The alphabet as used in this lesson

Greek: Upper Case-Lower Case Name// English Name Νearest pronunciation

Α-α Άλφα // Alpha A as in Ant

Β-β Βήτα // Veeta V as in Vase

Γ-γ Γάμμα (Γάμα) //Gama γ

Δ-δ Δέλτα //Delta ð as in THe

Ε-ε Εψίλον //Epsilon E as in Element

Ζ-ζ Ζήτα //Ζεετα Z as in Zoo

Η-η* Ήτα //Eeta EE as in sEE

Θ-θ Θήτα //theta

Ι-ι* Ιώτα (γιώτα)//Iota EE as in sEE

Κ-κ Κάππα (κάπα)/Kapa K as inCow

Λ-λ Λάμδα//Lambda L as in Lemon

Μ-μ Μυ (μι) //Mee M as in Mother

Ν-ν Νυ (Νι) //Nee N as in North

Ξ-ξ Ξει (Ξι) //Ksee X as in foX

 Greek: Upper Case-Lower Case Name// English Name Νearest pronunciation

Ο-ο* Όμικρον// Omicron O as in Organ

Π-π Πει (Πι) //Pee P as in Pet

Ρ-ρ Ρω (ρο/Row R as in Rhapsody

Σ-σ/ς* Σίγμα Sigma

Τ-τ Ταυ // Taf T as in Table

Υ-υ* Ύψιλον//Ypsilon EE as in sEE

Φ-φ Φει (φι) //Fee F as in Fun

Χ-χ Χει (Χι) //Chee H as in Hurry

Ψ-ψ ψει (ψι) /Psee PS as in liPStick

Ω-ω* Ωμέγα //Omega O as in Organ

Note: * Η-η, Ι-ι and Υ-υ have the same pronunciation (''ee'')
 Ο-ο and Ω-ω have the same pronunciation (''o'')
 The pronunciations and their examples shown above are the nearest (not the exact)
pronunciations in Modern Greek. The sound of some letters varies depending on the
letter that follows.
WHERE TO FIND THE GREEK LETTERS ON YOU QWERTY KEYBOARD
**Of the 24 letters in the Greek alphabet 13 are exactly the same in appearance as the Latin.
These are: A, B, E, H, I, K, M, N, O, T, X, Y, Z (They are not always pronounced the same but
they are typed on the same key.
7 keys have the same sound:
Φ=F
Λ=L
Π=P
Ρ=R
2 have similar sound:
Γ=G
Δ=D
That leaves only 4 Greek letter with places you have to learn.
Here is where you'll find them:
Θ=U
Ξ=J
Ψ=C
Ω = V * Sigma has two different types in the lower case. When it is at the beginning of or
inside the word it is written as σ but when it is at the end of a word it is written as ς this can
be found at w
Diphthongs#
ΑΙ αι = sounds like E-ε as
ΕΙ ει = sounds like Η-η, Ι-ι, Υ-υ
ΟΙ οι = sounds just like Η-η, Ι-ι, Υ-υ
ΥΙ υι = sounds just like Η-η, Ι-ι, Υ-υ or like ee-ee
ΑΥ αυ= sounds like “av” or “af”
ΕΥ ευ= sounds like “ev” or “ef”
ΟΥ ου = sounds like "u" as in "soup" .
Double consonants
ΜΠ μπ = sounds like b
ΝΤ ντ = sounds like d
ΓΚ γκ = sounds like g
ΓΓ γγ = sound like ng
ΤΣ τσ = sounds like ts
ΤΖ τζ = sounds like tz
Accents
Modern Greek has only ONE accent ,that is placed above the accented vowels, and it looks
like this: ά,έ, ή, ί, ό, ύ, ώ. The accent goes on one of the three last syllables. Accents help you
give emphasis to the right syllable. E.g. “βιβλίο” (veevLEEo), ''μιλώ'' (meeLO) etc.
 Capital letters can take accents ONLY on the first letter. However, it can be omitted.
E.g ΌΧΙ / ΟΧΙ (Ohee), but ΕΣΥ (eSEE).
Punctuation Marks
The Period, or full stop, the comma and the exclamation mark are the same as English.
The Greek question mark looks just like the English semi colon ; and can be found on
the Q when you are on the Greek keyboard.
Definite Articles
Definite articles in Greek are equivalent to the English word ''the'', however, in Greek, they
vary depending on the gender and number of the word that follows.
Greek like Polish, Russian, and many other languages uses 3 genders to describe nouns.
While English though, has «the» for every gender and number, Greek has six possible
articles.

