Greek verb and noun agreement

Do you know why Greek is considered a hard language to learn?

(Yes, we know that you might be thinking of many different answers!)

Nevertheless, a perfectly acceptable answer here would be: Verb conjugation!

Greek verbs tend to change according to the person(s) they refer to, the number, the tense, the mood, the voice, and the conjugation group they belong to. Greek verb conjugation is difficult—we get it. However, it’s not a true mystery. There are several rules that can help you categorize regular verbs and conjugate them correctly, but at the same time, there are several irregular verbs you should probably learn by heart.

In this blog post, we’ll focus on the regular Greek verbs’ conjugations, presenting you with tips, tricks, and examples.

Table of Contents

1. What is Conjugation?
2. Verb Conjugation Groups
3. Conjugation Examples
4. It’s Quiz Time!
5. Conclusion

1. What is Conjugation?

In Greek, adjectives, pronouns, nouns, and articles change as well. However, in this article, we’ll focus on the Greek verbs and their conjugation, which is one of the most complicated chapters of Greek grammar.

1.1 The Person(s) and Numbers

Before we begin, take a look at this brief Greek conjugation chart:

Our first stop on the journey of modern Greek verb conjugation is the person(s) and numbers. Greek verbs, just like English verbs, get conjugated according to the first, second, and third person in the singular and plural. To create all these different verb forms, the only thing you need to do is change its suffix (i.e. its ending).

As you might have noticed, this change can be very tricky for English-speakers, since the verb in English remains unchanged, regardless of the person. That’s surely one major difference between Greek and English grammar, so you’ll need time and a lot of practice to get used to this.

1.2 The Tenses

Lucky for you, the Greek tenses have many similarities with those in English. Let’s have a look at the table below.

• εγώ προσπαθ ώ (egó prospathó) — “I try” / “I am trying” | ενεστώτας (enestótas, “present tense”)
• εγώ προσπάθ ησα (egó prospáthisa) — “I tried” | αόριστος (aóristos, “simple past tense” or “aorist tense”)

All future tenses (στιγμιαίος, εξακολουθητικός & συντελεσμένος μέλλοντας) make use of the particle θα (tha), meaning “will.“ Moreover, Συντελεσμένος Μέλλοντας & Παρακείμενος make use of the auxiliary verb έχω (ého), meaning “have,“ whereas Υπερσυντέλικος makes use of είχα (íha), meaning “had.“

1.3 The Moods

In Greek, there are five distinct verb moods, which have to do with how the verb’s action is presented in order to show the intention of the speaker. The Greek moods and their usage are demonstrated in the table below.

A) e.g. Παίζοντας πέρασε γρήγορα η ώρα.

A) e.g. Pézondas pérase grígora i óra.

A) e.g. “By playing, the time passed quickly.”

Please, keep in mind that the mood υποτακτική (Ipotaktikí) usually makes use of the particle να, among other words, in order to be formed as shown in the relative example.

1.4 The Voices

As in English, there are two voices in Greek:

• Active Voice:
  Η αδερφή μου αγόρασε το μήλο. (I aderfí mu agórase to mílo.) — “My sister bought the apple.

• Passive Voice:
  Το μήλο αγοράστηκε από την αδερφή μου. (To mílo agorástike apó tin aderfí mu.) — “The apple was bought by my sister.”

2. Verb Conjugation Groups

Now, for conjugation in Greek, there are two major conjugation groups: Conjugation A and Conjugation B.

Conjugation A includes verbs ending in:

For example: λύν -ω / λύν -ομαι (líno / línome) — “to solve” / “to be solved”

Conjugation Β includes verbs ending in:

• Conjugation B [first class]:
  αγαπ -ώ / αγαπ -ιέμαι (agapó / agapiéme) — “to love” / “to be loved”
  
• Conjugation B [second class]:
  θεωρ -ώ / θεωρ -ούμαι (theoró / theorúme) — “to think” / “to be thought”
  κοιμ -άμαι (kimáme) — “to sleep” (in the passive voice only)
  διερωτ -ώμαι (dierotóme) — “to ask myself” (in the passive voice only)

As you saw above, Conjugation B verbs are divided into two classes: those conjugating like αγαπώ [first class] and those like θεωρώ [second class].

