There is a lot less to memorise in the Greek verb than the number of "tenses" suggests. In the active voice the entire system runs on two small sets of personal endings — one for non-past forms, one for past forms — and each set clips onto whichever stem the aspect calls for. Get these twelve endings into your bones and you can identify the subject of any active verb at a glance, and build the present, future, subjunctive, imperfect and aorist without learning a fresh ending for each.
The non-past endings
These endings appear in the present, and — this is the useful part — in exactly the same shape in the future (after θα) and the subjunctive (after να). The only thing that changes between present and future/subjunctive is the stem underneath.
| Person | Ending | On the imperfective stem (present) | On the perfective stem (θα/να …) |
|---|---|---|---|
| εγώ | -ω | γράφω (ghráfo) | θα γράψω (tha ghrápso) |
| εσύ | -εις | γράφεις (ghráfis) | θα γράψεις (tha ghrápsis) |
| αυτός/-ή/-ό | -ει | γράφει (ghráfi) | θα γράψει (tha ghrápsi) |
| εμείς | -ουμε | γράφουμε (ghráfume) | θα γράψουμε (tha ghrápsume) |
| εσείς | -ετε | γράφετε (ghráfete) | θα γράψετε (tha ghrápsete) |
| αυτοί/-ές/-ά | -ουν(ε) | γράφουν(ε) (ghráfun(e)) | θα γράψουν(ε) (tha ghrápsun(e)) |
The past endings
The imperfect and the aorist share a second set. Again, the ending is the same for both; the stem (imperfective γράφ- vs perfective γράψ-) is what makes one an imperfect and the other an aorist.
| Person | Ending | On the imperfective stem (imperfect) | On the perfective stem (aorist) |
|---|---|---|---|
| εγώ | -α | έγραφα (éghrafa) | έγραψα (éghrapsa) |
| εσύ | -ες | έγραφες (éghrafes) | έγραψες (éghrapses) |
| αυτός/-ή/-ό | -ε | έγραφε (éghrafe) | έγραψε (éghrapse) |
| εμείς | -αμε | γράφαμε (ghráfame) | γράψαμε (ghrápsame) |
| εσείς | -ατε | γράφατε (ghráfate) | γράψατε (ghrápsate) |
| αυτοί/-ές/-ά | -αν(ε) | έγραφαν(ε) (éghrafan(e)) | έγραψαν(ε) (éghrapsan(e)) |
You will notice the accent jumps to the front in the past (έγραφα, έγραψα) and that a little έ- appears on the shorter forms but not the longer ones (έγραφα but γράφαμε). That extra syllable is the augment, and it shows up only when the stress needs a syllable to land on — its whole story is on the augment. For now, just take the endings themselves: -α, -ες, -ε, -αμε, -ατε, -αν.
The whole active system is a 2 × 2
Here is the payoff. Two stems, two ending-sets — that is four boxes, and those four boxes are the entire indicative active:
| Imperfective stem (γράφ-) | Perfective stem (γράψ-) | |
|---|---|---|
| Non-past endings | γράφω — present | θα/να γράψω — simple future / subjunctive |
| Past endings | έγραφα — imperfect | έγραψα — aorist |
Everything you build in the active indicative is one of these four combinations. Learn the two ending-sets and the two stems for a verb, and you have not learned "five tenses" — you have learned a grid that generates them.
The endings carry the person — so the pronoun disappears
Because each ending already names the subject, Greek normally drops the subject pronoun entirely. Γράφω can only be "I write"; γράφουμε can only be "we write." Adding εγώ or εμείς is not required and, when you do add it, it carries emphasis or contrast rather than plain information. This is the deepest practical reason the endings are worth over-learning: they are the pronouns.
Δουλεύουμε μαζί εδώ και δύο χρόνια και δεν μαλώσαμε ποτέ.
dhulévume mazí edhó ke dhío chrónia ke dhen malósame poté
We've worked together for two years and never once argued.
Τι κάνεις απόψε, θα βγεις έξω με την παρέα;
ti kánis apópse, tha vyis ékso me tin paréa;
What are you doing tonight, are you going out with the gang?
Τα παιδιά τρέχουν στην παραλία και φωνάζουν χαρούμενα.
ta pedhyá tréchun stin paralía ke fonázun charúmena
The kids are running on the beach and shouting happily.
When you do put the pronoun in, it is doing contrastive work — pointing a finger:
Εγώ κερνάω σήμερα κι εσύ κέρασες την τελευταία φορά.
eghó kernáo símera ki esí kérases tin teleftéa forá
I'm treating today — you treated last time.
That contrast, and the handful of cases where the pronoun really is needed, is the subject of Using subject pronouns.