Number and Gender in Nominative Article Example

Singular masculine ο ο άντρας = the man

Plural masculine οι οι άντρες = the men

Singular feminine η η γυναίκα = the woman

Plural feminine οι οι γυναίκες = the women

Singular neuter το το παιδί = the child

Plural neuter τα τα παιδιά = the children

Cases in Masculine and Feminine Gender

Modern Greek has four cases in each number (Nominative, Genitive, Accusative, Vocative).
The suffix shows the changes.

Cases and Numbers Example Masculine Example Feminine

Nominative singular ο άντρας = the man η γυναίκα = the woman

Genitive singular του άντρα = of the man της γυναίκας = of the woman

Accusative singular τον άντρα = the man τη γυναίκα = the woman

 Cases and Numbers Example Masculine Example Feminine

Vocative singular άντρα = man γυναίκα = woman

Nominative Plural οι άντρες = the men οι γυναίκες = the women

Genitive plural των αντρών = of the men των γυναικών = of the women

Accusative Plural τους άντρες = the men τις γυναίκες = the women

Vocative Plural άντρες=men γυναίκες=women

Cases in Neuter Gender

Cases and Numbers Example Neuter 1 Example Neuter 2

Nominative singular το παιδί = the child το βιβλίο = the book

Genitive singular του παιδιού = of the child του βιβλίου = of the book

Accusative singular το παιδί = the child το βιβλίο = the book

Vocative singular παιδί = child βιβλίο = book

Nominative Plural τα παιδιά = the children τα βιβλία = the books

Genitive plural των παιδιών= of the children των βιβλίων = of the books

Accusative Plural τα παιδιά = the children τα βιβλία = the books

Vocative Plural παιδιά = children βιβλία = books

To BE
(Εγώ) είμαι = I am
(Εσύ) είσαι = you are (singular)
(Αυτός, αυτή, αυτό) είναι = he, she or it is
(Εμείς) είμαστε = we are
(Εσείς) είσαστε = you are(plural) (or είστε)
(Αυτοί, αυτές, αυτά) είναι =they are
Important note: the pronoun (Εγώ, εσύ ...is not always needed.)

Pronouns Example

1st person εγώ = I εγώ τρώω = I eat

singular

2nd person εσύ = you εσύ τρως = you eat

singular

3rd person αυτός/αυτή/αυτό = he/she/it αυτός τρώει = he

singular eats

1st person plural εμείς = we εμείς τρώμε = we

eat

2nd person plural εσείς = you εσείς τρώτε = you

eat

3rd person plural αυτοί/αυτές = they αυτοί τρώνε = they

(masculine/feminine) eat

Note that they has two types. If it refers to a group all males or male and female or its gender
composition is unknown, αυτοί is used. If the group is composed of only females, αυτές is
used instead.
Keep in mind that in Greek the personal pronoun (I, you etc) is not needed before the verb to
define which person it is (as in English).
The verb ending shows the person so for example:
Πίνω I drink.
Πινεις You drink (singular)
Πινει He/She/It drinks.
Πίνουμε & πίνομε dial. We drink
Πίνετε You drink (plural
Πίνουν & πίνουνε oral. They drink
Spelling Note
 The word άντρας can also be written as άνδρας. This can happen in all types of this
word, just by replacing the letter τ with the δ.
Most useful phrases in Greek

Greek English

Καλημέρα Good Morning

Καληνύχτα / Καλό βράδυ Good night

Καλησπέρα Good evening

Όχι No

Ναι Yes

Ευχαριστώ Thanks / Thank you

Παρακαλώ Please / You are welcome

Λυπάμαι I am sorry

Συγνώμη Sorry / Excuse me

Αντίο Goodbye

Σ' αγαπώ / Σε αγαπώ I love you

Γεια Hi / Hello

Τι κάνεις; How are you? / What are you doing?

Πόσο κάνει; / Πόσο κοστίζει; How much does it cost?

 Greek English

Εγώ είμαι ο / η ..... I am ....

Εγώ ζω (or μένω) στον / στην / στο .... I live in .....

Indefinite articles
For the Indefinite articles (a/an/one in English) Greek has 3 possible types according to the
gender of the word that follows.

