Passive Participles as Adjectives | Greek Grammar

Some of the most useful adjectives in Greek started life as verbs. Take the verb κουράζω ("I tire someone out"), strip it back to its passive perfect participle, and you get κουρασμένος — "tired," an adjective you will use every day. Greek builds a whole army of these in -μένος / -μένη / -μένο, and they describe the state that results from an action: something has been done, and now it is in that condition. γραμμένος (written), χαλασμένος (broken, spoilt), κλεισμένος (shut), πλυμένος (washed), αγαπημένος (beloved). This page treats them from the adjective side — how they agree, where the accent sits, and how they differ from their cousins. The verbal machinery behind them belongs to the Verbs group's passive participle page, which is still being written.

How they're built, and what they mean

You form the participle from the verb's perfective passive stem and add -μένος. The stem often changes shape — that is the verb's business, not the adjective's — but the pattern is consistent:

Verb	Participle	Meaning
γράφω (write)	γραμμένος	written
κουράζω (tire)	κουρασμένος	tired
χαλάω (break, spoil)	χαλασμένος	broken, out of order
κλείνω (close)	κλεισμένος	shut, booked
σπάζω (break)	σπασμένος	broken, snapped
πλένω (wash)	πλυμένος	washed
αγαπώ (love)	αγαπημένος	loved, beloved, favourite

The core meaning is always resultant state. Κουρασμένος is not the act of tiring but the condition left behind by it; χαλασμένος describes a thing that has ended up broken. This is why they slot so naturally into "to be" sentences — είμαι κουρασμένος, "I am tired."

Είμαι πολύ κουρασμένος, θα πέσω νωρίς για ύπνο απόψε.

íme polí kurazménos, tha péso norís ya ípno apópse

I'm really tired — I'll go to bed early tonight.

Το ψυγείο είναι χαλασμένο εδώ και μια βδομάδα και δεν ήρθε κανείς.

to psiyío íne chalazméno edhó ke mia vdhomádha ke dhen írthe kanís

The fridge has been broken for a week and no one has come.

Βρήκα ένα γράμμα γραμμένο στο χέρι μέσα στο παλιό βιβλίο.

vríka éna ghráma ghraméno sto chéri mésa sto palió vivlío

I found a hand-written letter inside the old book.

It declines and agrees like any -ος / -η / -ο adjective

Once formed, a -μένος participle is a completely ordinary adjective. It agrees with its noun in gender, number and case exactly like καλός — masculine -μένος, feminine -μένη, neuter -μένο, with the whole plural and genitive built the regular way.

Οι κουρασμένοι εργάτες κάθισαν να ξαποστάσουν στη σκιά.

i kurazméni erghátes káthisan na ksapostásun sti skiá

The tired workers sat down to rest in the shade.

Μάζεψε τα πλυμένα ρούχα από το σχοινί πριν βρέξει.

mázepse ta pliména rúcha apó to schiní prin vréksi

Take the washed clothes off the line before it rains.

Ο ιδιοκτήτης του κλεισμένου μαγαζιού δεν απαντάει στο τηλέφωνο.

o idhioktítis tu klizménu maghaziú dhen apandái sto tiléfono

The owner of the shut-down shop isn't answering the phone.

The accent is glued to the -μέ-. This is the one spelling fact to lock in: every -μένος participle is stressed on that -μέ- syllable, and it stays there through the entire paradigm. So κουρασμένος gives genitive κουρασμένου, plural κουρασμένοι / κουρασμένες / κουρασμένα — the accent never moves off the -μέ-. Unlike the nouns you have to watch, there is no accent shift here at all.

Resultant state vs the eventive passive

Here is the distinction that makes these participles worth their own page. Greek has two ways to put a verb into the passive, and they mean different things:

The -μένος participle describes a state: Η πόρτα είναι κλεισμένη — the door is (in the condition of being) shut.
The synthetic passive (aorist -τηκε, etc.) describes an event: Η πόρτα κλείστηκε στις δέκα — the door was shut at ten (something happened).

English blurs the two — the door was closed can mean either "someone closed it" (event) or "it was in a closed state." Greek pulls them apart: use είμαι/ήταν + -μένος for the lingering state, and the plain passive verb for the action.

Όταν γύρισα, το τραπέζι ήταν ήδη στρωμένο και το φαγητό ζεστό.

ótan yírisa, to trapézi ítan ídhi stroméno ke to fayitó zestó

When I got back, the table was already set and the food was hot.

Το δωμάτιο ήταν βαμμένο σε ένα ζεστό κίτρινο.

to dhomátio ítan vaméno se éna zestó kítrino

The room was painted a warm yellow. (it was in that state)

Το δωμάτιο βάφτηκε την περασμένη βδομάδα από έναν φίλο μας.

to dhomátio váftike tin perazméni vdhomádha apó énan fílo mas

The room was painted last week by a friend of ours. (it happened)

Read the last two together: ήταν βαμμένο is the standing result, βάφτηκε is the one-off event. (And notice περασμένη, "last/past," is itself one of these participles, long since frozen into a plain adjective.)

