# Δε μου λες / πες



## oh_kristine

Γειά σε όλους

I cannot quite understand the expressions:

1) "δε μου λες"
2) "δε μου πες"    (πες?! why is that?!)

I googled them and found some samples:
μα δε μου πες που βρήκες αυτό το βιβλίο.

Δε μου λες, μήπως δε με φιλάς με αρκετή αγάπη;

Δε μου λές? Τι κατάλαβες τώρα?

"Δε μου λες!", είπε στον ορτάκη.
Ευχαριστώ πολύ

_(am I glad we have our own separate forum now!_  )


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## Billopoulos

Well! Let us start...

"Δε μου λες" can be used in two ways...


"Δε μου λες που το έκρυψες!"
Here is means: "You don't tell me"
Thus, it's used in its regular form!


"Δε μου λες, πήγες εκεί;"
Here it's used for more emphasis, like "Well" or "So" or something like that... Well, it's not the translation but the use is just for emphasis, nothing more than this 


"Δε μου πες"
"πες" stands for "είπες" (I guess that this was what confused you) it should actually be "Δε μου 'πες"
It means: "You didn't tell me"


Hope it's more clear now


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## ireney

oh_kristine said:


> Γειά σε όλους
> 
> I cannot quite understand the expressions:
> 
> 1) "δε μου λες"
> 2) "δε μου πες"    (πες?! why is that?!)
> 
> I googled them and found some samples:
> μα δε μου πες που βρήκες αυτό το βιβλίο.
> 
> Δε μου λες, μήπως δε με φιλάς με αρκετή αγάπη;
> 
> Δε μου λές? Τι κατάλαβες τώρα?
> 
> "Δε μου λες!", είπε στον ορτάκη.
> Ευχαριστώ πολύ
> 
> _(am I glad we have our own separate forum now!_  )



OK" easy ones first:  "δε μου πες" always means  "you didn't tell me" with the added rider of "do tell me!" unless of course it's part of a question in which case it means "didn't you tell me"

For instance let's take the example you got:
"But you didn't tell me where you found this book" you actually promt that person to tell you don't you? 

For a "question" example:
"Μα δε μου πες ότι εσύ θα αγοράσεις φέτα;"
"But didn't you tell me that you will buy feta?"
Here you are trying to ascertain if (s)he told you so although it means that you are actually sure (s)he did but you are trying to be a bit polite.


Now let's try to tackle "δε μου λες" 

a) It can mean what it says: "You are not telling me"
"Προσπάθησα να σε βοηθήσω αλλά αφού δε μου λες τίποτα δεν μπορώ"
" I tried to help you but since you are not telling me anything I can't"

b) It can be used as an exclamation showing disbelief/surprise.
This is the case of your last example. More often the expression is "Τι μου λες" (what are you telling me). Roughly equivalent with "Really!" "No way!"

c) 
1.In most cases it's a stadard expression, a sort of a set way of starting your sentence, a "kind" of filler/interjection (I don't know how you call "fillers" that start off a sentence  )
Its meaning is actually "Do tell me" curiously enough but it is more appropriately translated as "apropos", "by the way"
This is the case with your second and third example although in "Δε μου λές? Τι κατάλαβες τώρα?" I would translate it as "So?/Really?"  IF it was in one sentence, "Δε μου λές, τι κατάλαβες τώρα?" It would be "So what did you accomplish [by doing/saying that] now?"

In general, when used in a question it is used for emphasis, to show that the speaker is either impatient or very close to demanding an answer.

I'm not sure if I did a good job explaining things so let me know if I haven't


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## parakseno

Can it also be translated as "Tell me!"?
eg: 
Δε μου λες, αυτό εδώ, δικό σου είναι; - Tell me; this one, is it yours?
Δε μου λες, πήγες ταβέρνα τελικά... - (Do) Tell me, you went to the tavern in the end...
similar to "για πες μου"?


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## ireney

Yes, it is actually what I try to describe as its main meaning (and not doing a very good job apparently ) . It has less the meaning of prompting than "για πες μου" though even though "για πες μου" is also a kind of "filler" itself.


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## parakseno

Δε μου λες, γιατί νομιζεις οτι δεν εξήγησες καλά;  Μια χαρά ήταν!

I just wanted to know whether it had the same usage as "για πες μου", or at least the "hue" of each. I think I get the difference between "Δε μου λες" and "για πες μου".

Ευχαριστώ!


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## marilou

Σα ξένη ηθέλα να πώ οτι το <δε μου λες> είναι λίγο πιό ειρονικός από το <για πες μου>. Μου φαίνεται οτι για πες μου το χρισιμοποιηούμε οταν είμαστε πιό σοβαροί αλλά το δε μου λες οταν λέμε κάτι με ειρωνία η είμαστε λίγο θυμωμένοι...δεν ξέρω αν είναι σωστό η κάνω λάθο...


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## Tetina

marilou said:


> Óá îÝíç çèÝëá íá ðþ ïôé ôï <äå ìïõ ëåò> åßíáé ëßãï ðéü åéñïíéêüò áðü ôï <ãéá ðåò ìïõ>. Ìïõ öáßíåôáé ïôé ãéá ðåò ìïõ ôï ÷ñéóéìïðïéçïýìå ïôáí åßìáóôå ðéü óïâáñïß áëëÜ ôï äå ìïõ ëåò ïôáí ëÝìå êÜôé ìå åéñùíßá ç åßìáóôå ëßãï èõìùìÝíïé...äåí îÝñù áí åßíáé óùóôü ç êÜíù ëÜèï...


 
Ïé ëÝîåéò äåí ðåñéÝ÷ïõí åéñùíßá áëëÜ ï ôñüðïò ðïõ ìéëÜìå. Ïðüôå èá Ýëåãá ïôé äåí õðÜñ÷åé áõôüò ï äéá÷ùñéóìüò åêôüò êé áí Ý÷åéò Ýíá óõãêåêñéìÝíï Üôïìï óôï ìõáëü óïõ ðïõ ÷ñçóéìïðïéåß ôç ìéá Ýêöñáóç ïôáí ìéëÜ óïâáñÜ êé ôçí Üëëç üôáí åéñùíåýåôáé.

ÐÜíôùò äåí éó÷ýåé ïðüôå ìçí ðñïâÜëëåóáé áí êÜðïéïò óïõ ðåé "äå ìïõ ëåò"


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## oh_kristine

The issue is clear now   thank you all !


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