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Káno Conjugation

κάνω (káno) means "to do / make" in Greek. Present: εγώ (egó) κάνω (káno), εσύ (esí) κάνεις (kánis), αυτός / αυτή / αυτό (aftós / aftí / aftó) κάνει (káni), εμείς (emís) κάνουμε (kánoume), εσείς (esís) κάνετε (kánete), αυτοί (aftí) κάνουν (kánoun). Below: all 34 tenses we teach, with examples.

Present Ενεστώτας

Present (imperfective) stem + personal endings. Covers "I write" and "I am writing", habits, general truths and scheduled near-future events. Greek has no separate present continuous.

Imperfect (past continuous) Παρατατικός

Imperfective past: augment ε- (when the stress allows) + imperfective stem + past endings. Used for repeated, habitual or ongoing past actions, and for backgrounds ("I used to write", "I was writing").

Simple past (aorist) Αόριστος

Perfective past: augment + perfective (aorist) stem + past endings. Reports a single completed event ("I wrote", "I wrote it yesterday"). The aorist stem must be learned with each verb.

Present perfect Παρακείμενος

Present of έχω + the invariable aorist infinitive in -ει. Expresses a past action with present relevance or experience ("I have written"). Not used with a specific past time (use the aorist then).

Pluperfect (past perfect) Υπερσυντέλικος

Imperfect of έχω (είχα) + the infinitive in -ει. An action completed before another past moment ("I had written").

Continuous future Εξακολουθητικός μέλλοντας

θα + present (imperfective) forms. A future action that is ongoing, repeated or habitual ("I will be writing", "I will write every day").

Simple future Στιγμιαίος μέλλοντας

θα + subjunctive aorist (perfective) forms. A single completed future event ("I will write", "I will have written it" in a plain sense). The default future of everyday speech for one-off actions.

Future perfect Συντελεσμένος μέλλοντας

θα έχω + infinitive in -ει. An action that will be completed before a future moment or deadline; also an inference about the past ("he will have forgotten").

Conditional Δυνητική (Υποθετικός)

θα + imperfect forms. Present or future hypothetical ("I would write") and polite requests (θα ήθελα, θα μπορούσατε). It is also the normal pattern in the main clause of an open or unlikely condition (Αν μπορούσα, θα έγραφα).

Perfect conditional Δυνητική του Υπερσυντέλικου

θα + pluperfect (θα είχα + -ει). An unreal past ("I would have written"); the if-clause takes αν + pluperfect. Colloquially θα + imperfect (θα έγραφα) or θα + aorist is also heard for the same meaning.

Present subjunctive (continuous) Υποτακτική Ενεστώτα

να + imperfective (present) forms. Ongoing, repeated or general action after a trigger.

Aorist subjunctive (single) Υποτακτική Αορίστου

να + perfective (aorist) forms. A single, completed action after a trigger; the most frequent subjunctive. Same forms as the second half of the simple future.

Perfect subjunctive Υποτακτική Παρακειμένου

να έχω + infinitive in -ει. A completed action by a given point in time, or a wish or conjecture about the recent past ("may gou have written").

Imperfect subjunctive (wish, regret) Υποτακτική Παρατατικού

να + imperfect. Unreal or regretted wishes for the present or ongoing past ("if only I wrote", "I wish I were writing"). Often introduced by αν or μακάρι.

Pluperfect subjunctive (unreal past) Υποτακτική Υπερσυντελίκου

να είχα + infinitive in -ει. Regret about the past ("if only I had written", "I wish I had written").

Imperative, continuous Προστακτική Ενεστώτα

Imperfective imperative for ongoing, repeated or general commands ("keep writing", "always write"). Only the 2nd person singular and plural exist. Verbs in -ομαι use the aorist imperative; the present is rare, hence —.

Imperative, aorist (single) Προστακτική Αορίστου

Perfective imperative for a single command ("write it now"). The most common affirmative imperative. 2nd person only; the plural often keeps a different stress (γράψτε).

Negative imperative, continuous Αρνητική Προστακτική Ενεστώτα

μην (μη before most consonants) + present subjunctive forms. The imperative itself cannot be negated: Greek uses μην + 2nd person present for an ongoing prohibition ("stop doing", "don't keep doing"). μην is normal before vowels and κ π τ ξ ψ γκ ντ μπ τσ τζ, μη elsewhere; both are accepted.

Negative imperative, aorist Αρνητική Προστακτική Αορίστου

μην + aorist subjunctive forms. A single prohibition ("don't write it"). The usual way to say "don't" to a specific action.

Let's / let him (hortative) Προτρεπτική (ας + υποτακτική)

ας + aorist subjunctive. Covers "let me", "let's", "let him / them", also concession ("so be it"). It fills the 1st and 3rd persons that the imperative lacks.

Passive present Ενεστώτας Παθητικής

Present stem + passive endings -ομαι, -εσαι, -εται…. "I am written", "I get written"; also reflexive and reciprocal meanings. The deponent model σκέφτομαι is already passive in form, so its rows here are —.

Passive imperfect Παρατατικός Παθητικής

Imperfective stem + -όμουν, -όσουν, -όταν…. "I was being written", habitual past in the passive.

Passive aorist Αόριστος Παθητικής

Perfective stem + -θηκα (-φτηκα after β π φ and -χτηκα after γ κ χ): έγραφα → γράφτηκα, αγάπησα → αγαπήθηκα. "I was written", a single completed passive event. No augment unless the stress is on the stem.

Passive continuous future Εξακολουθητικός Μέλλοντας Παθητικής

θα + passive present.

Passive simple future Στιγμιαίος Μέλλοντας Παθητικής

θα + passive aorist subjunctive (-θώ). A single future passive event.

Passive present perfect Παρακείμενος Παθητικής

έχω + passive infinitive in -θεί (-φτεί, -χτεί). (Also είμαι + participle in -μένος for the resulting state: είναι γραμμένο.)

Passive pluperfect Υπερσυντέλικος Παθητικής

είχα + passive infinitive in -θεί.

Passive future perfect Συντελεσμένος Μέλλοντας Παθητικής

θα έχω + passive infinitive in -θεί.

Passive subjunctive (continuous) Υποτακτική Ενεστώτα Παθητικής

να + passive present.

Passive subjunctive (single) Υποτακτική Αορίστου Παθητικής

να + passive aorist subjunctive (-θώ).

Gerund (present participle) Μετοχή Ενεστώτα (-οντας)

Present stem + -οντας (B1 verbs -ώντας, B2 -ώντας). Indeclinable. Expresses a simultaneous action ("while writing", "by writing"). Verbs in -ομαι have no true gerund, hence —.

Aorist infinitive Απαρέμφατο (-ει)

The aorist subjunctive 3rd person form. Greek has no real infinitive; this invariable form only follows έχω / είχα / θα έχω in the perfect tenses. Dictionary entries use the 1st person instead.

Perfect participle (passive) Μετοχή Παθητικού Παρακειμένου (-μένος)

Agrees in gender, number and case: γραμμένος, -η, -ο. Used as an adjective and with είμαι / έχω for a resulting state ("written", "is written"). It exists only for transitive verbs, so —.

Present participle (passive/deponent) Μετοχή Ενεστώτα (-όμενος)

Present passive stem + -όμενος, -η, -ο: written / being written / thinking. Formal or written Greek; also adjectives (σκεπτόμενος άνθρωπος, γραφόμενος).

Examples

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