Singular Masculine Singular Feminine Singular Neuter

NOMINATIVE: ένας μία or μια ένα

GENITIVE: ενός μίας or μιας ενός

ACCUSATIVE: ένα or έναν μία or μια ένα

VOCATIVE: --- --- ---

Examples:
 Ένας ελέφαντας (masculine) = An / one elephant
 Μία γάτα (feminine) = A / one cat
 Ένα φίδι (neuter) = A / one snake
Indefinite Article Omission
The indefinite articles ένας, μία, ένα can be omitted when:
 The meaning of the sentence is general.
 The subject of the sentence can only be one.
 The number of subjects does not matter.
Examples:
The cat is an animal - Η γάτα είναι ζώο.
These two are not a couple - Αυτοί οι δύο δεν είναι ζευγάρι.
Do you have a car? - Έχεις αυτοκίνητο;
I'm eating an orange - Τρώω πορτοκάλι.
In plural number (like 'some' in English) Greek uses pronouns, ΝΟΤ articles. These words are:
 Plural masculine: Μερικοί some/a few/a couple etc
 Plural feminine: Μερικές
 Plural neuter: Μερικά

Plural Masculine Plural Feminine Plural Neuter

NOMINATIVE: μερικοί μερικές μερικά

GENITIVE: μερικών μερικών μερικών

ACCUSATIVE: μερικούς μερικές μερικά

VOCATIVE: μερικοί μερικές μερικά

Personal Pronouns

Person and
Pronouns Example
Number

1st person εγώ = I εγώ τρώω = I eat

singular

2nd person εσύ = you εσύ τρως = you eat

singular

3rd person αυτός/αυτή/αυτό = he/she/it αυτός τρώει = he

singular eats
 Person and
Pronouns Example
Number

1st person plural εμείς = we εμείς τρώμε = we

eat

2nd person plural εσείς = you εσείς τρώτε = you

eat

3rd person plural αυτοί/αυτές = they αυτοί τρώνε = they

(masculine/feminine) eat

Note that they has two types. If it refers to a group all males or male and female or its gender
composition is unknown, αυτοί is used. If the group is composed of only females, αυτές is
used instead.
Keep in mind that in Greek the personal pronoun (I, you etc) is not needed before the verb to
define which person it is (as in English). So for example instead of writing: Εγώ τρώω, you can
write simply Τρώω Likewise Εσύ πίνεις can be written as Πίνεις

Useful vocabulary

English
Greek word Nearest pronunciation
translation

ψωμί pso-mee bread

τυρί tee-ree cheese

τομάτα / ντομάτα to-ma-ta / do-ma-ta tomato

αγγούρι a-gu-ree cucumber

κρεμμύδι kre-mee-ðee onion

 English
Greek word Nearest pronunciation
translation

σαλάτα sa-la-ta salad

φαγητό fa-ɣee-to food

σουβλάκι / καλαμάκι su-vla-kee / ka-la-ma-kee suvlaki

γύρος ɣee-ros gyros

κουτάλι ku-ta-lee spoon

μαχαίρι ma-he-ree knife

πιρούνι pee-ru-nee fork

πιάτο pia-to dish / plate

καλή όρεξη ka-lee o-re-ksee bon appetit

ένα ποτήρι ... e-na po-tee-ree ... a glass of ...

νερό ne-ro water

κρασί kra-see wine

μπίρα / μπύρα bee-ra beer

ούζο u-zo ouzo

 English
Greek word Nearest pronunciation
translation

Στην υγειά σου / Στην υγειά steen ee-γeea su / steen ee-γeea Cheers
μας mas

Greek word Nearest pronunciation English translation

σκύλος / σκυλί skee-los / skee-lee dog

γάτα ɣa-ta cat

ποντίκι po-dee-kee mouse

μέλισσα me-lee-sa bee

πεταλούδα pe-ta-lu-ða butterfly

αρκούδα ar-ku-ða bear

λύκος lee-kos wolf

καμήλα ka-mee-la camel

πουλί pu-lee bird

αετός a-e-tos eagle

γεράκι ɣe-ra-kee hawk

 Greek word Nearest pronunciation English translation

δελφίνι ðe-lfee-nee dolphin

φάλαινα fa-le-na whale

καρχαρίας kar-ha-ree-as shark

Possessives in Greek

Possessive Pronoun Possessive Pronoun English

Person
(Single object owned) (Many objects owned) translation

1st person (Δικός/Δική/Δικό) μου (Δικοί/Δικές/Δικά) μου My

singular

2nd person (Δικός/Δική/Δικό) σου (Δικοί/Δικές/Δικά) σου Your

singular

3rd person (Δικός/Δική/Δικό) του (Δικοί/Δικές/Δικά) του His

singular
(masculine)

3rd person (Δικός/Δική/Δικό) της (Δικοί/Δικές/Δικά) της Her

singular
(feminine)

3rd person (Δικός/Δική/Δικό) του (Δικοί/Δικές/Δικά) του Its

singular
(neuter)

1st person (Δικός/Δική/Δικό) μας (Δικοί/Δικές/Δικά) μας Our

plural
 Possessive Pronoun Possessive Pronoun English
Person
(Single object owned) (Many objects owned) translation

