγουμε (“Either we stay or we leave”). For a simple A1 choice, one ή is enough.

Giving a reason: γιατί and επειδή

Both γιατί and επειδή can introduce the reason for something:

• Φεύγω γιατί είναι αργά. — “I’m leaving because it’s late.”
• Φεύγω επειδή είναι αργά. — “I’m leaving because it’s late.”

In everyday conversation, γιατί is extremely common and often sounds direct and natural. Επειδή clearly marks a causal clause (a part of the sentence giving the cause) and is useful when you want to make that relationship explicit. In many ordinary sentences, either is possible; there is no need to invent a different English translation every time.

Γιατί also means “why?” when it asks a question:

• Γιατί φεύγεις; — “Why are you leaving?”
• Φεύγω γιατί είναι αργά. — “I’m leaving because it’s late.”

Position and context normally make the meaning clear. A question asks for a reason; a clause after a statement supplies one. Greek does not switch to another word order in the question: Γιατί φεύγεις;, not an English-style inversion.

A reason clause can also come first: Επειδή βρέχει, μένουμε σπίτι (“Because it’s raining, we’re staying home”). A comma commonly separates a longer introductory clause from the main statement.

Locating an event in time with όταν

Όταν means “when” and introduces a time clause:

• Όταν είμαι κουρασμένος, κοιμάμαι νωρίς. — “When I’m tired, I go to bed early.”
• Χαμογελάει όταν βλέπει τη φίλη της. — “She smiles when she sees her friend.”

The όταν clause may come first or second. If it comes first, a comma is normally helpful; if it comes second and is short, one is often unnecessary. For present habits and known facts, use ordinary present forms as in the examples above.

For a one-time future event, Greek commonly uses όταν with a dependent verb form and puts θα in the main clause: Όταν φτάσεις, θα τηλεφωνήσω (“When you arrive, I’ll call”). English uses a present form after “when,” but the Greek form φτάσεις belongs to a specifically Greek verb pattern. At A1, learn such sentences as whole chunks; the advanced section returns to this point.

Setting a condition with αν

Αν means “if.” The condition says what must be true for the result to follow:

• Αν πεινάς, έχουμε φαγητό. — “If you’re hungry, we have food.”
• Αν βρέχει, θα μείνουμε σπίτι. — “If it rains, we’ll stay home.”

As with όταν, the clause can move:

• Αν έχω χρόνο, θα έρθω. — “If I have time, I’ll come.”
• Θα έρθω αν έχω χρόνο. — “I’ll come if I have time.”

Do not confuse αν (“if”) with όταν (“when”). Αν leaves the condition uncertain: perhaps it will rain, perhaps not. Όταν presents the event as the time reference: “when it happens.”

Examples in Context

Greek	English	Note
Θέλω καφέ και νερό.	I want coffee and water.	και adds two objects.
Η Ελένη διαβάζει και ο Γιάννης μαγειρεύει.	Eleni is reading, and Giannis is cooking.	και joins two clauses.
Είμαι κουρασμένος αλλά χαρούμενος.	I am tired but happy.	A contrast between two descriptions.
Το δωμάτιο είναι μικρό, αλλά έχει ωραία θέα.	The room is small, but it has a nice view.	αλλά contrasts full clauses.
Τσάι ή καφέ;	Tea or coffee?	A short choice; the accent on ή matters.
Θέλεις να φάμε εδώ ή στο σπίτι;	Do you want us to eat here or at home?	An alternative between places.
Μένω γιατί μου αρέσει.	I’m staying because I like it.	γιατί supplies a reason.
Γιατί μαθαίνεις ελληνικά;	Why are you learning Greek?	Question use of γιατί.
Δεν βγαίνουμε επειδή κάνει κρύο.	We aren’t going out because it is cold.	επειδή introduces the cause.
Επειδή είναι Κυριακή, τα γραφεία είναι κλειστά.	Because it is Sunday, the offices are closed.	The reason clause comes first.
Όταν έχω χρόνο, περπατάω στην παραλία.	When I have time, I walk along the beach.	A repeated situation.
Θα σου γράψω όταν φτάσω στην Αθήνα.	I’ll write to you when I arrive in Athens.	A future time relationship.
Αν θέλεις, πάμε μαζί.	If you want, we can go together.	A polite suggestion built on a condition.
Θα πάρουμε ταξί αν είναι αργά.	We’ll take a taxi if it is late.	The condition follows the result.
Κι εγώ θέλω να έρθω, αλλά δεν μπορώ.	I want to come too, but I can’t.	κι is a shortened και; αλλά adds contrast.

Common Mistakes

Confusing “why” and “because” mechanically

• Wrong: Επειδή φεύγεις; when you mean “Why are you leaving?”
• Right: Γιατί φεύγεις;
• Why: Γιατί is the normal basic question word for “why.” Both γιατί and επειδή can introduce a reason, but επειδή is not the ordinary standalone question word taught here.

Dropping the accent from ή

• Wrong: Θέλεις τσάι η καφέ;
• Right: Θέλεις τσάι ή καφέ;
• Why: ή with an accent means “or.” Η without an accent is the feminine article “the,” even though capitalization may change at the beginning of a sentence.

