ναι
nai[ne̞]
The Greek word for 'yeah' is ναι (nai).
ναι is used as a particle to mean 'yes'.
Meaning: yes (particle)
Which one should you use?
The opposite of ναι is όχι, which means 'no'.
How do you pronounce it?
nai
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often confuse the Greek word ναι (yes) with the English word 'no' because of their phonetic similarity.
Did you know?
- While ναι means 'yes', Greeks often answer negative questions with όχι to agree with the negative premise, meaning 'no, you are right that I do not'.
- Depending on the intonation, ναι? can be used as a question meaning 'what?' or 'pardon?', asking the speaker to repeat themselves.
- Greek speakers frequently use ναι as a 'back-channel' signal during a conversation to show they are listening, even if they are not agreeing with the statement.
Examples in context
- Ναι, βέβαια! Πώς να πούμε όχι;Yeah, of course! How can we say no?
- Ναι, θέλω έναν καφέ.Nai, thélo énan kafé.Yes, I want a coffee.
- Ναι, είμαι έτοιμος.Nai, eímai étoimos.Yes, I am ready.
Example conversation
Kostas and Kyriaki are deciding what to eat.
- Κώστας KostasΘέλεις να φάμε πίτσα σήμερα;Theleis na fame pitsa simera?Do you want to eat pizza today?
- Κυριακή KyriakiΝαι, πολύ καλή ιδέα!Nai, poly kali idea!Yes, a very good idea!
- Κώστας KostasΘα την παραγγείλω τώρα;Tha tin parangeilo tora?Shall I order it now?
- Κυριακή KyriakiΝαι, σε παρακαλώ.Nai, se parakalo.Yes, please.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “yeah” translations and entries ναι, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