2nd person (Δικός/Δική/Δικό) σας (Δικοί/Δικές/Δικά) σας Your

plural

3rd person (Δικός/Δική/Δικό) (Δικοί/Δικές/Δικά) Their

plural τους τους

EXAMPLES:
Ο άντρας μου=My husband
Ο δικός μου άντρας= My own husband (emphatic).
WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN Δικός, δική, δικό?
Δικός is used if the owned object is of masculine gender: Ο άντρας είναι δικός μου=The man
is mine.
Δικός becomes δικοί when the owned object of masculine gender is in plural.
So, οι άντρες είναι δικοί μου=the men are mine.
Δική is used if the owned object is of feminine gender: Η γυναίκα είναι δική μου=The woman
is mine.
Δική becomes δικές when the owned object of feminine gender is in plural.
So, οι γυναίκες είναι δικές μου=the women are mine.
Δικό is used if the owned object is of neuter gender: Το παιδί είναι δικό μου=The kid is
mine.
Δικό becomes δικά when the owned object of neuter gender is in plural.
So, τα παιδιά είναι δικά μου=the children are mine.
THE DOUBLE ACCENT RULE
When μου,σου,του,της,μας,σας,τους comes after a word that is accented on the antepenult
(second syllable from the end e.g. αυτοκίνητο), then it is accented also on the last syllable.
Example:
το αυτοκίνητό μου=my car
το ραδιόφωνό της= her radio
η τσάντα του=his bag (no double accent here because the word τσάντα is not accented on
the antepenult!)
Greek word Nearest pronunciation English translation

καπέλο ka-pe-lo hat

κασκόλ ka-skol scarf

σκούφος sku-fos skull cap

μπλούζα blu-za T-shirt

πουκάμισο pu-ka-mee-so shirt

ζακέτα za-ke-ta jacket / sweater

φανέλα fa-ne-la jersey

παντελόνι pa-de-lo-nee trousers / pants

τζιν jeen jeans

παπούτσι / παπούτσια pa-pu-tsee / pa-pu-tseea shoe / shoes

κάλτσα / κάλτσες kal-tsa / kal-tses sock / socks

γάντι / γάντια ɣa-dee / ɣa-deea glove / gloves

These are the parts of speech in Greek: λεξη = word
άρθρο = article
επίθετο = adjective
ουσιαστικό= noun
λογός = speech
μέρος = part
ρήμα = verb
μετοχή = participle
πρόθεση = preposition
σύνδεσμος = conjunction
επίρρημα = adverb
αντωνυμία = pronoun
επιφώνημα = interjection
We are going now to analyze a simple Greek sentence in order to teach you the basic parts of
speech.
So, we have the sentence "'Ο άντρας τρώει το κόκκινο μήλο." In this particular sentence,
there are two articles "ο" and "το", which are respectively the articles for the male and the
neuter nouns, there are also two nouns "άντρας" and "μήλο" which mean man and apple
respectively. Finally, there is a verb "τρώει" which means eats / is eating. Κόκκινο which
shows "what kind" is an adjective.
The definite article:
Depending on the gender, number, and case the definite article in Greek varies.

Singular Masculine Feminine Neuter

Nominative ο η το

Genitive του της του

Accusative τον τη(ν) το

 Plural Masculine Feminine Neuter

Nominative οι οι τα

Genitive των των των

Accusative τους τις τα

(!) Vocative has no article

(!)The -ν of την is preserved if the following word begins with κ, π, τ, ψ, ξ, γκ , μπ, ντ, τζ, τσ or
a vowel. So the accusative for γυναίκα and κότα is:
Τη γυναίκα.
Την κότα.
Note that this rule also applies to the negatives δεν, μην also to στην & αυτήν (accusative of
αυτή), but not to τον, στον etc
NB: The gender does not reflect the actual person or item (grammatical gender does not
match natural gender) but is only a means of classifying nouns. For example: ο άντρας is
masculine. But: το αγόρι (the boy is neuter) and η καρέκλα (the chair is feminine).

Personal pronouns are also declined.

The nominative case of the pronouns is used for the subject of the sentence,
the genitive case for the indirect object (the weak form only) or to show possession (the
strong form of the third person only),
the accusative for the direct object or for the indirect object (σε+strong form only).
Genitive and accusative cases also have weak forms, whose usage is described below.
 First Person Second Person Third Person
Case (Strong/Weak (Strong/Weak (Strong/Weak
form) form) form)

Singular Εγώ/- Εσύ/- Αυτός/-, αυτή/-,

Nominative αυτό/-
(Subject)

Singular Εμένα/μου Εσένα/σου Αυτού/του,

Genitive αυτής/της,
αυτού/του

Singular Εμένα/με Εσένα/σε Αυτόν/τον,

Accusative αυτήν/την, αυτό/το

Plural Εμείς/- Εσείς/- Αυτοί/-, αυτές/-,

Nominative αυτά/-
(Subject)

