This proverb observes that prolonged lack of contact can weaken attachment and memory. In the course's neutral current spelling, it reads:
Μάτια που δεν βλέπονται, γρήγορα λησμονιούνται.
mátia pu dhen vléponde, ghríghora lizmoniúnde
Eyes that do not see each other are quickly forgotten. / Out of sight, out of mind.
The Centre for the Greek Language records the familiar version with short δε, while Academy of Athens folklore records and modern quotations also show δεν. Both belong to the proverb's transmission; this page follows the course-wide neutral spelling δεν, with final ν retained. Recorded variants also include λησμονούνται, but standard dictionary morphology supports the title's λησμονιούνται.
Meaning and pragmatic force
The “eyes” stand for people who no longer meet. The saying does not literally claim that eyes forget; it turns visual contact into a metonym for an ongoing relationship. It can be wistful advice to stay in touch, a wry comment after friends drift apart, or a pessimistic warning before a separation.
Να τηλεφωνείτε όσο θα λείπετε, γιατί μάτια που δεν βλέπονται, γρήγορα λησμονιούνται.
na tilefoníte óso tha lípete, yatí mátia pu dhen vléponde, ghríghora lizmoniúnde
Keep calling while you're away, because out of sight can become out of mind.
Χαθήκαμε μετά τη μετακόμιση· μάτια που δεν βλέπονται, γρήγορα λησμονιούνται.
chathíkame metá ti metakómisi; mátia pu dhen vléponde, ghríghora lizmoniúnde
We lost touch after the move—out of sight, out of mind.
The register is traditional and noticeably proverbial. The saying remains readily understood, but everyday speakers may prefer a plain sentence such as Όταν δεν βλέπεστε, χάνεστε σιγά σιγά.
The whole subject is overt
The main clause has an expressed subject: Μάτια που δεν βλέπονται. Relative που introduces a clause modifying μάτια, and the complete noun phrase controls plural λησμονιούνται.
| Part | Job |
|---|---|
| Μάτια | head of the overt plural subject |
| που δεν βλέπονται | relative clause restricting μάτια |
| γρήγορα | adverb modifying the main predicate |
| λησμονιούνται | plural main predicate, “are forgotten” |
The bare plural μάτια is part of the proverb's compact inherited wording. Ordinary generic subjects in Greek usually take an article; do not generalize this one stored omission to new prose.
Τα μάτια που βλέπουμε στη φωτογραφία είναι της γιαγιάς μου.
ta mátia pu vlépume sti fotoghrafía íne tis yayás mu
The eyes we see in the photograph are my grandmother's. (ordinary articled noun phrase)
Relative που is invariable and cannot be omitted. The relative που owns its full subject, object, and resumptive patterns.
Δεν βλέπονται: simple negation plus reciprocal voice
Δεν directly negates the finite verb βλέπονται. There is no negative indefinite such as κανείς or τίποτα, so this is simple verbal negation, not negative concord.
Οι δύο φίλοι δεν βλέπονται συχνά από τότε που άλλαξαν δουλειά.
i dhío fíli dhen vléponde sichná apó tóte pu álaksan dhuliá
The two friends do not see each other often since they changed jobs.
Κανείς δεν βλέπει κανέναν μέσα στην πυκνή ομίχλη.
kanís dhen vlépi kanénan mésa stin pikní omíchli
Nobody can see anybody in the thick fog. (negative concord)
The second sentence really does contain concord: κανείς/κανέναν cooperate with δεν. That contrast is explained on negative concord; the proverb has no such partner.
Mediopassive βλέπονται permits more than one construal. With two human parties and no agent phrase, it naturally means “see each other/meet.” With an από-agent, the same form can be passive “are watched/viewed.”
Οι δύο αδερφές βλέπονται κάθε Παρασκευή μετά τη δουλειά.
i dhío adherfés vléponde káthe Paraskeví metá ti dhuliá
The two sisters see each other every Friday after work. (reciprocal)
Οι παλιές ταινίες βλέπονται ακόμα από νεότερους θεατές.
i paliés teníes vléponde akóma apó neóterus theatés
The old films are still watched by younger viewers. (passive)
The proverb's metaphorical human “eyes” selects the reciprocal reading. Reciprocal middle voice explains the ambiguity and its disambiguators.
