Greek speakers can create fresh comparisons with σαν “like,” but some pairings recur often enough to behave like familiar images: πεινάω σαν λύκος, κοιμάμαι σαν πουλάκι, άσπρος σαν το πανί. Their vividness depends on convention. A grammatically possible new comparison may be understandable without sounding like an established simile.
This page curates current conventional expressions and shows their stored grammar. The broader contrast between σαν, όπως, σαν να, and λες και belongs on όπως and σαν; full clausal standards belong to comparative clauses.
The frame is productive, but the pairings are lexical
In its simplest use, σαν + noun phrase presents resemblance. The first part names a property or action; the noun after σαν supplies an image that intensifies it. English often uses as…as for an adjective and like for a verb, but Greek can use σαν in both:
Τα χέρια του ήταν κρύα σαν τον πάγο όταν γύρισε από το βουνό.
ta chéria tu ítan kría san ton págho ótan yírise apó to vunó
His hands were as cold as ice when he returned from the mountain.
Μετά την πεζοπορία πεινούσαμε όλοι σαν λύκοι.
metá tin pezoporía pinúsame óli san líki
After the hike, we were all as hungry as wolves.
The stable image matters more than a word-for-word equation. Λύκος suggests ravenous hunger here; it does not mean that wolves have one universal cultural symbolism in Greek.
κρύος σαν τον πάγο: extreme cold
Κρύος σαν τον πάγο means “cold as ice.” The adjective agrees with the item described: κρύος masculine, κρύα feminine or neuter plural, κρύο neuter singular. The comparison keeps σαν τον πάγο as its conventional standard.
Ο καφές είχε μείνει στο τραπέζι και ήταν κρύος σαν τον πάγο.
o kafés íche míni sto trapézi ke ítan kríos san ton págho
The coffee had been left on the table and was ice-cold.
Μπήκε μέσα με τα μάγουλά της κρύα σαν τον πάγο.
bíke mésa me ta mághulá tis kría san ton págho
She came in with her cheeks as cold as ice.
English commonly uses bare ice. This Greek expression normally carries the definite article τον. That does not create a general rule that every material standard needs an article.
πεινάω σαν λύκος: ravenous hunger
Πεινάω σαν λύκος is a familiar (neutral/informal) exaggeration meaning “I’m starving / hungry as a wolf.” With more than one hungry person, the subject-oriented image can appear in the plural σαν λύκοι.
Δεν έφαγα τίποτα από το πρωί και τώρα πεινάω σαν λύκος.
dhen éfagha típota apó to proí ke tóra pináo san líkos
I haven't eaten anything since morning, and now I'm ravenous.
Τα παιδιά γύρισαν από την προπόνηση πεινασμένα σαν λύκοι.
ta pedhiá yírisan apó tin propónisi pinazména san líki
The children came back from practice hungry as wolves.
The related page on animal idioms covers expressions whose meaning cannot be recovered from comparison alone. Here σαν λύκος remains a transparent intensifying simile.
κοιμάμαι σαν πουλάκι: sleeping peacefully
Κοιμάμαι σαν πουλάκι means “sleep like a baby / sleep soundly and peacefully.” The Greek image is a little bird, not an infant. Πουλάκι remains neuter singular as the conventional image regardless of the sleeper’s gender.
Μετά από τόσες ώρες στον δρόμο κοιμήθηκα σαν πουλάκι.
metá apó tóses óres ston dhrómo kimíthika san puláki
After so many hours on the road, I slept like a baby.
Στο εξοχικό κοιμάται σαν πουλάκι, γιατί δεν ακούγεται καθόλου κίνηση.
sto eksochikó kimáte san puláki, yatí dhen akúyete kathólu kínisi
At the country house she sleeps like a baby because no traffic can be heard.
This is a positive evaluation of restful sleep. It does not simply mean “sleep for a long time.”
τρέχει σαν τρελός: speed and uncontrolled intensity
Τρέχει σαν τρελός / τρελή means “runs/drives/rushes like mad.” The agreeing form characterizes the subject, so gender and number can change: σαν τρελή, σαν τρελοί, σαν τρελές. The expression is (informal) and often criticizes recklessness rather than merely measuring speed.
Ο οδηγός έτρεχε σαν τρελός μέσα στα στενά του χωριού.
o odhighós étreche san trelós mésa sta stená tu choriú
The driver was racing like a madman through the village's narrow streets.
Η Δανάη έτρεχε σαν τρελή για να προλάβει την πτήση της.
i Dhanái étreche san trelí ya na prolávi tin ptísi tis
Danae was running like mad to catch her flight.
Μόλις άνοιξαν οι πόρτες, όλοι έτρεξαν σαν τρελοί προς την έξοδο.
mólis ániksan i pórtes, óli étreksan san trelí pros tin éksodho
As soon as the doors opened, everyone ran like mad towards the exit.
άσπρος σαν το πανί: suddenly pale
Άσπρος σαν το πανί literally means “white as the cloth.” Applied to a person, it often describes striking pallor caused by fear, shock, or illness, not ordinary skin colour. The adjective agrees with the person; the standard remains σαν το πανί.
Όταν άκουσε τα νέα, έγινε άσπρος σαν το πανί.
ótan ákuse ta néa, éyine áspros san to paní
When he heard the news, he went white as a sheet.
Η Εύα βγήκε από το ιατρείο άσπρη σαν το πανί και κάθισε αμέσως.
i Éva vyíke apó to iatrío áspri san to paní ke káthise amésos
Eva came out of the doctor's office white as a sheet and sat down immediately.
English uses a sheet; Greek stores the definite το πανί. Learn the entire comparison rather than translating the article.
