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επειδή

because /e.pi.ðiˈ/

otherB2#2712 most common

Also: since, as, for the reason that

Example sentences

Δεν πάω σχολείο επειδή είμαι άρρωστος.
I'm not going to school because I'm sick.
Έμεινα σπίτι επειδή έβρεχε πολύ.
I stayed home because it was raining a lot.
Δεν μπόρεσα να έρθω επειδή είχα πολλή δουλειά.
I couldn't come because I had a lot of work.
Επειδή δεν είχε χρήματα, δεν αγόρασε το βιβλίο.
Since he didn't have money, he didn't buy the book.
Η κυβέρνηση άλλαξε την πολιτική της επειδή αντιμετώπισε έντονες αντιδράσεις.
The government changed its policy because it faced strong reactions.
Το σχέδιο απορρίφθηκε, όχι επειδή ήταν κακό, αλλά επειδή δεν υπήρχαν οι απαραίτητοι πόροι για την υλοποίησή του.
The plan was rejected, not because it was bad, but because the necessary resources for its implementation were lacking.

Word family

επειδήπερsince indeed (formal, somewhat archaic)
επείsince (Ancient Greek, still used in formal/legal Modern Greek)
γιατίbecause (everyday synonym)
αφούsince, given that (synonym)
διότιbecause (formal synonym, used in writing)

Etymology

Επειδή comes from Ancient Greek, formed by joining επεί ("since, when") with the emphatic particle δή. The particle strengthened the causal sense of επεί, and over time the two words fused into one. The compound already functioned as a causal conjunction in Classical Greek and has kept that role into Modern Greek.

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