In κάνω κράτηση “make a reservation,” most of the specific event meaning comes from κράτηση, while κάνω supplies tense, person, mood, aspect, and a broad idea of performing the event. This is a light-verb construction: a common verb combines with a noun that behaves like the semantic center of the predicate.
“Light” does not mean meaningless. Δίνω, παίρνω, and βάζω can organize participants differently or contribute images of transfer, acquisition, and placement. Nor may speakers choose any light verb they like: Modern Greek convention selects δίνω εξετάσεις, παίρνω απόφαση, and βάζω φωτιά.
The division of labor
Compare the information carried by the two pieces of θα κάνουμε μια νέα κράτηση:
| Element | Main contribution |
|---|---|
| θα κάνουμε | future reference, first-person plural subject, active voice, event presentation |
| μια νέα κράτηση | the event type “reservation,” number/determination, and descriptive content |
The verb is where Greek inflection lives. Change the time or viewpoint and the noun can remain stable: κάνω κράτηση, έκανα κράτηση, θα κάνω κράτηση, έχω κάνει κράτηση. The noun phrase can also expand: μια κράτηση, δύο κρατήσεις, την οριστική κράτηση.
Έκανα κράτηση για τέσσερα άτομα κοντά στο παράθυρο.
ékana krátisi ya tésera átoma kondá sto paráthiro.
I made a reservation for four people near the window.
Θα κάνουμε την κράτηση μόλις επιβεβαιωθούν οι ημερομηνίες.
tha kánume tin krátisi mólis epiveveothún i imerominíes.
We'll make the reservation as soon as the dates are confirmed.
English also has light verbs—make a decision, take a shower, give an answer—but it assigns nouns to them differently. The structure is familiar; the conventional partnerships are not.
Κάνω: performing or bringing about an event
Κάνω is the broadest everyday light verb. It packages activities (κάνω μπάνιο), speech acts (κάνω μια ερώτηση), arrangements (κάνω κράτηση), and many other events. The shared tendency is performance or bringing about; it is not a rule that predicts every possible noun.
Κάνε πρώτα μπάνιο και μετά βάλε καθαρά ρούχα.
káne próta bánio ke metá vále kathará rúcha.
Have a bath first, and then put on clean clothes.
Η πελάτισσα έκανε δύο συγκεκριμένες ερωτήσεις για την εγγύηση.
i pelátisa ékane dhío sinkekriménes erotísis ya tin engíisi.
The customer asked two specific questions about the warranty.
Έχουμε κάνει ήδη κράτηση, οπότε δεν χρειάζεται να τηλεφωνήσεις.
échume káni ídhi krátisi, opóte dhen chriázete na tilefonísis.
We've already made a reservation, so you don't need to call.
Some κάνω + noun phrases are better treated as lexical expressions rather than analyzed afresh. The κάνω expressions page and κάνω reference card divide that wider inventory.
Δίνω and παίρνω: transfer and participant viewpoint
Δίνω contributes a transfer-like viewpoint even when no physical object changes hands. A candidate δίνει εξετάσεις, making performance available for evaluation; a speaker δίνει υπόσχεση, directing a commitment toward someone. This imagery helps memory, but the phrases remain conventional.
Οι φοιτητές δίνουν εξετάσεις σε τρία μαθήματα αυτή την εβδομάδα.
i fitités dhínun eksetásis se tría mathímata aftí tin evdhomádha.
The students are sitting exams in three subjects this week.
Μου έδωσε μια ξεκάθαρη υπόσχεση και περιμένω να την τηρήσει.
mu édhose mia ksekáthari ipóschesi ke periméno na tin tirísi.
He made me a clear promise, and I expect him to keep it.
Παίρνω often contributes acquisition or assumption. In παίρνω απόφαση, a person arrives at and adopts a decision. In παίρνω άδεια, the subject obtains permission or takes authorized leave. The noun and context determine the precise event.
Η επιτροπή πήρε απόφαση ύστερα από δίωρη συζήτηση.
i epitropí píre apófasi ístera apó dhíori sizítisi.
The committee made a decision after a two-hour discussion.
Θα πάρω άδεια τη Δευτέρα για να πάω στον γιατρό.
tha páro ádhia ti Dheftéra ya na páo ston yatró.
I'll take Monday off to go to the doctor.
The opposition sometimes tracks participant roles: an interviewee δίνει συνέντευξη, while a journalist παίρνει συνέντευξη από the interviewee. Here the light verb is plainly not empty; it helps select the subject's role.
