The Negative Command: μη(ν) + Subjunctive
Greek has NO negative imperative. To say “don’t …!” you use μη(ν) + the SUBJUNCTIVE (the same dependent verb you met after να): μην γράψεις! (“don’t write!”), μην πεις τίποτα! (“don’t say anything!”). The μη(ν) follows the usual final-ν rule (μην before a vowel or π/τ/κ/μπ/ντ/γκ/ξ/ψ, μη otherwise). Crucially the verb is NOT a negated imperative form - «*μη γράψε» does not exist - it is the plain subjunctive, exactly as after να. So the positive command γράψε! flips to the negative μην γράψεις!.
The rule
Greek has no negative imperative. To say “don't …!” you use μη(ν) + the subjunctive - the same dependent form you use after να: μην γράψεις!, μην πεις!. The verb is emphatically not a negated command form: «μη γράψε» does not exist, so the positive γράψε! changes shape as it changes sign, into μην γράψεις!. The plural behaves the same way: γράψτε! becomes μην γράψετε!, πείτε! becomes μην πείτε! - which is the one place the two look alike, because for λέω the imperative plural and the subjunctive plural happen to coincide. The particle itself follows the ordinary movable-ν rule: μην before a vowel or π, τ, κ, ξ, ψ and the clusters μπ, ντ, γκ, τσ, τζ, and μη otherwise.
Paradigm
| Number | Form |
|---|---|
| Singular | γράψεις† |
| Plural | γράψετε† |
- Dependent (perfective) 2sg used after μη(ν) for the negative command: μην γράψεις ("don't write"). Greek has no negative imperative.
- Dependent (perfective) 2pl after μη(ν): μην γράψετε.
| Number | Form |
|---|---|
| Singular | πεις† |
| Plural | πείτε† |
- Suppletive dependent 2sg of λέω after μη(ν): μην πεις ("don't say [it]").
- Suppletive dependent 2pl of λέω after μη(ν): μην πείτε. Surface coincides with the imperative 2pl but keys distinctly by mood.