# Ξέρεις άνθρωπο που να μην λέει ποτέ του ψέματα;



## panettonea

Εμένα δεν ξέρω.  

What does _του_ mean in the sentence above?  As far as context, that's all I have.


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## Apollodoros

panettonea said:


> Εμένα δεν ξέρω.
> 
> What does _του_ mean in the sentence above?  As far as context, that's all I have.



Hi I think that _του_ just emphasizes and personalizes the meaning of _ποτέ_ with respect to the subject (_άνθρωπος_) of the main verb (_λέω)_ . I would think of it like: never in _his_ time.

You can also hear e. g.: _
Ποτέ *μου* δε θα το κάνω!_ as opposed to _Ποτέ δε θα το κάνω! 
_
I'd say a rough translation to English would be something like:_ 
I will never *ever* do it! _as opposed to_ I will never do it!_


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## Tassos

I agree 100% with what Apollodoros wrote.
Just one little correction to the OP...
It's _Εγώ δεν ξέρω_ and not _Εμένα δεν ξέρω_ (which roughly translates as _I don't know myself_)


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## panettonea

Apollodoros said:


> Hi I think that _του_ just emphasizes and personalizes the meaning of _ποτέ_ with respect to the subject (_άνθρωπος_) of the main verb (_λέω)_ . I would think of it like: never in _his_ time.
> 
> You can also hear e. g.: _
> Ποτέ *μου* δε θα το κάνω!_ as opposed to _Ποτέ δε θα το κάνω!
> _
> I'd say a rough translation to English would be something like:_
> I will never *ever* do it! _as opposed to_ I will never do it!_



Thanks, Apollodoros.  That's an interesting construction, which we obviously don't have in English.  I wonder if there's a name for it, like the _emphatic genitive_?    In a book I have, I recently read about constructions called "the dative of advantage" and "the dative of disadvantage," even though both are actually in the genitive.  Maybe this is somewhat similar.


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## panettonea

Tassos said:


> It's _Εγώ δεν ξέρω_



Thanks, Tassos.  That's exactly what I had at first, but then I changed it.  I guess it's best to go with one's first impression.  



> _Εμένα δεν ξέρω_



What if you put a comma after _Εμένα--_would that make any difference?


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## Tassos

panettonea said:


> What if you put a comma after _Εμένα--_would that make any difference?


Nope.


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## panettonea

Tassos said:


> Nope.



Oh, right, that's because _Εμένα _is either genitive or accusative, but not nominative.  I had forgotten that.  Oh, well, I guess ignorance is bliss.


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## Live2Learn

panettonea said:


> That's an interesting construction, which we obviously don't have in English.



I think we do have something similar, Panettonea. I don't know the actual etymology of the Greek expression, but if you assume that it is an elliptical construction and _*Ποτέ μου *_is a short form of _*Ποτέ (στη ζωή) μου*_, then _*Ποτέ μου δε θα το κάνω!*_ could be translated as _*I will never in my life do it!*_ or _*Νever in my life will I do it!*_


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## panettonea

Live2Learn said:


> I think we do have something similar, Panettonea. I don't know the actual etymology of the Greek expression, but if you assume that it is an elliptical construction and _*Ποτέ μου *_is a short form of _*Ποτέ (στη ζωή) μου*_, then _*Ποτέ μου δε θα το κάνω!*_ could be translated as _*I will never in my life do it!*_ or _*Νever in my life will I do it!*_



If that's the case, then yes.  Maybe someone can tell us whether this construction in Greek is elliptical or not.


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