Indeed, these two major conjugation groups act as a rule for the majority of regular verbs. When it comes to determining to which category each verb belongs, a rule of thumb is to notice whether the -ω at the end of the verb in the active voice is accentuated. If there’s no accent mark, then the verb follows the Conjugation A model. Otherwise, if the -ώ is accentuated, it follows the Conjugation B model.

Greek verb conjugation is not that easy. There are many irregular verbs and many verb forms, some of which were integrated into modern Greek from ancient Greek. Therefore, in practice, learning how to conjugate verbs according to the two conjugation groups only won’t cover all cases. It’s really necessary to study Greek verb conjugation rules for irregular verbs as well.

3. Conjugation Examples

In the following sections, we’ll be looking at a few Greek conjugation tables to give you a good idea of what to expect.

3.1 Conjugation A

In this category, we find Greek verbs ending in -ω in the active voice, and -ομαι in the passive voice. Below, you can find the complete conjugation of the verb λύνω (líno), meaning “to solve.”

Other Conjugation A verbs that are conjugated in the same way are:

• χάνω (háno) — “to lose”
• πληρώνω (pliróno) — “to pay”
• ντύνω (díno) — “to dress”

Active Voice

Passive Voice

3.2 Conjugation B

In this category are the Greek verbs ending in -ώ in the active voice, and -ιέμαι in the passive voice. Below, you can find the complete conjugation of the verb αγαπώ (agapó), meaning “to love.”

Other Conjugation Β [first class] verbs that are conjugated in the same way are:

• απαντώ (apandó) — “to answer”
• μιλώ (miló) — “to talk”
• ρωτώ (rotó) — “to ask”

Active Voice

Passive Voice

Included in this category are the Greek verbs ending in -ώ in the active voice, and -ούμαι, -άμαι, or -ώμαι in the passive voice. Below, you can find the complete conjugation of the verb θεωρώ (theoró), meaning “to think” or “to consider.”

Other Conjugation Β [second class] verbs that are conjugated in the same way are:

• μπορώ (boró) — “can” / “to be able to”
• ζω (zo) — “to live”
• παρακαλώ (parakaló) — “to request” / “to beg”

Active Voice

Passive Voice

Verbs ending in -ώμαι and -άμαι follow the traditional conjugation model of -ούμαι ending verbs, except for certain forms which we’ll see below. The participles may or may not vary from the traditional model.

Let’s see the forms in which the verb εγγυώμαι (engióme), meaning “to guarantee,” varies.

And lastly, let’s see the forms in which the verb κοιμάμαι (kimáme), meaning “to sleep,” varies.

4. It’s Quiz Time!

How much do you remember about the conjugation of Greek verbs? If you feel like testing your knowledge, please go ahead and answer the following multiple choice questions.

Θέλω να __________ (λύνω) αυτήν την άσκηση τώρα.
a. λύνω
b. λύσω
c. είχα λύσει
d. έχω λύσει

Εμείς _________ (μένω) στο ξενοδοχείο Athina Hotel.
a. μένουν
b. μένω
c. έμενα
d. μένουμε

Εγώ σε ________ (αγαπώ) πολύ.
a. αγάπη
a. αγάπη
a. αγάπη
a. αγάπη

Αυτός _______________ (ταξιδεύω) σε πολλές χώρες.
a. έχω ταξιδέψει
b. έχει ταξιδέψει
c. είχα ταξιδέψει
d. ταξιδέψαμε

Εσύ _________(πιστεύω) ότι πρέπει να πάμε πιο νωρίς στο σινεμά;
a. πιστεύεις
b. πίστευα
c. πιστεύετε
d. πιστέψαμε

Do you have any questions? Let us know in the comments!

5. Conclusion

Feeling overwhelmed? Just take one step at a time.

This article aimed to cover the conjugation of Greek regular verbs. We also gave you a short presentation of the verb properties, such as the person, number, tense, mood, voice, and conjugation group. All of these verb properties are at the core of this chapter of Greek grammar. For more information on verb conjugation, check out the Intermediate and Upper Intermediate series on GreekPod101.com.

Greek grammar is vast indeed, and we get that you might feel a little dizzy after reading all this new information. So, how would you feel if you had a personal teacher to guide you all the way through this grammar labyrinth? In addition to our great selection of free learning resources, we also offer a personalized premium service, MyTeacher, where you can enjoy a unique one-on-one learning experience!