Using και where there is a real contrast

• Wrong: Είμαι κουρασμένος και χαρούμενος if you intend “I’m tired but happy.”
• Right: Είμαι κουρασμένος αλλά χαρούμενος.
• Why: και merely adds information. Use αλλά when the second idea contrasts with what the listener might expect from the first.

Treating αν and όταν as interchangeable

• Wrong: Όταν βρέξει αύριο, θα μείνουμε σπίτι when rain is only a possibility.
• Right: Αν βρέξει αύριο, θα μείνουμε σπίτι.
• Why: αν marks an uncertain condition. όταν means “when” and treats the event as the time setting rather than merely a possibility.

Copying English question word order

• Wrong: Trying to rearrange Γιατί φεύγεις; as if Greek required English “do/does.”
• Right: Γιατί φεύγεις;
• Why: Modern Greek does not add an equivalent of English auxiliary “do” to form this question. Intonation and the question mark show that it is a question.

Putting θα directly after future όταν

• Wrong: Όταν θα φτάσεις, θα φάμε in the neutral beginner pattern.
• Right: Όταν φτάσεις, θα φάμε.
• Why: In the standard pattern for a future event, θα belongs in the main result clause, while the όταν clause uses the appropriate dependent verb form. There are more specialized contexts with όταν θα, but they are not the basic rule.

Usage Notes

Και is one of the most frequent words in Greek and has uses beyond plain “and.” In κι εγώ it can mean “me too”; in context it may even add emphasis. Do not try to assign a new dictionary meaning each time. First ask what the word is connecting or adding.

In speech, γιατί is often the easiest all-purpose choice for giving a reason. Επειδή can make the causal relationship more explicit and works naturally at the beginning of a sentence. The difference is often one of flow and emphasis rather than factual meaning. If someone asks Γιατί; (“Why?”), an answer can begin with either Γιατί… or Επειδή….

Greek punctuation resembles English here, but commas should follow the sentence structure rather than appear automatically before every conjunction. A comma is useful after an introductory αν, όταν, or επειδή clause and commonly before αλλά between full clauses. Short items joined by και or ή normally have no comma.

The Greek question mark looks like the English semicolon: ;. Thus Καφέ ή τσάι; is a question, not a sentence ending in an English semicolon.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

You do not need to master the following details at A1, but they explain forms you will soon encounter.

Future and repeated time clauses

Modern Greek does not have an infinitive-based shortcut equivalent to English “when arriving.” It usually builds a clause with a fully marked verb. For future or otherwise expected events, the form after όταν often belongs to the system traditionally called the subjunctive (a verb pattern used for dependent, desired, possible, or non-factual events), even though να is not placed after όταν:

• Όταν έρθεις, θα μιλήσουμε. — “When you come, we’ll talk.”
• Όταν τελειώσω, θα φύγω. — “When I finish, I’ll leave.”

The choice between forms such as γράφω and γράψω also expresses aspect—how the speaker views an action, for example as ongoing/repeated or as one complete event. Compare όταν γράφω (“when/whenever I write,” ongoing or habitual) with όταν γράψω (“when I write/finish writing,” viewed as a bounded future event). This belongs to later verb study; for now, notice and memorize common combinations.

More complex conditions

Basic αν clauses describe open, realistic conditions: Αν μπορώ, θα έρθω (“If I can, I’ll come”). Later, you will use past-tense forms with θα to describe unreal or hypothetical situations:

• Αν είχα χρόνο, θα ταξίδευα περισσότερο. — “If I had time, I would travel more.”

This is not just a change of conjunction. The verb forms in both clauses create the hypothetical meaning.

Stronger pairs and negative connectors

Greek can frame alternatives with ή … ή … (“either … or …”) and reinforce addition with και … και … (“both … and …”). You will also meet ούτε (“neither/not even/nor” depending on structure): Δεν πίνω ούτε καφέ ούτε τσάι (“I drink neither coffee nor tea”). These belong to the wider conjunction system but build naturally on the A1 patterns.

Position changes emphasis

A causal clause after the main statement often supplies new explanatory information: Δεν ήρθα γιατί ήμουν άρρωστος (“I didn’t come because I was ill”). Placing it first makes the reason the frame for what follows: Επειδή ήμουν άρρωστος, δεν ήρθα (“Because I was ill, I didn’t come”). Both orders are grammatical; speakers choose according to what they want to foreground.

Practice Tips

1. Build sentence pairs. Write two very short Greek statements, then combine them with και, αλλά, γιατί, or επειδή. For example, turn Είναι αργά. Μένω εδώ. into either an addition, contrast, or reason. This forces you to think about meaning, not just translation.
2. Sort by relationship. Make seven cards headed “addition,” “contrast,” “choice,” “reason,” “time,” and “condition,” with separate cards for the two reason words. When you hear or read a sentence, identify the relationship before choosing the Greek conjunction.
3. Practice three movable clauses. Say each αν, όταν, and επειδή sentence in both orders: Αν έχω χρόνο, θα έρθω / Θα έρθω αν έχω χρόνο. Read them aloud and include the natural pause when the dependent clause comes first.

Related Concepts

• Next step: Coordinating and Subordinating Conjunctions — expands this basic set and explains more precisely how equal and dependent clauses are connected.