-μένος vs -τος: result vs kind

Greek has a second verbal adjective, ending in -τος, and beginners mix the two. Where -μένος names the result of a specific action, -τος names a property or category — the general kind of thing. The pair κλειστός vs κλεισμένος shows it clearly:

κλειστός — closed as a standing property or on a schedule ("the shop is closed on Sundays," "a closed door" as a type).
κλεισμένος — shut as the result of someone shutting it, here and now ("I found the door shut"); it also means "booked, reserved."

Το μαγαζί είναι κλειστό τις Κυριακές, όπως όλα εδώ.

to maghazí íne klistó tis kiriakés, ópos óla edhó

The shop is closed on Sundays, like everything here. (a standing fact)

Βρήκα την πόρτα κλεισμένη και δεν μπόρεσα να μπω.

vríka tin pórta klizméni ke dhen bóresa na bo

I found the door shut and couldn't get in. (the result of an action)

The -τος adjectives are especially at home in the kitchen, where they name a kind of preparation: ψητός (roast, grilled), βραστός (boiled), τηγανητός (fried), καπνιστός (smoked). These describe the category of dish, not a state something ended up in.

Παρήγγειλα ψητό κοτόπουλο και βραστά λαχανικά για δύο.

paríngila psitó kotópulo ke vrastá lachaniká ya dhío

I ordered roast chicken and boiled vegetables for two.

Fully lexicalised participles

Some -μένος adjectives have drifted so far from their verb that speakers no longer feel the verb at all. The most important is αγαπημένος, which literally means "loved" but in everyday use means favourite — το αγαπημένο μου τραγούδι, "my favourite song." Another is χαρούμενος ("cheerful, happy"), part of the same participial family and now simply an adjective.

Ποιο είναι το αγαπημένο σου φαγητό από την ελληνική κουζίνα;

pio íne to aghapiméno su fayitó apó tin elinikí kuzína;

What's your favourite dish from Greek cuisine?

Τα παιδιά ήταν χαρούμενα που τα πήγαμε στη θάλασσα.

ta pedhiá ítan charúmena pu ta píghame sti thálasa

The kids were happy that we took them to the sea.

Common Mistakes

1. Not making the participle agree. It is an adjective — it must match its noun.

❌ Οι μπαταρίες είναι τελειωμένο, πρέπει να τις αλλάξουμε.

Incorrect — the participle must agree with μπαταρίες: τελειωμένες (feminine plural).

✅ Οι μπαταρίες είναι τελειωμένες, πρέπει να τις αλλάξουμε.

i bataríes íne telioménes, prépi na tis aláksume

The batteries are dead — we need to change them.

2. Using -μένος for a standing property that wants -τος. A regular schedule is a property (κλειστό), not a fresh result (κλεισμένο).

❌ Τα σαββατοκύριακα το φαρμακείο είναι κλεισμένο.

Incorrect — a habitual state takes the -τος adjective: κλειστό.

✅ Τα σαββατοκύριακα το φαρμακείο είναι κλειστό.

ta savatokíriaka to farmakío íne klistó

At weekends the pharmacy is closed.

3. Misplacing the accent. The stress sits on the -μέ-, never earlier.

❌ Είμαι πολύ κούρασμενος σήμερα.

Incorrect — the accent sits on the -μέ-: κουρασμένος.

✅ Είμαι πολύ κουρασμένος σήμερα, δεν βγαίνω έξω.

íme polí kurazménos símera, dhen vyéno ékso

I'm very tired today — I'm not going out.

4. Using the -μένος state form to report a past event. A one-off action in the past takes the eventive passive, not είναι/ήταν + participle.

❌ Η κεντρική πύλη κλεισμένη στις δέκα χθες το βράδυ.

Incorrect — a past event takes the aorist passive: η κεντρική πύλη κλείστηκε στις δέκα.

✅ Η κεντρική πύλη κλείστηκε στις δέκα χθες το βράδυ.

i kendrikí píli klístike stis dhéka chthes to vrádhi

The main gate was closed at ten last night.

Key Takeaways

The passive perfect participle in -μένος / -μένη / -μένο is used as an everyday adjective for a resultant state: κουρασμένος (tired), χαλασμένος (broken), κλεισμένος (shut), γραμμένος (written).
It is built from the verb's perfective passive stem and then declines and agrees like a regular -ος / -η / -ο adjective.
The accent is fixed on the -μέ- throughout the paradigm (κουρασμένος → του κουρασμένου) — no shift to track.
-μένος marks a state; the synthetic passive (κλείστηκε, βάφτηκε) marks an event. Greek keeps apart what English the door was closed leaves ambiguous.
-τος adjectives (κλειστός, ψητός, βραστός) name a property or kind, not a fresh result: κλειστό τις Κυριακές (standing) vs κλεισμένη (just shut).
Some have fully lexicalised: αγαπημένος = "favourite," χαρούμενος = "cheerful."

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