Mood is the verb's way of saying what kind of statement it's making: is this a fact, a wish, a command? Greek has three moods — indicative, subjunctive and imperative — but it builds them very differently from English or the other Romance languages. The headline for an English speaker: the Greek subjunctive is not a special set of endings to memorise. It is a particle, να, placed in front of an ordinary conjugated verb. Master να and you have unlocked a huge slice of the language.
The indicative: stating facts
The indicative is the default. It states things as real: what is, was, or will be. Every plain present, past and future you meet is indicative.
Μένω στη Θεσσαλονίκη εδώ και πέντε χρόνια.
méno sti Thesaloníki edhó ke pénde chrónia
I've been living in Thessaloniki for five years.
Χθες πήγαμε σινεμά με την παρέα.
chthes píghame sinemá me tin paréa
Yesterday we went to the cinema with the gang.
Το τρένο φεύγει στις οκτώ ακριβώς.
to tréno févyi stis októ akrivós
The train leaves at eight o'clock sharp.
Even the future with θα (θα φύγω, "I'll leave") counts as indicative — θα states a fact about the future. θα is one of the modal particles; more on the whole family below and on the modal-particles overview.
The subjunctive: να + a verb
Here is the structural surprise. Where Spanish and French have a separate subjunctive conjugation (hable, parle), Greek has no special subjunctive endings. Instead it puts the particle να in front of a fully conjugated verb, and that combination does everything the subjunctive does elsewhere: wishes, purpose, obligation, possibility — and, crucially, it stands in for the English infinitive, because Greek has no infinitive (see the sibling page on the loss of the infinitive).
Θέλω να μάθω ελληνικά μέχρι το καλοκαίρι.
thélo na mátho eliniká méchri to kalokéri
I want to learn Greek by the summer.
Πρέπει να πληρώσουμε τον λογαριασμό.
prépi na plirósume ton loghariazmó
We have to pay the bill.
Ήρθα να σε βοηθήσω με τις βαλίτσες.
írtha na se voithíso me tis valítses
I came to help you with the suitcases.
The verb after να still conjugates for its own subject and still carries an aspect choice (να γράφω = keep writing / να γράψω = write it once). Both of those points are big enough to have their own homes: the mechanics of subject agreement are on the loss of the infinitive, and the full range of uses is on the subjunctive overview.
The imperative: giving commands
The imperative is a genuine third mood with its own endings, used for direct commands. Greek even lets you choose aspect here: γράψε (perfective) tells someone to write one specific thing now, while γράφε (imperfective) tells them to write habitually or keep writing.
Κλείσε την πόρτα, σε παρακαλώ, κρυώνω.
klíse tin pórta, se parakaló, krióno
Close the door, please, I'm cold.
Πρόσεχε στον δρόμο, έχει πάγο.
próseche ston dhrómo, échi págho
Be careful on the road, it's icy.
To tell someone not to do something, Greek can't use the imperative form — it switches to μη(ν) + a να-style verb: μην τρέχεις (don't run), μην ανοίξεις (don't open it). The full command system, positive and negative, is on the imperative overview.
Μην ανησυχείς, όλα θα πάνε καλά.
min anisichís, óla tha páne kalá
Don't worry, everything will be fine.
ας: the "let's / let him" particle
Greek has a small extra particle, ας, for suggestions and concessions — roughly English "let's" (first person plural) or "let him/her/them" (third person). It fills the gap where the imperative can't reach, since you can't literally command yourself or a third party.
Ας πάμε μια βόλτα, έχει ωραίο καιρό.
as páme mia vólta, échi oréo keró
Let's go for a walk — the weather's nice.
Ας το κάνει όποιος θέλει, εγώ κουράστηκα.
as to káni ópios théli, eghó kurástika
Let whoever wants to do it — I'm worn out.
The particle family: θα, να, ας, μη(ν)
Notice that three of the moods lean on little preverbal particles that all sit in the same slot, right before the verb (and before any weak pronoun): θα for the future/conditional, να for the subjunctive, ας for suggestions, and μη(ν) for the negative of commands and the subjunctive. English does this work with separate modal verbs (will, may, let, don't); Greek does it with these one-syllable particles. They are gathered on the modal-particles overview.
Θα έρθω το βράδυ, να μου κρατήσεις θέση.
tha értho to vrádhi, na mu kratísis thési
I'll come tonight — save me a seat.
Common Mistakes
1. Looking for special subjunctive endings. There are none — the subjunctive is just να + the ordinary verb form.
❌ Θέλω γράφω ένα γράμμα.
Incorrect — the subordinate verb needs να: θέλω να γράψω.
✅ Θέλω να γράψω ένα γράμμα.
thélo na ghrápso éna ghráma
I want to write a letter.
2. Using δεν instead of μη(ν) to forbid something. δεν negates facts (indicative); commands and να-clauses take μη(ν).
❌ Δεν τρέχεις στον διάδρομο!
Incorrect as a command — a prohibition uses μην: μην τρέχεις.
✅ Μην τρέχεις στον διάδρομο!
min tréchis ston dhiádhromo!
Don't run in the corridor!
3. Reaching for a bare imperative to say "let's". English "let's go" is not a command form in Greek; it's ας + verb (or να + verb).
❌ Πηγαίνουμε για καφέ!
This states a fact ('we're going'); for the suggestion 'let's go' use ας πάμε.
✅ Ας πάμε για καφέ!
as páme ya kafé!
Let's go for a coffee!
Note that the ❌ line here is grammatical Greek — it just means "we are going for coffee," a statement, not the invitation you intended.
Key Takeaways
- Three moods: indicative (facts), subjunctive (να
- verb), imperative (commands).
- The subjunctive is not a separate conjugation — it is the particle να plus a normal verb, and it replaces the missing infinitive.
- The imperative has its own endings and an aspect choice (γράψε vs γράφε); its negative is μη(ν) + verb, never δεν.
- ας covers "let's / let him"; together with θα, να, μη(ν) it forms the particle family that drives Greek's non-indicative forms.
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Start learning Greek →Related Topics
- The Subjunctive With ναA2 — να is the all-purpose particle that replaces the missing infinitive: να + a fully conjugated verb expresses purpose, wish, obligation, and possibility — everything English does with 'to + verb' or 'that + clause'.
- The Imperative: Giving CommandsA2 — How Greek forms direct commands — the two persons (γράψε / γράψτε), the perfective-vs-imperfective aspect choice, enclitic pronouns, the μη(ν)-plus-subjunctive prohibition, and the irregulars — with links to every detailed page.
- The Particles θα, να, ας, μη(ν)A2 — Four one-syllable words carry everything Greek does not do with endings: θα for the future and the conditional, να for the subjunctive, ας for 'let's', μη(ν) for prohibition. How they line up in a fixed preverbal chain, why each one picks its own negator, and why every one of them needs an aspect-marked verb behind it.