πολύς ("much, many, a lot of") is one of the most frequent words in Greek and the only common adjective that is genuinely irregular — so it repays a page of its own. It hides a famous spelling trap in plain sight: the singular masculine and neuter have one λ (πολύς, πολύ), but every other form doubles it (πολλή, πολλοί, πολλά). And the same word does double duty as the adverb πολύ ("very"), which never changes at all. Get the single-vs-double λ right and you have mastered a word Greeks themselves routinely misspell.
The full paradigm
| Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nom. sg. | πολύς | πολλή | πολύ |
| Gen. sg. | πολλού | πολλής | πολλού |
| Acc. sg. | πολύ | πολλή | πολύ |
| Nom. pl. | πολλοί | πολλές | πολλά |
| Gen. pl. | πολλών | πολλών | πολλών |
| Acc. pl. | πολλούς | πολλές | πολλά |
Stare at the table until the rule jumps out: only two cells have a single λ — πολύς and πολύ (the masculine nominative, and the neuter/masculine-accusative). Add any other ending and the λ doubles. That is the whole spelling law, and it is worth saying aloud: "one λ in πολύς and πολύ, two λ everywhere else."
Χρειάζεται πολύς κόπος για να μάθεις ένα όργανο.
chriázete polís kópos ya na máthis éna órghano
It takes a lot of effort to learn an instrument.
Έχω πολλή δουλειά αυτή την εβδομάδα, δεν προλαβαίνω τίποτα.
écho polí dhulyá aftí tin evdhomádha, dhen prolavéno típota
I have a lot of work this week — I can't get to anything.
Μη βάζεις πολύ αλάτι στο φαγητό, κάνει κακό.
mi vázis polí aláti sto fayitó, káni kakó
Don't put too much salt in the food — it's bad for you.
Why the spelling matters so much: they sound the same
Here is the cruel part. Greek does not pronounce a double λ any differently from a single one, so the alternation is invisible in speech — you only ever hear it in writing. Read these off the paradigm:
- πολύς and πολλής are both said polís
- πολύ, πολλή and πολλοί are all said polí
So the masculine "much" (πολύς) and the feminine genitive "of much" (πολλής) are perfect homophones; and the neuter "much" (πολύ), the feminine "much" (πολλή) and the masculine plural "many" (πολλοί) are all one sound, polí. Nothing in your ear tells you how many λ to write — you have to know the grammar. This is exactly why it is a spelling minefield even for natives, and why the double-consonant rules single this word out.
Πολλοί φοιτητές δουλεύουν το καλοκαίρι για να τα βγάλουν πέρα.
polí fitités dhulévun to kalokéri ya na ta vghálun péra
Many students work in the summer to make ends meet.
Έχω πάει στην Κρήτη πολλές φορές, αλλά ποτέ τον χειμώνα.
écho pái stin Kríti polés forés, alá poté ton chimóna
I've been to Crete many times, but never in winter.
Έμαθα πολλά πράγματα σ' αυτό το ταξίδι για τον εαυτό μου.
ématha polá prághmata s' aftó to taksídhi ya ton eaftó mu
I learned a lot of things about myself on this trip.
πολύς as a quantifier
As an ordinary adjective, πολύς agrees with its noun in gender, number and case — "how much / how many" of something. With mass (uncountable) nouns it means much; with count nouns in the plural it means many. The forms simply follow the noun.
Είχε πολύ κόσμο στο πανηγύρι, δεν βρίσκαμε τραπέζι.
íche polí kózmo sto paniyíri, dhen vrískame trapézi
There were loads of people at the festival — we couldn't find a table.
Η επιτυχία είναι θέμα πολλής υπομονής και λίγης τύχης.
i epitichía íne théma polís ipomonís ke líyis tíchis
Success is a matter of a lot of patience and a little luck.
πολύ as an adverb: always invariable
Set beside all that inflection is the adverb πολύ ("very, a lot"), and it is refreshingly simple: it never changes. Modifying an adjective, another adverb or a verb, it is always the single-λ πολύ, regardless of what surrounds it.
Είσαι πολύ καλός φίλος, το ξέρεις αυτό;
íse polí kalós fílos, to kséris aftó;
You're a very good friend — do you know that?
Μ' αρέσει πολύ αυτή η μουσική, βάλ' την πάλι.
m' arési polí aftí i musikí, vál' tin páli
I really like this song — put it on again.
The trap for learners is a sentence like πολύ κρύο νερό. Here πολύ is the invariable adverb ("very") modifying the adjective κρύο — it does not agree with νερό. Contrast it with πολύ νερό ("a lot of water"), where πολύ is the neuter quantifier agreeing with νερό. The two happen to look identical in the neuter, but they are different words doing different jobs.
Θέλω πολύ κρύο νερό, όχι χλιαρό.
thélo polí krío neró, óchi chliaró
I want very cold water, not lukewarm.
Ήπια πολύ νερό μετά το τρέξιμο.
ípia polí neró metá to tréksimo
I drank a lot of water after the run.
Common Mistakes
1. Single λ where the plural needs a double. The plural and the feminine always double the λ.
❌ Ήρθαν πολοί άνθρωποι στην εκδήλωση.
Incorrect — the masculine plural is πολλοί, with two λ.
✅ Ήρθαν πολλοί άνθρωποι στην εκδήλωση.
írthan polí ánthropi stin ekdhílosi
A lot of people came to the event.
2. Using πολλά as the adverb "very". The adverb is always πολύ; πολλά is the neuter plural quantifier ("many things").
❌ Το φαγητό ήταν πολλά νόστιμο.
Incorrect — 'very tasty' is πολύ νόστιμο; πολλά cannot be the adverb.
✅ Το φαγητό ήταν πολύ νόστιμο.
to fayitó ítan polí nóstimo
The food was very tasty.
3. Double λ in the singular πολύ / πολύς. The masculine nominative and the neuter/accusative singular keep a single λ.
❌ Δεν έχω πολλύ χρόνο σήμερα.
Incorrect — the neuter/accusative singular is πολύ, one λ.
✅ Δεν έχω πολύ χρόνο σήμερα.
dhen écho polí chróno símera
I don't have much time today.
4. Not making the quantifier agree. As an adjective, πολύς must match its noun; a masculine plural noun needs πολλοί, not the singular πολύ.
❌ Είχε πολύ τουρίστες φέτος στο νησί.
Incorrect — a masculine plural noun takes πολλοί.
✅ Είχε πολλούς τουρίστες φέτος στο νησί.
íche polús turístes fétos sto nisí
There were a lot of tourists on the island this year.
Key Takeaways
- πολύς / πολλή / πολύ = much / many — Greek's one genuinely irregular common adjective.
- The single-λ forms are only πολύς and πολύ; every other cell doubles the λ (πολλή, πολλού, πολλοί, πολλές, πολλά, πολλών, πολλούς, πολλής).
- The double λ is silent — πολύ, πολλή and πολλοί all sound polí — so the spelling is pure grammar, a classic native pitfall.
- As a quantifier it agrees with its noun (πολύ νερό, πολλά παιδιά, πολλή δουλειά).
- As the adverb "very / a lot" it is invariable and always πολύ — never πολλά, never agreeing.
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