Hello my dear Greek learner enthousiasts!
Today I’m going to reveal a secret! I’m opening the gate to a something that even most Greeks don’t know! Yep, you read that right. Many Greeks get ό,τι vs ότι wrong and if you master this, you’ll be Greekier than Greeks. And you will be amazed at how easy it is to spot the difference between the two and know exactly when to use each.
So, let the secret unravel!
Ό,τι vs ότι
1. Ό,τι
Ό,τι (with comma) is a relative pronoun and means οτιδήποτε (without comma). It usually
translates to whatever or anything.
We use it when we want to talk about something general or unspecific.
Examples:
Φάε ό,τι θέλεις (Fáe ó,ti thélis)
Φάει οτιδήποτε θέλεις (Fáe otithípothe thélis)
Eat whatever you want
Ό,τι και αν σου πουν, μην το πιστέψεις (Ó,ti ke an su pun, min to pistépsis)
Οτιδήποτε και αν σου πουν, μην το πιστέψεις (Otithípothe ke an su pun, min to pistépsis)
Whatever they tell you, don’t believe it
2. Ότι
Ότι (without comma) is actually a conjuction and means πως which usually translates to that.
We use it when we want to explain or report something.
Examples:
Πιστεύω ότι θα τα καταφέρεις (Pistévo óti tha ta kataféris)
Πιστεύω πως θα τα καταφέρεις (Pistévo pos tha ta kataféris)
I believe that you can make it
Ξέρω ότι δεν με πιστεύεις (Xéro óti then me pistévis)
Ξέρω πως δεν με πιστεύεις (Xéro pos then me pistévis)
I know that you don’t believe me
In a nutshell
Ό,τι = οτιδήποτε (whatever)
Ότι = πως (that)
If you can replace the word with οτιδήποτε(whatever) then you need to use ό,τι.
If you can replace it with πως (that), then you need to use ότι.
Simple and easy, right?
Now let’s do some quick exercises to get the grasp of it
Ό,τι vs ότι. Use the correct word
- Πάρε _ θέλεις
- Νομίζω _ θα βρέξει
- Είπε _ μπορεί να αργήσει
- Είσαι _ καλύτερο μου έχει συμβεί
- Ξέρω _ θα τα καταφέρεις
- _ δεν σε σκοτώνει, σε κάνει πιο δυνατό
Conclusion
Alright, that’s our tiny grammar adventure for today. Short, simple, and hopefully painless.
Once you get familiar with these two little words, you’ll start spotting them everywhere—and now you’ll actually know which one belongs where.
And if you liked this, I suggest checking out my other articles with useful tips:
Πολύ vs Πολλή: The Simple Rule Even Greeks Get Wrong
When to use ι, η, υ, ει, οι, υι and
The Rules for Using the Final ν.
Scroll down for the answers, take a second to check your instincts, and keep going.
Every small win counts. Take care 🙂
Answers
- ό,τι
- ότι
- ότι
- ό,τι
- ότι
- ό,τι