μαύρος σαν κατράμι: intense blackness
Μαύρος σαν κατράμι means “black as tar/pitch.” Κατράμι is a black tarry substance, and the simile describes very dark colour. It can refer to clouds, smoke, an object, or hair. When applied to people, colour comparisons can acquire social meanings beyond the literal description, so context matters.
Πάνω από το λιμάνι είχε μαζευτεί ένα σύννεφο μαύρο σαν κατράμι.
páno apó to limáni íche mazeftí éna sínefo mávro san katrámi
A cloud black as pitch had gathered above the harbour.
Από την καμινάδα έβγαινε καπνός μαύρος σαν κατράμι.
apó tin kaminádha évyene kapnós mávros san katrámi
Smoke as black as pitch was coming from the chimney.
The bare noun κατράμι contrasts with articulated τον πάγο and το πανί. This alternation is lexical: no single semantic rule predicts all three forms.
δουλεύει σαν σκλάβος: exploitation, not neutral diligence
Δουλεύει σαν σκλάβος means “works like a slave.” It describes exhausting labour, lack of freedom, or exploitation and is therefore stronger than neutral “works hard.” It is understandable and established, but its historical image can sound dehumanizing or trivialize slavery when used lightly. In a professional description, choose a precise statement about hours, workload, or conditions.
Δουλεύει σαν σκλάβος δώδεκα ώρες τη μέρα και δεν πληρώνεται τις υπερωρίες.
dhulévi san sklávos dhódheka óres ti méra ke dhen plirónete tis iperoríes
He works like a slave twelve hours a day and isn't paid overtime. (strong, critical)
Μας είχαν να δουλεύουμε σαν σκλάβοι χωρίς διάλειμμα ούτε για φαγητό.
mas íchan na dhulévume san sklávi chorís dhiálima úte ya fayitó
They had us working like slaves without even a break for food. (strong, critical)
For simple praise, δουλεύει πολύ σκληρά “works very hard” is clearer and avoids the exploitation metaphor.
Articles and case: learn the stored standard
The curated expressions display three shapes:
- definite accusative standard: σαν τον πάγο, σαν το πανί;
- bare subject-oriented characterization: σαν λύκος, σαν τρελός, σαν σκλάβος;
- bare neuter image: σαν πουλάκι, σαν κατράμι.
The forms with τον/το behave like fixed nominal standards. This does not mean that σαν mechanically governs the accusative: subject-oriented λύκος, τρελός, and σκλάβος are nominative here. Such forms can show number or gender agreement where the lexical item and the conventional comparison permit it. These tendencies help you parse the examples, but they do not license a universal operation of adding or deleting the article after σαν. A novel phrase may also use an article to refer to a particular known entity rather than a conventional image.
Στεκόταν ακίνητος σαν το άγαλμα που είχαμε δει στην πλατεία.
stekótan akínitos san to ághalma pu íchame dhi stin platía
He stood motionless like the statue we had seen in the square. (specific comparison, not a fixed simile)
This sentence is grammatical but not part of the memorized inventory. Conventionality and grammaticality are different questions.
Common Mistakes
Applying one article pattern to every simile
Keep the conventional frame attached to its image.
✅ Η σούπα είχε κρυώσει και ήταν κρύα σαν τον πάγο.
i súpa íche kriósi ke ítan kría san ton págho
The soup had gone cold and was as cold as ice.
Freezing an agreeing characterization in the masculine singular
With τρελός, match gender and number to the subject. The stored singular hunger simile is πεινάω σαν λύκος for speakers of any gender; plural groups commonly say πεινάμε σαν λύκοι, while λύκαινα creates a more literal or playful variant rather than a required feminine form.
✅ Οι δύο φίλες έτρεχαν σαν τρελές να προλάβουν το τελευταίο τρένο.
i dhío fíles étrechan san trelés na prolávun to teleftéo tréno
The two friends were running like mad to catch the last train.
Assuming every understandable image is a fixed Greek saying
Use ordinary σαν freely, but label only conventional pairings as stored similes.
✅ Το παιδί κρύφτηκε πίσω από την κουρτίνα σαν μικρός κατάσκοπος.
to pedhí kríftike píso apó tin kurtína san mikrós katáskopos
The child hid behind the curtain like a little spy. (fresh, transparent comparison)
Using the slavery image as routine praise
Name hard work without importing exploitation when that meaning is absent.
✅ Η Άρτεμις δούλεψε πολύ σκληρά για να ολοκληρώσει την έρευνα.
i Ártemis dhúlepse polí sklirá ya na oloklirósi tin érevna
Artemis worked very hard to complete the research.
Key Takeaways
- Learn conventional pairings as units: κρύος σαν τον πάγο, πεινάω σαν λύκος, κοιμάμαι σαν πουλάκι.
- Subject-oriented forms may agree: σαν τρελός / τρελή / τρελοί; fixed standards such as τον πάγο do not.
- Articles vary lexically: compare σαν τον πάγο, σαν το πανί, and bare σαν κατράμι.
- A new σαν comparison can be fully grammatical without being a conventional simile.
- Δουλεύει σαν σκλάβος is a strong image of exploitation, not the neutral default for praising diligence.
Related Topics
- Comparison: όπως and σανB1 — Use όπως for correspondence with a manner or model, σαν for resemblance, and σαν να or λες και when something merely appears to be true.
- Idioms With AnimalsB2 — Decode current Greek animal idioms through their literal images, real meanings, grammar, and conversational register.
- Comparative ClausesB2 — Compare Greek propositions with απ' ό,τι and όσο, leave predictable material unspoken, and reject an alternative with παρά να.