Modern Greek verb endings are a spelling minefield, but a fair one. Because the vowels /o/ and /i/ each have several spellings (ω/ο, and η/ι/υ/ει/οι), and because verb endings are full of those sounds, learners constantly write ×γράφο for γράφω or ×γράφη for γράφει. The escape route is a single principle: a verb ending is spelled by its grammatical job, not by its sound. Every ending in the paradigm has one fixed spelling. Learn the paradigm once and the sound stops mattering — if a word conjugates, you already know how its ending is spelled, no matter how it clashes with a noun that sounds the same.
The active present, spelled out
The ordinary "type A" verb (stress on the stem, like γράφω "to write") has these six endings. Memorize the letters, not just the pronunciation:
| Person | Ending | Form | Pronounced |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1sg | -ω (omega) | γράφω | ghráfo |
| 2sg | -εις (ε+ι) | γράφεις | ghráfis |
| 3sg | -ει | γράφει | ghráfi |
| 1pl | -ουμε | γράφουμε | ghráfume |
| 2pl | -ετε | γράφετε | ghráfete |
| 3pl | -ουν(ε) | γράφουν(ε) | ghráfun(e) |
Three of these are the notorious ones. 1sg is -ω (omega, never omicron). 2sg is -εις — spelled ε-ι even though it sounds like plain /is/. 3sg is -ει — again ε-ι, sounding like /i/. Fix those three shapes in your memory and most of the trouble disappears.
Γράφω ένα μήνυμα στη γιαγιά μου.
ghráfo éna mínima sti yayá mu.
I'm writing a message to my grandma.
Τι διαβάζεις εκεί; Φαίνεται ενδιαφέρον.
ti dhiavázis ekí; fénete endhiaféron.
What are you reading there? It looks interesting.
Μου τηλεφωνεί κάθε βράδυ στις οκτώ.
mu tilefoní káthe vrádhi stis októ.
He calls me every evening at eight.
Τι ώρα φεύγετε αύριο για το αεροδρόμιο;
ti óra févyete ávrio ya to aerodhrómio;
What time are you leaving for the airport tomorrow?
Contract verbs: -άω / -ώ
"Type B" verbs stress the ending (αγαπάω/αγαπώ "to love", μιλάω/μιλώ "to speak"). The 1sg alternates between -άω and the shorter -ώ — both spelled with omega. The rest of the endings stress the α: -άς, -ά(ει), -άμε, -άτε, -ούν(ε)/-άνε.
Μιλάω λίγα ελληνικά, αλλά καταλαβαίνω αρκετά.
miláo lígha eliniká, alá katalavéno arketá.
I speak a little Greek, but I understand quite a lot.
Σ' αγαπώ και θα σ' αγαπώ για πάντα.
s'aghapó ke tha s'aghapó ya pánda.
I love you and I'll love you forever.
The passive present, spelled out
The passive/mediopassive endings all carry the /e/-digraph αι, and the singular ones use ε where the active used it too. The full set for γράφομαι:
| Person | Ending | Form | Pronounced |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1sg | -ομαι | γράφομαι | ghráfome |
| 2sg | -εσαι | γράφεσαι | ghráfese |
| 3sg | -εται | γράφεται | ghráfete |
| 1pl | -όμαστε | γραφόμαστε | ghrafómaste |
| 2pl | -εστε | γράφεστε | ghráfeste |
| 3pl | -ονται | γράφονται | ghráfonde |
Λέγομαι Μαρία και είμαι από την Κρήτη.
léghome María ke íme apó tin kríti.
My name is Maria and I'm from Crete.
Το ξενοδοχείο βρίσκεται ακριβώς δίπλα στη θάλασσα.
to ksenodhochío vrískete akrivós dhípla sti thálasa.
The hotel is located right next to the sea.
The three homophone traps
Everything above matters because of three clashes where a verb ending sounds exactly like a noun ending — and only the fixed verbal spelling keeps them apart.
Trap 1: verb -ω vs noun -ο
A 1sg verb ends in -ω (omega). A neuter noun (and the neuter of an adjective) ends in -ο (omicron). They sound identical:
- καλώ = "I call/invite" (verb, ω)
- καλό = "good" (neuter adjective, ο)
Καλώ ένα ταξί για να μη βραχούμε.
kaló éna taksí ya na mi vrachúme.
I'll call a taxi so we don't get soaked.
Αυτό το κρασί είναι πολύ καλό.
aftó to krasí íne polí kaló.
This wine is very good.
