Class Β has two paradigm sets, distinguished most clearly in the "you" and "he/she/it" forms. The αγαπάω set has -άς / -άει; the μπορώ set has -είς / -εί. Pure verbs such as αγαπάω and μπορώ select one set, but some lexical verbs waver and license both complete paradigms. That distinction keeps genuine errors such as ×μποράω and ×αγαπείς separate from live doublets such as οδηγείς/οδηγάς.
The two subtypes
| Person | Β1 — αγαπάω "love" | Β2 — μπορώ "can" |
|---|---|---|
| εγώ | αγαπάω / αγαπώ | μπορώ |
| εσύ | αγαπάς | μπορείς |
| αυτός/-ή/-ό | αγαπάει / αγαπά | μπορεί |
| εμείς | αγαπάμε / αγαπούμε | μπορούμε |
| εσείς | αγαπάτε | μπορείτε |
| αυτοί/-ές/-ά | αγαπάνε / αγαπούν(ε) | μπορούν(ε) |
Read down the reading column and you can hear the split:
- Β1: aghapáo/aghapó · aghapás · aghapái · aghapáme · aghapáte · aghapáne
- Β2: boró · borís · borí · borúme · boríte · borún
The 1st plural and 2nd plural are nearly the same in both (-ούμε / -άμε, -άτε / -είτε), while their contracted 3rd-plural forms converge on -ούν(ε). Everything hinges on the singular "you" and "he/she/it": -άς / -άει for Β1 versus -είς / -εί for Β2. That is the pair to memorise.
Β1: αγαπάω, with its everyday doublets
Κοιτάς συνέχεια το κινητό σου, άσ' το λίγο και μίλα μου.
kitás sinéchia to kinitó su, ás to lígho ke míla mu
You keep staring at your phone — put it down for a second and talk to me.
Πεινάω πάρα πολύ, πάμε να φάμε κάτι;
pináo pára polí, páme na fáme káti;
I'm really hungry, shall we go grab something to eat?
Τα παιδιά γελάνε με τα αστεία του παππού.
ta pedhyá yeláne me ta astía tu papú
The kids are laughing at Grandpa's jokes.
Notice the doublets. For the "I" form you can say αγαπάω or αγαπώ; for "he loves," αγαπάει or αγαπά; for "they love," αγαπάνε or αγαπούν. These are not errors and neither one is more "correct" — the choice is register and rhythm. The -άω / -άει / -άνε forms are more colloquial and dominate everyday speech; the shorter -ώ / -ά / -ούν forms are a touch more formal and commoner in writing. Use whichever you like, but keep the -άς in the "you" form fixed — that one has no variant.
Με ρωτάς κάθε μέρα το ίδιο πράγμα και σου απαντάω το ίδιο.
me rotás káthe méra to ídhio prághma ke su apandáo to ídhio
You ask me the same thing every day and I give you the same answer.
Pure Β2 and the wavering verbs
Δεν μπορώ να κοιμηθώ όταν κάνει τόση ζέστη.
dhen boró na kimithó ótan káni tósi zésti
I can't sleep when it's this hot.
Οδηγείς πολύ προσεκτικά, μου δίνεις σιγουριά.
odhiyís polí prosektiká, mu dhínis sighuriá
You drive very carefully — it makes me feel safe.
Οδηγάς πολύ προσεκτικά, μου δίνεις σιγουριά.
odhighás polí prosektiká, mu dhínis sighuriá
You drive very carefully — it makes me feel safe. (conversational -άω set)
Ζούμε στο ίδιο κτίριο εδώ και δέκα χρόνια.
zúme sto ídhio ktírio edhó ke dhéka chrónia
We've lived in the same building for ten years.
Σε ευχαριστώ πολύ που με περίμενες.
se efcharistó polí pu me perímenes
Thank you so much for waiting for me.
Pure μπορώ has no ×μποράω or ×μποράς. By contrast, οδηγώ/οδηγάω is a wavering lexical verb: οδηγείς and οδηγάς are both Standard, with the -άω set especially conversational. A paradigm set has fixed endings; a lexical verb may license one set or both.
Which verbs take which?
