Learn Greek › B1 › ποτε
ποτε
ever (never, with a negative) /poˈte/
adverbB1#1051 most common
Also: never (with δεν/μη), once, at some point in the past
Example sentences
Δεν έχω πάει ποτέ στην Αμερική.
I have never been to America.
Θα το ξεχάσεις ποτέ;
Will you ever forget it?
Δεν μιλάει ποτέ για την οικογένειά του.
He never talks about his family.
Ήταν ποτέ πραγματικά ευτυχισμένη μαζί του;
Was she ever really happy with him?
Αν χρειαστείς ποτέ βοήθεια, πάρε με τηλέφωνο χωρίς δεύτερη σκέψη.
If you ever need help, call me without a second thought.
Ποτέ δεν θα ξεχάσω όσα έκανες για μένα εκείνη τη δύσκολη χρονιά.
I will never forget what you did for me that difficult year.
Word family
πότεwhen?κάποτεsometime, onceτίποτεnothing, anything
οπότεwhenever, so
εκάστοτεeach time, on each occasion
Etymology
Ποτέ is built from the old pronominal stem πο-, the same indefinite and interrogative base found in πότε (when) and πού (where), joined to the enclitic particle -τε that also appears in τότε (then) and ούτε (nor). The πο- stem descends from the Proto-Indo-European interrogative root. Over centuries the combination settled into a fixed temporal adverb meaning ever or, with negation, never.
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Start free