Plural Genitive Εμάς/μας Εσάς/σας Αυτών/τους

αυτών/τους
αυτών/τους

Plural Εμάς/μας Εσάς/σας Αυτούς/τους

Accusative αυτές/τις(τες)
αυτά/τα

For the indirect object we use: verb+σε+strong accusative form or weak genitive form+verb.
So: Δίνει σε εμένα (more emphatic)=Μου δίνει=he gives me /he gives to me.
For the direct object (accusative case) it's Verb+strong form or weak form+verb. So Με
αγαπάει=Αγαπάει εμένα (more emphatic)=He loves me.
If you want to use weak forms for both direct and indirect object in a sentence, the indirect
comes before the direct and then the verb.
So: Μου το δίνει=He gives it to me.
Genitive Possession usage of the strong form
We have already learned the possessives (μου, σου, του, μας, σας, τους). When we want to
be emphatic and demonstrative about the possession of some object, we can use the
genitive strong from of the pronoun.
For example:
Το βιβλίο του=His book.
Το βιβλίο αυτού=This one's book.
Το βιβλίο του άντρα=The man's book.
Το βιβλίο αυτού του άντρα=This man's book.
The difference between strong and weak forms:
Τους διαβάζεις ένα βιβλίο=You read them a book.
Διαβάζεις ένα βιβλίο σε αυτούς=You read a book to them.
Also, strong forms are usually emphatic.
IMPORTANT
Weak genitive forms look exactly like the possessive pronouns. In order to differentiate
them, when in doubt, we use the weak genitive form with an accent mark
(μού,σού,τού,τής,μάς,σάς,τούς).
So,Το παιδί μου δίνει την μπάλα. My child gives the ball.
Το παιδί μού δίνει την μπάλα. =The child gives me the ball. (or The child gives the ball to
me.) Note accent on μού
Το παιδί μου μού δίνει την μπάλα. = My child gives me the ball.. (or My child gives the ball to
me.)
BUT in Μου δίνει=He/She/It gives to me, the μου is not accented because there is no room
for confusion with the possessive pronoun.
While in English, the plural is formed by adding 's' to the singular, in Modern Greek, to form
the plural of nouns we have to take into account the gender of the word and change the
singular suffix accordingly. Here are some examples for each gender:
Masculine in Nominative
-ος becomes –οι, for example: ένας φίλος (one friend) becomes δύο φίλοι (two friends)
-ής becomes –ές, ένας μαθητής (one pupil) becomes δύο μαθητές (two pupils)
-ας becomes –ες, ένας αγώνας (one race) becomes δύο αγώνες (two races)
-ούς becomes –ούδες, ένας παππούς (one grandfather) becomes δύο παππούδες (two
grandfathers)
-ές becomes –έδες, ένας καφές (one coffee) becomes δύο καφέδες (two coffees)
Feminine in Nominative
-η becomes –ες, for example: μία κόρη (one daughter) becomes δύο κόρες (two daughters)
α become –ες, μία χώρα (one country) becomes δύο χώρες (two countries)
-ος becomes –οι, μία οδός (one street) becomes δύο οδοί (two streets)
-ού becomes -ούδες, μία αλεπού (one fox) becomes δύο αλεπούδες (two foxes)
Neuter in Nominative
-ο becomes –α, ένα δώρο (one gift) becomes δύο δώρα (two gifts)
-ι becomes –ια, ένα παιδί (one child) becomes δύο παιδιά (two children)
-μα becomes –ματα, ένα σώμα (one body) becomes δύο σώματα (two bodies)
-ος becomes –η, ένα δάσος (one forest) becomes δύο δάση (two forests)
-ας becomes –ατα, ένα τέρας (one monster) becomes δύο τέρατα (two monsters)
ASTERISKS
Note that these rules only apply to the Nominative case of nouns. The other three cases
(Genitive, Accusative and Vocative) have their own suffixes. Also, foreign words (such as
σάντουιτς, χάμπουργκερ) are not declined ie they stay the same no matter their case.
Tips and notes

English Questions Greek Questions

Questions Ερωτήσεις

how? πώς;

what? τι;

who? ποιος;

why? γιατί;

where? πού;

which? ποιος/ποια/ποιο;