There is no watertight rule — the subtype is a lexical property you ultimately learn per verb — but there is a strong tendency that gets you most of the way, rooted in each verb's history:
| Β1 (-άω, -άς, -άει) | Β2 (-ώ, -είς, -εί) | |
|---|---|---|
| Flavour | everyday, physical, "folk" verbs | often learned, abstract or literary-origin verbs |
| Examples | μιλάω (speak), ρωτάω (ask), κοιτάω (look), πεινάω (be hungry), γελάω (laugh), περπατάω (walk), σταματάω (stop), τραγουδάω (sing), βοηθάω (help) | μπορώ (can), ζω (live), θεωρώ (consider), χρησιμοποιώ (use), καλώ (call), ευχαριστώ (thank) |
| Waverers | οδηγώ / οδηγάω, προχωρώ / προχωράω, τηλεφωνώ / τηλεφωνάω, συμφωνώ / συμφωνάω, προτιμώ / προτιμάω | |
The tendency is only a memory aid. The 2nd person singular identifies the set currently being used: -άς is Β1-style and -είς is Β2-style. It does not prove that the lexeme lacks another set. Learn a waverer as a pair — οδηγείς/οδηγάς, προχωρείς/προχωράς — just as you learn an irregular principal part.
A spelling consequence: -άς versus -είς
Β1 writes -άς with α and Β2 writes -είς with ει. Both endings have an ordinary stressed vowel (milás, borís), so the selected paradigm set supplies the spelling. For waverers, both spellings can be legitimate because they represent different complete sets.
Μιλάς ελληνικά πολύ καλά, αλλά δεν μπορείς ακόμα να διαβάσεις γρήγορα.
milás eliniká polí kalá, alá dhen borís akóma na dhiavásis ghríghora
You speak Greek very well, but you can't read quickly yet.
Two "you" forms in one sentence: μιλάς (Β1, α) and μπορείς (Β2, ει). Neither could borrow the other's ending.
Common Mistakes
1. Giving a Β2 verb the Β1 -άω ending. μπορώ has no -άω form; ×μποράω does not exist.
❌ Δεν μποράω να έρθω αύριο.
Incorrect — μπορώ is Β2: it has no -άω form. Say μπορώ.
✅ Δεν μπορώ να έρθω αύριο.
dhen boró na értho ávrio
I can't come tomorrow.
2. Giving a Β1 verb the Β2 -είς ending. αγαπάω keeps -άς, not -είς.
❌ Αγαπείς πολύ τη μουσική, το βλέπω.
Incorrect — αγαπάω is Β1: the 'you' form is αγαπάς.
✅ Αγαπάς πολύ τη μουσική, το βλέπω.
aghapás polí ti musikí, to vlépo
You really love music, I can tell.
3. Treating a verified doublet as if only one set were correct. αγαπάω/αγαπώ and οδηγώ/οδηγάω are all live; register preference is not ungrammaticality.
✅ Ο μπαμπάς τραγουδάει / τραγουδά στο ντους.
o babás traghudhái / traghudhá sto dus
Dad sings in the shower. (both forms are standard)
Key Takeaways
- Class Β has two paradigm sets: Β1 (αγαπάω/αγαπώ, -άς, -άει) and Β2 (μπορώ, -είς, -εί).
- The split lives in the singular "you" and "he/she/it": -άς/-άει (Β1) vs -είς/-εί (Β2). The plurals nearly coincide.
- Pure verbs select one set, while waverers such as οδηγώ/οδηγάω and προχωρώ/προχωράω license both.
- Everyday physical verbs tend toward Β1 and learned verbs toward Β2, but this is a memory aid; the lexicon decides whether a verb is pure or wavering.
- The selected paradigm set also decides the -άς vs -είς spelling, which the ear cannot supply.
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Start learning Greek →Related Topics
- Present Tense: Class Β1 (αγαπάω/-ώ)A1 — The full present of the everyday Β1 contract verbs — αγαπάω/αγαπώ, μιλάω, ρωτάω, περπατάω, κοιτάω, ξεχνάω, περνάω — with the -άω/-ώ doublet in the 'I' and 'they' forms, the fixed -άς 'you' ending, and the crossover error ×αγαπείς that spells it as if it were Class Α.
- Present Tense: Class Β2 (μπορώ)A2 — The full present of the pure Β2 anchor μπορώ — μπορώ, μπορείς, μπορεί, μπορούμε, μπορείτε, μπορούν — and the -ώ/-είς/-εί set also used by θεωρώ and καλώ. Some lexical verbs additionally waver into a live -άω set, notably οδηγώ/οδηγάω and προχωρώ/προχωράω, so the paradigm and a verb's complete inventory must be kept distinct.
- The Two Conjugations: -ω and -άω/-ώA1 — Every Greek verb belongs to one of two conjugation classes, and the stress on the 'I' form tells you which: unstressed -ω (γράφω, the big regular class) or stressed -άω/-ώ (αγαπώ). This page sets the two presents side by side and shows why the class is a fact you learn with the word.