Modern Greek verb tenses tell you when something happens. Aspect tells you how you present the action: as an activity or habit, or as a whole event. Start with that distinction and the tables become much easier to use.
What is aspect in Modern Greek?
Imperfective aspect presents an action from within: in progress, repeated or habitual. Perfective aspect presents an event as a whole. This is a choice of viewpoint, not a stopwatch: a perfective event can last a long time.
Compare two past forms of γράφω — to write:
- Έγραφα ένα μήνυμα όταν τηλεφώνησες.
I was writing a message when you called. We look at the writing while it was happening. - Χθες έγραψα τρία μηνύματα.
Yesterday I wrote three messages. We present the writing as completed events.
The first sentence does not tell us whether I eventually finished the message. The second presents the events as wholes. Avoid the shortcuts “imperfect = never finished” and “aorist = quick action”.
Modern Greek tenses at a glance
These examples use the active first-person singular: “I”. Open the full γράφω table to find the other persons and the middle/passive forms.
| Tense | Greek label | Example | Useful starting meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present | Ενεστώτας | γράφω | I write / I am writing |
| Imperfect | Παρατατικός | έγραφα | I was writing / I used to write |
| Simple past (aorist) | Αόριστος | έγραψα | I wrote |
| Continuous future | Εξακολουθητικός μέλλοντας | θα γράφω | I will be writing / I will write regularly |
| Simple future | Συνοπτικός μέλλοντας | θα γράψω | I will write, viewed as a whole event |
| Present perfect | Παρακείμενος | έχω γράψει | I have written |
| Past perfect (pluperfect) | Υπερσυντέλικος | είχα γράψει | I had written |
| Future perfect | Συντελεσμένος μέλλοντας | θα έχω γράψει | I will have written |
English translations are guides, not fixed equivalents. Greek and English divide up time and aspect differently. Read the complete sentence rather than choosing a Greek form from one English word.
Imperfect or aorist: which past tense do I need?
Use the imperfect to describe a past activity in progress, a repeated habit or background to another event:
- Όταν ήμουν παιδί, έγραφα κάθε μέρα.
When I was a child, I used to write every day. - Στις οκτώ έγραφα ένα μήνυμα.
At eight I was writing a message.
Use the aorist to present a past event, or a bounded series of events, as a whole:
- Έγραψα το όνομά μου.
I wrote my name. - Χθες διάβασα για τρεις ώρες.
Yesterday I read for three hours. The event has duration, but we view that period as a whole.
Words such as “yesterday” do not choose the aspect for you. Ask: am I describing what was going on, or reporting the event as a whole?
Continuous future or simple future?
Both forms use θα. The verb form after it makes the aspect distinction.
- Θα γράφω κάθε μέρα.
I will write every day. The focus is a repeated activity. - Αύριο θα γράψω ένα μήνυμα.
Tomorrow I will write a message. The message-writing is presented as one whole task.
Do not mechanically replace -ω with -σω. Some stems change substantially: βλέπω → θα δω (see), λέω → θα πω (say). Look up the individual verb.
Why do I see both να γράφω and να γράψω?
The same aspect contrast appears after να. These forms do not, by themselves, express a past event.
- Θέλω να γράφω κάθε μέρα.
I want to write every day: a habit or repeated activity. - Θέλω να γράψω ένα μήνυμα.
I want to write a message: one task viewed as a whole.
The person still changes: θέλω να γράψεις means “I want you to write”. In έχω γράψει, however, γράψει is the fixed form used with the changing auxiliary: έχω γράψει, έχεις γράψει, έχουμε γράψει.
How to study a verb without memorising every table
- Start with a verb you need from the 100 everyday Greek verbs.
- Learn one present form and one useful past/future stem, together with a short sentence.
- Change the person: “I” → “you” → “we”. Check the endings in the table.
- Make a pair: a habit or activity, then one whole event.
- Come back the next day and recall your sentences before looking at the table.
For verbs with middle/passive endings, use their own tables and meanings. Έρχομαι means “I come”; an ending in -μαι does not automatically mean “I am … by someone”.
Practise: explain the choice
Read each sentence, explain the verb choice, then open the answer.
1. Έγραφα όταν τηλεφώνησες. Why έγραφα?
The imperfect presents writing as the activity in progress when the call happened. It does not tell us whether the writing was finished later.
2. Έγραψα δύο μηνύματα. Why έγραψα?
The aorist presents the two message-writing events as wholes. The focus is what happened, rather than watching the writing in progress.
3. Θα γράφω κάθε μέρα. Is this a single task or a habit?
A future habit. The imperfective form γράφω fits the repeated activity described by κάθε μέρα, “every day”.
4. Θέλω να γράψω. Has the writing already happened?
No. The sentence means “I want to write”. Γράψω presents the desired action as a whole; the form is not a past tense.
5. Έχουμε γράψει. Who has written?
“We have written.” The auxiliary έχουμε identifies “we”; γράψει stays fixed in this construction.
6. Διάβασα για τρεις ώρες. Must an aorist event be short?
No. This event lasts three hours. The aorist presents the bounded period of reading as a whole.
Your next step
Find a verb and try the contrast yourself → If you have found an unfamiliar form such as έγραψα, try the Greek verb form finder.
How to read the tables · Conjugation groups · Verb terms explained