The past endings in real sentences
Χθες τελείωσα τη δουλειά νωρίς και πήγα μια βόλτα.
chthes telíosa ti dhulyá norís ke pígha mia vólta
Yesterday I finished work early and went for a walk. (aorist)
Πότε έφτασες χθες το βράδυ; Σε περίμενα ξύπνιος.
póte éftases chthes to vrádhi; se perímena ksípnios
When did you get in last night? I waited up for you. (aorist / imperfect)
Κάθε καλοκαίρι μέναμε σ' ένα μικρό ξενοδοχείο δίπλα στη θάλασσα.
káthe kalokéri méname s éna mikró ksenodhochío dhípla sti thálasa
Every summer we used to stay in a small hotel by the sea. (imperfect)
Ο παππούς διάβαζε εφημερίδα κάθε πρωί στην ίδια καρέκλα.
o papús dhiávaze efimerídha káthe proí stin ídhia karékla
Grandpa used to read the newspaper every morning in the same chair. (imperfect)
The colloquial -ουνε and -ανε
The third-person plural has a longer, everyday variant: -ουνε in the non-past and -ανε in the past. Γράφουν and γράφουνε mean exactly the same thing; έγραφαν and γράφανε likewise. The longer forms are (informal) — very common in speech, less so in careful writing — and they are never wrong, just a register down. (The past variant γράφανε also lets the verb dodge the augment, which is why you hear it so often.)
Οι γείτονες φωνάζανε όλη νύχτα και δεν κλείσαμε μάτι.
i yítones fonázane óli níchta ke dhen klísame máti
The neighbours were shouting all night and we didn't sleep a wink. (informal)
Common Mistakes
1. Mismatching person and ending with a stated subject. English lets he pair with writes; in Greek the ending must match the subject's person, so a 3rd-person subject needs -ει, never -ω.
❌ Ο Γιάννης γράφω ένα ίμεϊλ στη δουλειά.
Incorrect — a 3rd-person subject takes -ει: ο Γιάννης γράφει.
✅ Ο Γιάννης γράφει ένα ίμεϊλ στη δουλειά.
o Yánis ghráfi éna ímeil sti dhulyá
Yannis is writing an email at work.
2. Swapping "we" and "they" endings. -ουμε is "we," -ουν is "they"; they are one letter and a world apart.
❌ Εμείς παίζουν ποδόσφαιρο κάθε Τετάρτη.
Incorrect — 'we' is -ουμε: εμείς παίζουμε.
✅ Εμείς παίζουμε ποδόσφαιρο κάθε Τετάρτη.
emís pézume podhósfero káthe tetárti
We play football every Wednesday.
3. Using a non-past ending for a plural "you," or vice versa. εσείς takes -ετε, not the singular -εις.
❌ Εσείς τι πίνεις; Έχουμε κρασί και μπίρα.
Incorrect — εσείς (plural you) takes -ετε: τι πίνετε;
✅ Εσείς τι πίνετε; Έχουμε κρασί και μπίρα.
esís ti pínete; échume krasí ke bíra
What are you (all) drinking? We've got wine and beer.
4. Using a past ending where you mean "right now." έστελνα is a past form; the present "I'm sending" is στέλνω.
❌ Αυτή τη στιγμή έστελνα ένα μήνυμα στον διευθυντή.
Incorrect — for a present action use the non-past ending: στέλνω.
✅ Αυτή τη στιγμή στέλνω ένα μήνυμα στον διευθυντή.
aftí ti stighmí stélno éna mínima ston dhiefthindí
Right now I'm sending a message to the manager.
Key Takeaways
- The active voice uses two ending-sets: non-past -ω, -εις, -ει, -ουμε, -ετε, -ουν and past -α, -ες, -ε, -αμε, -ατε, -αν.
- Each set attaches to either stem, giving a 2 × 2: present, simple future/subjunctive, imperfect, aorist — the whole active indicative from four combinations.
- The non-past endings are identical in the present, the future (θα) and the subjunctive (να); only the stem differs.
- The endings encode person and number, so the subject pronoun is dropped unless it is emphatic or contrastive.
- The -ουνε / -ανε third-plural variants are everyday (informal) forms, never wrong, just less formal.
Now practice Greek
Reading grammar gets you part of the way. The exercises are where it sticks — free, no signup needed.
Start learning Greek →Related Topics
- Present Tense: Class Α (-ω)A1 — The full present of the big regular verb class — γράφω, παίζω, τρέχω, διαβάζω, μένω, θέλω — with its six stem-stressed endings, the -εις vs -ει spelling trap, and the fact that one Greek form covers both 'I write' and 'I am writing'.
- Aorist: Class ΑA2 — The aorist of first-conjugation (Class Α) verbs — έγραψα, έγραψες, έγραψε, γράψαμε, γράψατε, έγραψαν — built from the augment, the perfective stem, and past endings that are identical to the imperfect's. The single insight: only the stem changes (γραψ- for the aorist, γράφ- for the imperfect); everything else is the same.
- When to Use (and Drop) Subject PronounsA1 — Greek verb endings already say who is doing the action, so εγώ and εσύ are left out unless you are contrasting, correcting, switching topic or answering 'who?'. This page shows exactly what the extra pronoun signals, so you stop scattering εγώ through your sentences the way English forces you to.