Λησμονιούνται: a passive with marked vocabulary
Active λησμονώ means “forget”; mediopassive λησμονιέμαι means “be forgotten.” Thus plural μάτια are the entities that slip from memory. The verb is current but literary/emotive beside everyday ξεχνώ / ξεχνιέμαι, and the proverb preserves it as part of its traditional cadence.
Οι λεπτομέρειες λησμονιούνται, αλλά η γενική εντύπωση μένει.
i leptoméries lizmoniúnde, alá i yenikí endíposi méni
The details are forgotten, but the general impression remains. (careful/literary)
Οι μικρές υποσχέσεις ξεχνιούνται εύκολα όταν δεν γράφονται.
i mikrés iposchésis ksechniúnde éfkola ótan dhen ghráfonde
Small promises are easily forgotten when they are not written down. (everyday)
Both βλέπονται and λησμονιούνται are presents with gnomic force. They state a perceived general tendency rather than report one meeting and one act of forgetting now.
Common Mistakes
Accenting relative που
The relative is unaccented που. Accented πού is the interrogative “where,” not an alternative spelling of the relative.
✅ Οι άνθρωποι που μένουν κοντά μας δεν λησμονιούνται εύκολα.
i ánthropi pu ménun kondá mas dhen lizmoniúnde éfkola
People who remain close to us are not easily forgotten.
Using a singular predicate for plural μάτια
❌ Μάτια που δεν βλέπονται, γρήγορα λησμονιέται.
Incorrect—the plural subject μάτια requires plural λησμονιούνται.
✅ Μια παλιά γνωριμία λησμονιέται όταν χαθεί κάθε επαφή.
mia paliá ghnorimía lizmoniéte ótan chathí káthe epafí
An old acquaintance is forgotten when all contact is lost.
Misspelling the mediopassive ending
Because -ιούνται is pronounced with final /de/, learners sometimes write it phonetically. The edited third-person plural ending nevertheless finishes in -νται.
✅ Οι παλιές ιστορίες λησμονιούνται αν δεν τις αφηγούμαστε.
i paliés istoríes lizmoniúnde an dhen tis afiyúmaste
Old stories are forgotten if we do not retell them.
Key Takeaways
- Μάτια που δεν βλέπονται is the overt plural subject of λησμονιούνται.
- Που is an unaccented relative; πού is the question word “where.”
- Δεν is simple negation here, not negative concord.
- Βλέπονται has a reciprocal reading in the proverb but can be passive in another context.
- Λησμονιούνται means “are forgotten” and is more literary/emotive than everyday ξεχνιούνται.
- Both verbs are gnomic presents expressing a traditional generalization.
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- Reciprocal Use of the Middle VoiceB1 — How the mediopassive says 'each other' — αγαπιούνται, φιλιούνται, συναντιούνται, αγκαλιάζονται, τσακώνονται, δεν μιλιούνται — and why the requirement is two parties, not a plural subject: Συναντιέμαι με τη Μαρία is just as reciprocal. Covers the singular + με construction, the two disambiguators μεταξύ τους and ο ένας τον άλλον (with the neuter το ένα το άλλο and the case forms), the actives that are reciprocal on their own, and the overlap with the plain passive.
- The Relative πουA2 — One tiny word covers English who, whom, which and that, and it never changes shape: που is invariable for gender, number and case, so ο άντρας που ήρθε, η γυναίκα που ήρθε and τα παιδιά που ήρθαν all use the same form. Covers why που can never be dropped the way English drops 'that', the non-noun antecedents (τη μέρα που, τώρα που, εκεί που), restrictive against non-restrictive, and the person agreement in Εσύ που ξέρεις.
- Double Negation (Negative Concord)A2 — Why Greek requires δεν together with negative words—even when κανείς, τίποτα, ποτέ, or πουθενά comes before the verb.