ό,τι να 'ναι
o,ti na 'nai
The English word "whatever" can be translated into Greek as ό,τι να 'ναι (o,ti na 'nai).
The phrase ό,τι να 'ναι is used as an interjection to indicate that the speaker does not care what someone says. Using 'ό,τι να 'ναι' to dismiss someone's opinion is considered dismissive and can be perceived as rude or disrespectful in many social contexts.
Meaning: indicating the speaker does not care what someone says (intj)
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, ό,τι να 'ναι translates to "whatever it may be".
Which one should you use?
While ό,τι να 'ναι is used as an interjection to show indifference, the related form οτιδήποτε is a relative pronoun used to mean 'anything that' within a sentence.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
o,ti na 'nai
Did you know?
- Using ό,τι να 'ναι to an elder or a superior in Greece is significantly more taboo than it would be in many English-speaking cultures, often bordering on a complete breakdown of social etiquette.
- While ό,τι να 'ναι is a dismissive interjection, its components are quite formal in structure, building on ancient grammar to create a phrase that can sound surprisingly sharp when used to end an argument.
- The word να in this phrase is a linguistic traveler, evolving from the Ancient Greek word ἵνα which originally served to introduce purpose or intention in a sentence.
Examples in context
- Ό,τι να 'ναι, δεν με νοιάζει.Ó,ti na 'nai, den me niázei.Whatever, I don't care.
- Πες ό,τι να 'ναι, δεν σε ακούω.Pes ó,ti na 'nai, den se akoúo.Say whatever, I'm not listening to you.
- Ό,τι να 'ναι, ας γίνει.Ó,ti na 'nai, as géinei.Whatever, let it happen.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries να, ό,τι, CC BY-SA 4.0.