Word order does not necessarily change in imperative or interrogative sentences

(statements or questions). The Greek question mark looks like an English semicolon. ;=?
Statement: "Το κορίτσι τρώει την σοκολάτα." The girl eats the chocolate.
Question: "Το κορίτσι τρώει την σοκολάτα;" Does the girl eat the chocolate?
NOTE
In english we say: "What is your address" but in Greek "Ποια είναι η διεύθυνσή σου=which is
your address?".
In greek "τι=what" is used for asking about the characteristics of something or with the
meaning of "what kind...?".
So, Τι γάτα είναι;=What kind of cat is it? Τι άνθρωπος είναι;=What kind of man is he?
Τι δουλειά κάνεις;=What kind of job do you do?=What is your job?
BUT
Ποια είναι η δουλειά σου;=What is your job?
Verbs in Modern Greek have two voices (Active Voice and Passive Voice) and 8 tenses.
These tenses are:
1) Ενεστώτας ( Present Simple and Present Continuous e.g. I play / I am playing),
2) Συνοπτικός Μέλλοντας (Future Simple e.g. I will play),
3) Εξακολουθητικός Μέλλοντας ( Future Continuous e.g. I will be playing)
4) Συντελεσμένος Μέλλοντας (Future Perfect e.g. I will have played
5) )Αόριστος (Past Simple e.g. I played),
6) Παρακείμενος ( Present Perfect e.g. I have played),
7) Υπερσυντέλικος (like Past Perfect e.g. I had played),
8)Παρατατικός (Past continuous e.g I was playing),
είμαι - I am

Ενεστώτας Παρατατικός** Μέλλοντας Στιγμιαίος

(εγώ) είμαι (εγώ) ήμουν (εγώ) θα είμαι

(εσύ) είσαι (εσύ) ήσουν (εσύ) θα είσαι

(αυτός/αυτή/αυτό) είναι (αυτός/αυτή/αυτό) ήταν (αυτός/αυτή/αυτό) θα

είναι

(εμείς) είμαστε (εμείς) ήμασταν/ήμαστε (εμείς) θα είμαστε

(εσείς) είσαστε/είστε (εσείς) ήσασταν/ήσαστε (εσείς) θα είσαστε/είστε

(αυτοί/αυτές/αυτά*) (αυτοί/αυτές/αυτά) (αυτοί/αυτές/αυτά) θα

είναι ήταν είναι

(Equal Matrix in English)

 Present Simple Past Continuous** Future Simple

I am I was I will be

You are You were You will be

He/She/It is He/She/It was He/She/It will be

We are We were We will be

You are You were You will be

They are They were They will be

έχω - I have

Ενεστώτας Παρατατικός Μέλλοντας Στιγμιαίος

(εγώ) έχω (εγώ) είχα (εγώ) θα έχω

(εσύ) έχεις (εσύ) είχες (εσύ) θα έχεις

(αυτός/αυτή/αυτό) έχει (αυτός/αυτή/αυτό) είχε (αυτός/αυτή/αυτό) θα

έχει

(εμείς) έχουμε (εμείς) είχαμε (εμείς) θα έχουμε

(εσείς) έχετε (εσείς) είχατε (εσείς) θα έχετε

(αυτοί/αυτές/αυτά*) (αυτοί/αυτές/αυτά) (αυτοί/αυτές/αυτά) θα

έχουν/έχουνε είχαν/είχανε έχουν/έχουνε

(Equal Matrix in English)