Trap 2: verb -ει vs noun -η vs plural -οι
The /i/ ending is spelled -ει on a 3sg verb, -η on a feminine noun, and -οι on a masculine/feminine plural. Same sound, three letters. The cleanest illustration is a genuine triple, all pronounced kalí:
- καλή = "good" (feminine singular, -η)
- καλεί = "he/she calls" (3sg verb, -εί)
- καλοί = "good" (masculine plural, -οί)
Η καλή μου φίλη με καλεί κάθε Κυριακή.
i kalí mu fíli me kalí káthe kiriakí.
My good friend calls me every Sunday.
Οι καλοί μαθητές διαβάζουν κάθε μέρα.
i kalí mathités dhiavázun káthe méra.
The good students study every day.
Because καλεί conjugates (it is the 3sg of καλώ), its ending is the verbal -ει; because καλή and καλοί are adjective forms agreeing with nouns, they take the nominal -η and -οι. The grammar decides the letter.
Trap 3: passive -εται vs active -ετε
This is the one native writers slip on too. The passive 3sg -εται (αι) and the active 2pl -ετε (ε) are homophones. Compare a contract verb, where they surface as kalíte both ways:
- καλείται = "he/she is called" (passive 3sg, -εται)
- καλείτε = "you (all) call" (active 2pl, -ετε)
Πώς λέγεται αυτό το φαγητό στα ελληνικά;
pos léghete aftó to fayitó sta eliniká;
What is this dish called in Greek?
Παρακαλώ, καλείτε αμέσως έναν γιατρό.
parakaló, kalíte amésos énan yatró.
Please, call a doctor immediately.
Common Mistakes
1. Writing the 1sg with omicron. Every 1sg active ends in -ω (omega).
❌ Εγώ γράφο ελληνικά κάθε μέρα.
Wrong — the 1sg ending is -ω (omega): γράφω.
✅ Εγώ γράφω ελληνικά κάθε μέρα.
eghó ghráfo eliniká káthe méra.
I write Greek every day.
2. Spelling the 2sg -εις as ×-ης. The 2nd person singular is fixed ε-ι-ς.
❌ Εσύ τι κάνης απόψε;
Wrong — the 2sg ending is -εις: κάνεις.
✅ Εσύ τι κάνεις απόψε;
esí ti kánis apópse;
What are you doing tonight?
3. Spelling the 3sg -ει as ×-η. A 3sg verb takes -ει; -η is a feminine-noun ending.
❌ Μου γράφη κάθε βδομάδα από το εξωτερικό.
Wrong — the 3sg ending is -ει: γράφει (-η belongs to feminine nouns).
✅ Μου γράφει κάθε βδομάδα από το εξωτερικό.
mu ghráfi káthe vdhomádha apó to eksoterikó.
He writes to me every week from abroad.
4. Using active -ετε for the passive meaning. "Is done" is 3sg passive -εται; -ετε is "you (all) do".
❌ Το μωρό λέγετε Άννα.
Wrong — 'is called' is 3sg passive -εται: λέγεται (-ετε means 'you all say').
✅ Το μωρό λέγεται Άννα.
to moró léghete ána.
The baby is called Anna.
Key Takeaways
- A verb ending's spelling is fixed by its grammatical job, not its sound: active -ω, -εις, -ει, -ουμε, -ετε, -ουν; passive -ομαι, -εσαι, -εται, -όμαστε, -εστε, -ονται.
- The three headline shapes to memorize: 1sg -ω (omega), 2sg -εις (ε-ι), 3sg -ει (ε-ι).
- Three homophone traps: -ω vs -ο (καλώ / καλό), -ει vs -η vs -οι (καλεί / καλή / καλοί), -εται vs -ετε (καλείται / καλείτε).
- The test that resolves all of them: if it conjugates, use the verbal ending — the sound is a decoy.
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- Spelling the /o/ Sound: ο vs ωA2 — Two letters, ο (omicron) and ω (omega), spell the identical sound /o/. Which one you write is mostly decided by the grammatical ending — verbs end -ω, neuter nouns -ο, masculines -ος — and getting it wrong can flip a verb into a noun: καλώ ('I invite') vs καλό ('good').
- Spelling the /e/ Sound: ε vs αιA2 — The sound /e/ hides behind two spellings — plain ε (μέρα, θέλω) and the digraph αι (και, παιδί, αίμα). The good news: every passive verb ending is αι, which turns a big chunk of the guesswork into a fixed rule.
- Spelling the /i/ Sound: η ι υ ει οιA2 — The single hardest thing about writing Greek: five different spellings — η, ι, υ, ει, οι (plus archaic υι) — all sound identical, /i/. You can't hear which one a word takes, but you can predict most of them from grammatical endings and word families. This is the page to master.