المعنى
Expressing surprise or disbelief.
خلفية ثقافية
Greeks often use religious exclamations alongside this phrase, such as 'Παναγία μου!' (My Virgin Mary!) or 'Χριστέ μου!' (My Christ!), even if they are not particularly religious. In Cyprus, you might hear 'Εν μπορώ να το πιστέψω' (En mboro...), using the local dialect's negation 'εν' instead of 'δεν'. In Greek-American or Greek-Australian communities, this phrase is often mixed with English, resulting in 'I can't believe it, ρε παιδί μου!' On Greek TikTok and Instagram, the phrase is often shortened to 'ΔΠΤΠ' in very informal slang, though this is rare and mostly used as a joke about how often people say it.
Add 'το' for natural flow
Saying 'Δεν μπορώ να **το** πιστέψω' sounds much more native than just 'Δεν μπορώ να πιστέψω'.
Watch your 'Δ'
Don't pronounce 'Δεν' as 'Den' with a hard 'D'. It must be soft, like the English word 'the'.
المعنى
Expressing surprise or disbelief.
Add 'το' for natural flow
Saying 'Δεν μπορώ να **το** πιστέψω' sounds much more native than just 'Δεν μπορώ να πιστέψω'.
Watch your 'Δ'
Don't pronounce 'Δεν' as 'Den' with a hard 'D'. It must be soft, like the English word 'the'.
Use your hands!
Greeks use their hands when they are shocked. Throw your hands up slightly when you say this phrase.
اختبر نفسك
Fill in the missing word to complete the phrase.
Δεν μπορώ ___ πιστέψω ότι είσαι εδώ!
The particle 'να' is always required after 'μπορώ' to connect it to the next verb.
Which sentence is the most natural way to express shock?
Your friend tells you they won the lottery. You say:
This is the standard idiomatic expression for disbelief.
Match the Greek phrase to its English meaning.
Match the following:
Each phrase expresses a different nuance of surprise.
Complete the dialogue with the correct form.
Α: Ο Γιάννης έφυγε για την Αμερική. Β: Τι; Δεν ______ να το πιστέψω!
Since the speaker (B) is expressing their own surprise, the first-person singular 'μπορώ' is needed.
🎉 النتيجة: /4
وسائل تعلم بصرية
بنك التمارين
4 تمارينΔεν μπορώ ___ πιστέψω ότι είσαι εδώ!
The particle 'να' is always required after 'μπορώ' to connect it to the next verb.
Your friend tells you they won the lottery. You say:
This is the standard idiomatic expression for disbelief.
طابق كل عنصر على اليسار مع زوجه على اليمين:
Each phrase expresses a different nuance of surprise.
Α: Ο Γιάννης έφυγε για την Αμερική. Β: Τι; Δεν ______ να το πιστέψω!
Since the speaker (B) is expressing their own surprise, the first-person singular 'μπορώ' is needed.
🎉 النتيجة: /4
الأسئلة الشائعة
10 أسئلةYes, it's a shorter, very common version. It's like the difference between 'I can't believe it' and 'I don't believe it' in English.
Absolutely. It's used for both winning the lottery and losing your wallet.
Because it's a specific, one-time reaction. The 'aorist' form (πιστέψω) is used for single actions in the subjunctive.
Yes, as long as you are reacting to news. It's not rude; it shows you are engaged.
You say 'Δεν μπορώ να πιστέψω στα μάτια μου'.
Usually 'Κι όμως!' (And yet!) or 'Κι εγώ!' (Me too!).
Yes, if you say it with a flat tone, it means 'I'm not surprised at all'.
Yes: 'Δεν μπορώ να σε πιστέψω'. But be careful, this can sound like you are calling them a liar.
Yes, 'Δεν υπάρχει!' (It doesn't exist!) is a very common slang way to say something is unbelievable.
Usually 'Den mporo na to pistepso'.
عبارات ذات صلة
Δεν το πιστεύω
synonymI don't believe it
Απίστευτο
similarUnbelievable
Μου φαίνεται απίστευτο
builds onIt seems unbelievable to me
Πιστεύω στα μάτια μου
contrastI believe my eyes