 Present Simple Past Continuous** Future Simple

I have I had I will have

You have You had You will have

He/She/It is He/She/It has He/She/It will have

We have We had We will have

You have You had You will have

They have They had They will have

*Αυτοί for male pl., αυτές for feminine pl, and αυτά for neuter pl.
**Past Continuous and Simple are the same for the verbs είμαι and έχω. The same goes for
Present Simple and Continuous.
“HAVE” AND “BE” AS AUXILIARY VERBS
ΕΧΩ
 The verb έχω (have) is used as an auxiliary verb in Greek in Perfect Tenses:
Έχω (have) + παθητική μετοχή (past participle) -> Present Perfect Simple (Παρακείμενος)
Είχα (had) + παθητική μετοχή (past participle) -> Past Perfect Simple (Υπερσυντέλικος)
Θα έχω (will have) + παθητική μετοχή (past participle) -> Future Perfect Simple
(Συντελεσμένος Μέλλοντας)
ΕΙΜΑΙ
 Τhe verb είμαι (be) is used as an auxiliary verb in English, but there is no equivalent
for it in Greek in Continuous (Progressive) Tenses:
Present Continuous (same with Present Simple), Ενεστώτας: I am reading this book – Εγώ
διαβάζω αυτό το βιβλίο (no auxiliary verb used.)
Past Continuous, Παρατατικός: I was reading this book – Εγώ διάβαζα αυτό το βιβλίο (no
auxiliary verb used.)
Future Continuous, Εξακολουθητικός Μέλλοντας: I will be reading this book – Εγώ θα
διαβάζω αυτό το βιβλίο (no auxiliary verb used.)
Have/Having
The verb have, as well as its progressive form having is in some cases used ‘idiomatically’ in
English, instead of other verbs. Such cases include pregnancy, food, medical conditions that
last for a few moments (i.e. heart attacks), mental states or personal experiences, hosting
events with a future intent etc. In Greek, έχω is not used like so.
Exp. I am having/have lunch (instead of eating/eat) – Εγώ τρώω μεσημεριανό.
I am having a baby (instead of expecting) – Εγώ περιμένω μωρό/παιδί.
I am having/have fun – Εγώ διασκεδάζω.
He is having a stroke. – Αυτός παθαίνει εγκεφαλικό.
I am having a beer/drink – Εγώ πίνω μια μπύρα/ένα ποτό.
A few exceptions to this rule are:
I have/I'm having a headache. – Έχω πονοκέφαλο.
I'm having trouble with this. – Έχω πρόβλημα με αυτό.
!Having can only be used as a participle.
!Remember! Some Progressive tenses do not have directly equivalent tenses in greek.
Present Continuous – Ενεστώτας
Present Perfect Continuous – Ενεστώτας/Παρατατικός
Past Perfect Continuous – Παρατατικός
Future Perfect Continuous – Συνοπτικός Μέλλοντας
Colors in Greek
The colors are adjectives. They have genders, singular and plural and cases. They are not
always invariable.
1. FORM OF COLORS
Some colors are invariable, as they are non-Greek words.
Invariable Colors

Greek English Greek English

Μπλε Blue Ροζ Pink

Μωβ Mauve Μπορντό Bordeaux

Εκρού Ecru Γκρι Grey

Τιρκουάζ Turquoise Χακί Khaki

Καφέ Brown Φουξ/Φούξια Fuchsia

Σομόν Salmon Λιλά Lilac

Πετρόλ Petrol Μπεζ Beige

Exp. Δύο ροζ κάλτσες – Two pink socks.

Ο μπλε ουρανός – The blue sky
The other adjectives end in:
–ος (masc.) –η (fem.) –ο (neuter)
Exp. Κόκκινος, κόκκινη, κόκκινο (red)
Μαύρος, μαύρη, μαύρο (black)
Πορφυρός, πορφυρή, πορφυρό (royal purple)
Ρόδινος, ρόδινη, ρόδινο (pink)
–ος (masc.) –α (fem.) –ο (neuter)
Exp. Γκρίζος, γκρίζα, γκρίζο (grey)
Ερυθρός, ερυθρά/ερυθρή, ερυθρό (red)
Γαλάζιος, γαλάζια, γαλάζιο (light blue)
–ής (masc.) –ιά (fem.) –ί (neuter)
Exp. Πορτοκαλής, πορτοκαλιά, πορτοκαλί (orange)
Καφετής, καφετιά, καφετί (brown)
Ασημής, ασημιά, ασημί (silver)
!Remember! All colors ending in -ί in the neuter form have both conjugated and invariable
forms. For instance, while πορτοκαλί is not necessarily invariable, it is commonly used as
πορτοκαλί, in all gender forms.
Exp. Η πορτοκαλί/πορτοκαλιά φούστα – The orange skirt.
(Un)usual colors
There are colors in Greek that are not quite textbook, but are commonly seen in texts and
heard in everyday speech.

Greek English Greek English

Κανελί Cinnamon red Σμαραγδί Jade green

Κεραμιδί Brick red Λαδί Olive green

Βυσσινί Crimson red Φυστικί Pistachio green

Καρπουζί Watermelon red Λαχανί Cabbage green

Κοραλί Coral Pink Λεμονί Lemon yellow

Τριανταφυλλί Rose Pink Καναρινί Canary yellow

 Greek English Greek English

Κουφετί Candy pink Μουσταρδί Mustard yellow

Δαμασκηνί Plum purple Ροδακινί Peach Orange

Bιολετί Violet purple Μελί Honey brown

Μελιτζανί Eggplant purple Καστανό (Chestnut) brown

Ηλεκτρίκ Electric blue Σοκολατί Chocolate Brown

Θαλασσί Sea/Ocean blue Σταχτί (Ash) grey

Γαλαζοπράσινο Aquamarine Ποντικί Mouse grey

Ουρανί Sky blue Πλατινέ Platinum White

Shades
Σκούρος, σκούρη, σκούρο (+ color) – dark
Or Σκουρόχρωμος,-η,-ο – dark colored
Ανοιχτός, ανοιχτή, ανοιχτό (+color) –light, pale
Or Ανοιχτόχρωμος,-η,-ο – light colored
2. USE OF COLORS
Colors have the same gender, case and number as the noun they define. Usually, they are
placed before it:
Έχω ένα άσπρο κουνέλι. - I have a white rabbit.
They can be put after the noun:
Έχεις άσπρο κουνέλι ή μαύρο; - Do you have a black rabbit or a white rabbit?
If they define a specific noun they are always placed before it:
Βλέπεις το άσπρο κουνέλι; - Do you see the white rabbit?
Note this form which causes confusion.
Οι τοίχοι έχουν πράσινο χρώμα. - Lit: The walls have green color.
is the same as Οι τοίχοι είναι πράσινοι. - The walls are green.

