# μιλάω or λέω



## larshgf

The two verbs μιλάω and λέω both means "talk" and in addition each of them have other translations. If we stick to the meaning "talk" I wonder if somebody can give som advice concerning when to use μιλάω  and when to use λέω.


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## sotos

Needs lots of examples to explain this. Generally, milao gives emphasis on the action of speaking (producing speech), while le(g)o gives more emphasis on the meaning of the speech.


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## Perseas

Roughly speaking, "λέω" corresponds to "say" or "tell" and "μιλάω" corresponds to "talk" or "speak".


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## larshgf

Thank you for the answers.


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## Helleno File

Λέω τραγούδι is also ok to avoid τραγουδάω τραγούδι. I think it's always λέω κάλαντα, appropriately for the season. Any idea why?


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## Perseas

Helleno File said:


> I think it's always λέω κάλαντα, appropriately for the season. Any idea why?


"Λέω τα κάλαντα" is very common, but "ψέλνω τα κάλαντα" or "τραγουδώ τα κάλαντα" are also used (they are more formal though).


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## Helleno File

Thanks Perseas!


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## Αγγελος

Μιλώ is _in_transitive. "To speak the truth" e.g. is λέω την αλήθεια -- *μιλώ την αλήθεια would be impossible. (In μιλώ ελληνικά, ελληνικά is an adverb.)
If you have a direct object, you _must_ use λέω/είπα: θα σου πω μια ιστορία (=I will tell you a story), λέμε τα κάλαντα, μη λες ψέματα...


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## dmtrs

Αγγελος said:


> Μιλώ is _in_transitive.


Αγγελος is right, regarding the difference between μιλώ & λέω.
But μιλώ is sometimes followed by a personal pronoun as an object (σου/του/της/τους μιλάω), which perplexes things.



Αγγελος said:


> In μιλώ ελληνικά, ελληνικά is an adverb.


Seems like that, but I'm not sure. Consider: 'ομιλώ την Ελληνικήν'; seems it used to be a σύστοιχο αντικείμενο.
It's true we have somehow replaced that form of expression with adverbs (that have thus replaced their initial -ως with -α in modern Greek), but is this always the case? And is this the case here? I wonder.

And there's the (not unusual) phrase 'μιλάμε ότι...' in spoken modern Greek (that makes me sick, of course); but many times even a totally incorrect way of speaking becomes a de facto rule if it is used repeatedly for a long period of time.

There's also the expression 'τα μιλήσαμε'.


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## velisarius

Is it true for Greek that only transitive verbs can have a passive form? 

_Η κινεζική, η αγγλική και η ισπανική είναι οι τρεις γλώσσες που *μιλιούνται *περισσότερο σήμερα στον πλανήτη. _


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## Perseas

velisarius said:


> Is it true for Greek that only transitive verbs can have a passive form?
> 
> _Η κινεζική, η αγγλική και η ισπανική είναι οι τρεις γλώσσες που *μιλιούνται *περισσότερο σήμερα στον πλανήτη. _


This example shows that "μιλάω" can also be transitive.
_Mιλάω/ώ is mainly intransitive. A few times it's used as transitive taking a direct object, like in "μιλώ την ελληνική γλώσσα" or "μιλώ την ίδια γλώσσα με κάποιον" or "τα μιλήσαμε", as dmtrs wrote. Or in "εμίλησε … λίγα" (Ερωτόκρ.)... _

An active sentence containing a transitive verb can have a passive syntax (1,2,3):

1.In the following example, the active verb has also a passive form.
Eg. Πίνω τον καφέ/Ο καφές πίνεται από μένα.

2.But in "Κάνω την προσευχή μου", "κάνω" hasn't a passive form, so you have to come up with another verb, eg. "Η προσευχή γίνεται από μένα".

3.Other verbs remain unaltered. Eg. "λιώνω τη σοκολάτα", "η σοκολάτα λιώνει". "λιώνω" is idiomatic in passive only in the form "είμαι λιωμένος"


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## Helleno File

dmtrs said:


> There's also the expression 'τα μιλήσαμε'.



Interesting dmtrs but not sure what it means!

There's also "δεν μιλιέται τώρα - έχει άσχημη διάθεση."  "Υου can't speak to him at the moment - he's in a bad mood."


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## dmtrs

'Tα μιλήσαμε' means we talked about something thoroughly, we have reached an agreement, usually about something of importance to both sides or something that caused some conflict. It's not a formal expression.


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## Helleno File

Thanks dmtrs.


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## dmtrs




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## Αγγελος

Of course μιλώ can have an _indirect _object (not necessarily a pronominal one): σου μιλάω, του μίλησα etc. are perfectly standard turns of phrase, as is μίλησα του Γιάννη, synonymous with μίλησα με το Γιάννη. (There may be a slight nuance: μίλησα του Γιάννη is more likely to mean "I told John what to do", while μίλησα με το Γιάννη would mean "I talked it over with John".)
What I meant was that _the thing said_ cannot be a direct object of μιλώ. The _"εμίλησε … λίγα"  _example from Erotokritos would not be idiomatic in standard modern Greek (we would either say μίλησε λίγο or είπε δυο λόγια.) But we definitely do say μιλώ τη γλώσσα τους, and therefore also logically τα γαλλικά μιλιούνται και στον Καναδά (=French is also spoken in Canada.)

My statement that μιλώ can't have a direct object is therefore incorrect. Still, I think it is a useful rule of thumb for a foreigner learning Greek and having problems with the distinction between μιλώ and λέω.


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