# Δε μου λες



## luciano46

Δεν ξερω να μεταφρασω στα ιταλικα ή αγγλικά την έκφραση "Δε μου λες ?"
Ευχαριστω


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## Akritas

Could you add a few more details regarding the context? It could mean 'you don't say!', 'tell me', 'you 're not telling me? or aren't you telling me?' etc.


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## luciano46

Δε μου λες ? Εισαι ελεύθερος αποψε ?

If the expression means "tell me" wy is in the negative form?


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## Akritas

Yes, it does mean 'Tell me, ...'
As far as the negative form is concerned I assume it is one of these peculiarities of a language (same as Άκου να σου πω).


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## Δημήτρης

To me, the "Δεν _ ΡΗΜΑ _;" pattern has a slight flavor of imperative (maybe request).


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## Lilofee

"Δεν μου λες...." expression doesn't also go like "Tell me about it..." ?
Or the "tell me about it" is translated like "εμένα μου λες..."?
Just curious^^;;


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## Traduita

Lilofee said:


> "Δεν μου λες...." expression doesn't also go like "Tell me about it..." ?
> Or the "tell me about it" is translated like "εμένα μου λες..."?
> Just curious^^;;



"εμένα μου λες;" can be translated as "tell me about it.'

Δε μου λες... is what the other posters have said. But it is really a conversation opener or an introduction to a different subject more than a real request, as when you start a sentence with and/ so: "So... are you free tonight?" what . I think most of the times it doesn't need to be translated at all.


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## Lilofee

Traduita said:


> "εμένα μου λες;" can be translated as "tell me about it.'
> 
> Δε μου λες... is what the other posters have said. But it is really a conversation opener or an introduction to a different subject more than a real request, as when you start a sentence with and/ so: "So... are you free tonight?" what . I think most of the times it doesn't need to be translated at all.


 
I believe so as well,as said above,it is one of that language peculiarities we come across


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## antimatter

What has been written is absolutely right.
I just would like to give some extra info, about when it is used.
We usually start a sentence this way "Δε μου λες,..." with a slightly different voice intonation than the previous sentences, when we want to draw the attention to what is following.
Also it conveys, 


interest about sth - Δε μου λες, τι έγινε τελικά στο έργο; / Δε μου λες, θα πας τελικά;
anger - Δε μου λες, εγώ τι σου είπα να κάνεις;
according to the intonation.

Also a final comment
Δε μου λες... = Πες μου....

so I agree with Dimitris who said, that it has a slight flavor of imperative. It's just that it is more 'informal', let's say.


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## kevin98230

In English, you can say, 

"Don't tell me, you are free tonight" meaning I am suspecting that you are free tonight and I don't want you to be so, I'd rather you say that you are NOT free tonight. It is rather negative, and show that the speaker is a bit annoyed actually.

Any thoughts on that one?


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## winegrower

kevin98230 said:


> In English, you can say,
> 
> "Don't tell me, you are free tonight" meaning I am suspecting that you are free tonight and I don't want you to be so, I'd rather you say that you are NOT free tonight. It is rather negative, and show that the speaker is a bit annoyed actually.
> Any thoughts on that one?


 
 I don't think it has the same nuance. "Δε μου λες" is just a conversation starter, often meaning "Say! bla bla bla". As Akritas said in post #4, the negative form is a peculiarity of the language. There are similar expressions, very difficult for a foreigner to understand, like: να βγούμε *καμμιά* φορά, να πάμε *πουθενά*, να πάρουμε *τίποτα*..
PS. If it's not too late I'd like to answer to Luciano's openning post that in italian "δε μου λες" is equivalent to 'dí or dí una cosa".


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## ozcanuludag

Δε μου λες = "By the way" in English and "A propos" in French


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## dmtrs

kevin98230 said:


> In English, you can say,
> 
> "Don't tell me, you are free tonight" meaning I am suspecting that you are free tonight and I don't want you to be so, I'd rather you say that you are NOT free tonight. It is rather negative, and show that the speaker is a bit annoyed actually.
> 
> Any thoughts on that one?



As winegrower wrote, it's not the same.
But there is, I think, an English equivalent:
_Wouldn't you..._ or _Won't you..._

I'd also like to note that this kind of 'non negative' negative expression is very common in Greek when you suggest something to someone:
Δε φέρνεις καμιά μπύρα;
Δε λες της Μαρίας να έρθει μαζί;
Δεν αρχίζουμε τη δουλειά;

Or as the equivalent of _Don't you..._
Δε νομίζεις πως έχει δίκιο;
Δεν ξέρεις πως είναι αργά;


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## Αγγελος

kevin98230 said:


> In English, you can say,
> "Don't tell me, you are free tonight" meaning I am suspecting that you are free tonight and I don't want you to be so, I'd rather you say that you are NOT free tonight. It is rather negative, and show that the speaker is a bit annoyed actually.



No, nothing like that. The Greek phrase is just a sentence opener, like ‘say’ in English: “Say, are you free tonight?”


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