Είμαι - I am & Έχω - I have

For Modern Greek tenses and the conjugation of these two verbs see the notes in the
'Auxiliary Verbs'
skill.https://incubator.duolingo.com/courses/el/en/editor/66ec9d611e21adc231449b799ae7
aed1
PRESENT TENSE 1:
Greek Present Tense does not differentiate between simple (a one-time action: we drink
water = πίνουμε νερό) and a: continuous action: we are drinking = πίνουμε
Verbs in Greek do not need to be preceded by the Personal Pronoun: εγώ, εσύ etc. (Similar
to Portuguese and Spanish). The person is shown by the ending and the
context: θέλω παγωτό >I want ice cream (of course you can use the Personal Pronoun to
clarify or for emphasis if you wish αυτός θελει παγωτό > he* wants ice cream.
The INFINITIVE: we use the first person of the verb with nothing in front: δίνω* = to give
The use of the infinitive in sentences e.g. “He wants to go to the park.” will be seen in a later
unit.
HOW TO FORM THE PRESENT TENSE: To the root form of the verb: e.g. from δίνω we
use διν… and add the ending for that verb. So, for this type which is the most common you
get:
Singular

Person Greek English

First person (Εγώ) δίνω I give

Second person (Εσύ) δίνεις You give

 Person Greek English

Third person (Αυτός/αυτή/αυτό) δίνει He/she/ it gives

Plural

Person Greek English

First person (Εμείς) δίνουμε We give

Second person (Εσείς) δίνετε You give

Third person (Αυτοί/αυτές/αυτά) δίνουν/δίνουνε They give

Note the two forms for YOU: δίνεις = you give >singular and δίνετε = you give plural and
formal.
ΑΡΕΣΕΙ
Finally, note this form that will appear unusual for English speakers.
To say: I like the puppy. we will say: "Μου αρέσει το κουτάβι This technically translates to: "
Literally, this translates to "To me is liked the puppy." " Actually it simply means. "I like the
puppy." For other persons you simply use the necessary pronoun (σου, του, της etc) .
"αρέσει" does not change.
NEGATIVE FORMS: Negatives are formed by adding δεν before the main verb. Δεν πίνω
καφέ. > I do not (don't) drink coffee.
QUESTIONS do not change their word order. They just receive the GREEK question mark
which looks just like a semicolon “;” and change in intonation when spoken. The Greek
question mark can be found on the Q when you are using a Greek keyboard.
CONTRACTING VERBS Συνηρημένα Ρήματα
There are some verbs that can be conjugated in multiple ways. Verbs ending in -αω fall in this
category. (such as περπατάω-περπατώ, αγαπάω-αγαπώ, κολυμπάω-κολυμπώ)
They are conjugated as follows:
Singular
 Person Greek English

First person (Εγώ) αγαπάω/αγαπώ I love

Second person (Εσύ) αγαπάς You love

Third person (Αυτός/αυτή/αυτό) αγαπάει/αγαπά He/she/ it loves

Plural

Person Greek English

First person (Εμείς) αγαπούμε/αγαπάμε We love

Second (Εσείς) αγαπάτε You love

person

Third person (Αυτοί/αυτές/αυτά) They

αγαπούν/αγαπούνε/αγαπάν/αγαπάνε love

Αποθετικά Ρήματα Active Verbs that use Passive Verb endings...

These verbs show action but have passive voice endings (such as κοιμάμαι=sleep,
θυμάμαι=remember etc)
They are conjugated as follows:
Singular

Person Greek English

First person (Εγώ) κοιμούμαι/κοιμάμαι I sleep

Second person (Εσύ) κοιμάσαι You sleep

Third person (Αυτός/αυτή/αυτό) κοιμάται He/she/ it sleeps

Plural

Person Greek English

First person (Εμείς) κοιμούμαστε/κοιμόμαστε We sleep

Second person (Εσείς) κοιμάστε/κοιμόσαστε You sleep

Third person (Αυτοί/αυτές/αυτά) κοιμούνται/κοιμόνται They sleep