The true Greek imperative — the form with its own special endings — exists only in the second person: Πες! (Say!), Πείτε! (Say! to several people). There is no imperative for "let's" (first-person plural), for "let me" (first-person singular), or for "let him / let them" (third person). English has the same gap and fills it with let: "let's go," "let me see," "let them wait." Greek fills it with two little particles placed in front of the subjunctive: ας and να. This page shows how the two of them complete the command paradigm.
Where the hole is
Take βλέπω (see). Its command paradigm has exactly two native imperative cells — the second person — and the rest are patched with ας / να + subjunctive:
| Person | English | Greek |
|---|---|---|
| 1st sg | let me see | να δω / ας δω |
| 2nd sg | see! (you) | δες! |
| 3rd sg | let him/her see | ας δει |
| 1st pl | let's see | ας δούμε / να δούμε |
| 2nd pl | see! (you all) | δείτε! |
| 3rd pl | let them see | ας δουν |
Only δες and δείτε are real imperatives. Every other "command" here is a subjunctive with a particle bolted on the front. That is the whole trick — learn the particles and you can command in any person.
Ας + subjunctive: "let's" and "let him"
Ας is the dedicated hortative particle. With a first-person plural it means "let's"; with a third person it means "let him / her / them." The verb after it is in the subjunctive, which owns ας in full — this page is just the command's-eye view of it.
Ας πάμε στη θάλασσα, κάνει ζέστη.
as páme sti thálasa, káni zésti
Let's go to the sea, it's hot.
Ας φύγουμε πριν αρχίσει η κίνηση.
as fíghume prin archísi i kínisi
Let's leave before the traffic starts.
Ας φύγει, αφού το θέλει τόσο πολύ.
as fíyi, afú to théli tóso polí
Let him leave, if he wants to that badly.
Ας περιμένουν λίγο ακόμα, δεν πειράζει.
as periménun lígho akóma, dhen pirázi
Let them wait a little longer, it doesn't matter.
Πάμε! — the bare hortative
The single most common "let's" needs no particle at all. Πάμε! — literally the first-person plural subjunctive of πάω — stands alone as a direct, energetic "Let's go!" It is one of the most-used words in spoken Greek.
Πάμε, θα χάσουμε το λεωφορείο!
páme, tha chásume to leoforío
Let's go, we'll miss the bus!
Πάμε για έναν καφέ μετά τη δουλειά;
páme ya énan kafé metá ti dhuliá
Shall we go for a coffee after work?
Να: "shall we?" and gentle suggestions
Να + first-person plural is usually a question — the deliberative "Shall we…? / Should we…?" — where the speaker is genuinely floating the idea rather than deciding it. It also softens a suggestion into an offer. This standalone, main-clause να is covered in full on να without a main verb.
Να πάμε σινεμά απόψε;
na páme sinemá apópse
Shall we go to the cinema tonight?
Να σου πω κάτι; Δεν συμφωνώ καθόλου.
na su po káti; dhen simfonó kathólu
Can I tell you something? I don't agree at all.
Να το σκεφτούμε μια μέρα ακόμα.
na to skeftúme mia méra akóma
Let's think it over one more day.
Ας vs Πάμε: the difference in tone
A bare Πάμε! is brisk and decisive — you have already decided. Ας leans the other way: it carries a touch of the permissive, resigned, or philosophical — "let's just…," "may as well…," "fine, let him." That is why the filler ας πούμε ("let's say," "for instance") and ας το αφήσουμε ("let's just leave it") feel so relaxed.
Πάρε ένα φρούτο, ας πούμε ένα μήλο.
páre éna frúto, as púme éna mílo
Have a fruit, say an apple.
Ας το αφήσουμε για αύριο, κουραστήκαμε.
as to afísume ya ávrio, kurastíkame
Let's leave it for tomorrow, we're tired.
The negative: ας μην / να μην
Because ας and να introduce a subjunctive, they negate with μην, never with δεν. "Let's not" is ας μην or να μην.
Ας μην το συζητήσουμε άλλο, σε παρακαλώ.
as min to sizitísume álo, se parakaló
Let's not discuss it any more, please.
Να μην αργήσουμε πάλι, ξεκινάμε τώρα.
na min aryísume páli, ksekináme tóra
Let's not be late again, we're setting off now.
A note for English speakers
English "let me / let us / let him" all use one verb, let, followed by an object. It is tempting to translate this literally with the Greek verb αφήνω (allow) — Άσε με να δω. But Άσε με να δω means "allow me to see," a genuine request for permission, not the hortative "let me see." For the hortative — where you are not asking anyone's permission — you want the particle: Να δω, Ας δούμε, Ας φύγει. Keep the two apart. See modal particles overview for how ας and να sit among Greek's other little function words.
Common Mistakes
1. Negating the hortative with δεν. After ας / να the negator is μην.
❌ Ας δεν πάμε στο πάρτι απόψε.
Incorrect — the hortative negates with μην: Ας μην πάμε.
✅ Ας μην πάμε στο πάρτι απόψε.
as min páme sto párti apópse
Let's not go to the party tonight.
2. Using a bare subjunctive for "let him." A third-person command needs the particle; the subjunctive alone is not a standalone sentence here.
❌ Φύγει επιτέλους από δω!
Incorrect — 'let him leave' needs ας/να: Ας φύγει.
✅ Ας φύγει επιτέλους από δω!
as fíyi epitélus apó dho
Let him finally get out of here!
3. Calquing English "let us" with αφήνω. Άσε μας να… asks permission; the hortative "let's" is ας / πάμε.
❌ Άσε μας να φύγουμε τώρα.
Incorrect for 'let's leave' — that means 'allow us to leave', so use Ας φύγουμε.
✅ Ας φύγουμε τώρα, αργήσαμε.
as fíghume tóra, aryísame
Let's leave now, we're late.
4. Using the second-person imperative to include yourself. The imperative is "you," so it leaves the speaker out; "let's" is Πάμε / Ας πάμε.
❌ Πηγαίνετε, μας περιμένουν!
Incorrect if you mean 'let's go' — the imperative excludes the speaker, so use Πάμε!
✅ Πάμε, μας περιμένουν!
páme, mas periménun
Let's go, they're waiting for us!
Key Takeaways
- The real imperative is second-person only; "let's / let me / let him / let them" are built with ας or να
- subjunctive.
- Ας
- 1st plural = "let's"; ας
- 3rd person = "let him / them" (Ας φύγει, Ας περιμένουν).
- 1st plural = "let's"; ας
- Πάμε! is a bare hortative — the first-person-plural subjunctive standing alone as a direct "Let's go!"
- Να
- 1st plural is often the deliberative "Shall we…?" and softens suggestions (Να πάμε σινεμά;).
- Negate with μην, not δεν: Ας μην πάμε, Να μην αργήσουμε.
- Don't calque English let with αφήνω — Άσε με να… means "allow me," not the hortative "let me."
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Start learning Greek →Related Topics
- The Particle ας (let / let's)B1 — ας + subjunctive covers the ground the imperative can't reach: 'let's' for ourselves, 'let him / let them' for a third party, and a resigned 'so be it' — always milder and more permissive than a command, negated with μην and, with a past tense, turning into reproach.
- Standalone να: Wishes and Softened CommandsB1 — να can open a main clause with no verb in front of it — carrying wishes and blessings (Να ζήσεις! Να 'σαι καλά), gentle advice softer than a command (Να πας στον γιατρό), and, with an accent, the pointing Νά! (there it is).
- 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.