Βάζω: placement, initiation, and caused states
The full verb βάζω literally places something somewhere. As a light or semi-light verb, it often presents the noun's event as something initiated or imposed: βάζω φωτιά “set fire,” βάζω στοίχημα “place a bet,” βάζω μπρος “start/get going.” The placement image remains perceptible, so analysts differ over how “light” individual uses are. That boundary is genuinely gradual.
Κάποιος έβαλε φωτιά σε έναν κάδο πίσω από το σχολείο.
kápios évale fotiá se énan kádho píso apó to scholío.
Someone set fire to a bin behind the school.
Βάζω στοίχημα ότι έχει ξεχάσει πάλι τα κλειδιά του.
vázo stíchima óti échi ksechási páli ta klidhiá tu.
I bet he's forgotten his keys again.
Contrast βάζω φωτιά with παίρνω φωτιά. The first normally introduces a causer who sets something alight; the second presents the subject as catching fire. The noun is identical, but the verb reorganizes the event.
Το ξερό χορτάρι πήρε φωτιά μέσα σε λίγα δευτερόλεπτα.
to kseró chortári píre fotiá mésa se lígha dhefterólepta.
The dry grass caught fire within a few seconds.
For more lexicalized contrasts, see Expressions with βάζω and παίρνω and the individual βάζω and παίρνω reference cards.
Light construction or simple verb?
Greek may have a related single verb: παίρνω απόφαση beside αποφασίζω, κάνω κράτηση beside κρατάω / κλείνω in some contexts. They overlap, but they are not mechanically interchangeable. A noun construction allows articles and rich adjective modification; a simple verb can be more compact.
Αποφασίσαμε να μείνουμε άλλη μία νύχτα στο νησί.
apofasísame na mínume áli mía níchta sto nisí.
We decided to stay one more night on the island.
Πήραμε μια δύσκολη αλλά αναγκαία απόφαση για το πρόγραμμα.
pírame mia dhískoli alá anangéa apófasi ya to próghrama.
We made a difficult but necessary decision about the schedule.
The second sentence foregrounds the decision as an entity that can be classified as δύσκολη and αναγκαία. That expressive flexibility helps explain why light-verb constructions survive beside simple verbs.
Common Mistakes
Mapping English make directly onto κάνω
Partner selection is language-specific.
❌ Κάναμε μια οριστική απόφαση για την ημερομηνία.
Incorrect — απόφαση selects παίρνω in neutral Modern Greek.
✅ Πήραμε μια οριστική απόφαση για την ημερομηνία.
pírame mia oristikí apófasi ya tin imerominía.
We made a final decision about the date.
Assuming the light verb contributes nothing
With φωτιά, changing the verb changes whether the subject causes or undergoes ignition.
Η σπίθα έβαλε φωτιά στα ξερά φύλλα.
i spítha évale fotiá sta kserá fíla.
The spark set the dry leaves on fire.
Τα ξερά φύλλα πήραν φωτιά από μια σπίθα.
ta kserá fíla píran fotiá apó mia spítha.
The dry leaves caught fire from a spark.
Adding articles mechanically
Determination depends on the phrase and context: κάνω μπάνιο is the neutral activity, while κάνω ένα γρήγορο μπάνιο counts one bounded instance. Neither pattern supplies a universal article rule.
Έκανα ένα γρήγορο μπάνιο πριν έρθουν οι επισκέπτες.
ékana éna ghríghoro bánio prin érthun i episképtes.
I had a quick bath before the guests arrived.
Treating every noun as freely compatible with every light verb
The structural pattern is productive only within lexical limits. Store the established partner instead of inventing one from English.
Θα κάνω κράτηση και θα σου στείλω την επιβεβαίωση.
tha káno krátisi ke tha su stílo tin epivevéosi.
I'll make a reservation and send you the confirmation.
Key Takeaways
- The noun carries much of the event's specific meaning; the light verb carries inflection and a broad event organization.
- Κάνω tends toward performance, δίνω toward transfer, παίρνω toward acquisition, and βάζω toward placement or initiation—but convention outranks prediction.
- The verbs are not empty: βάζω φωτιά causes ignition, while παίρνω φωτιά undergoes it.
- Light-verb constructions coexist with simple verbs because noun phrases allow determination, counting, and detailed modification.
Related Topics
- Verb + Noun CollocationsB1 — A practical reference to the Greek verbs conventionally used with everyday activities, decisions, exams, promises, calls, and photographs.
- Expressions With κάνωB1 — Master five uses beyond the productive κάνω light-verb inventory: weather, pretence, social norms, greetings, and control.
- Expressions With βάζω and παίρνωB2 — Use the put–take axis behind Greek idioms, including σβάρνα, φόρα, and the context-sensitive παίρνω πάνω μου family.