The perfective command says do it once and finish (Γράψε το). Its twin, the imperfective imperative, says something English cannot say in one word: keep doing it, do it repeatedly, make it your habit, behave this way as a rule. It is built on the present stem — the imperfective stem — and it is the form behind most warnings, most standing advice, and every "carry on" instruction. If the perfective is a snapshot, the imperfective is a way of life.
Formation: present stem + -ε (1st conj.) / -α (2nd conj.)
For first-conjugation verbs (in -ω), take the present stem and add -ε for the singular; the plural is simply the present-tense -ετε form.
| Verb (1st conj.) | 2sg | 2pl / polite |
|---|---|---|
| γράφω (write) | γράφε | γράφετε |
| διαβάζω (read, study) | διάβαζε | διαβάζετε |
| προσέχω (be careful) | πρόσεχε | προσέχετε |
| περιμένω (wait) | περίμενε | περιμένετε |
| παίζω (play) | παίζε | παίζετε |
For second-conjugation verbs (in -άω / -ώ) the singular ends in a stressed -α, and the plural is the present -άτε form:
| Verb (2nd conj.) | 2sg | 2pl / polite |
|---|---|---|
| μιλώ (speak) | μίλα | μιλάτε |
| κοιτάω (look) | κοίτα | κοιτάτε |
| ρωτάω (ask) | ρώτα | ρωτάτε |
| περνάω (pass by) | πέρνα | περνάτε |
| τραβάω (pull, go on) | τράβα | τραβάτε |
Μίλα πιο σιγά, δεν προλαβαίνω να σε γράφω.
míla pio sighá, dhen prolavéno na se ghráfo
Speak more slowly, I can't write fast enough to keep up with you.
Κοίτα μπροστά σου όταν οδηγείς.
kíta brostá su ótan odhiyís
Keep your eyes on the road when you drive.
What the imperfective actually means
Choose the imperfective imperative when the action is not a single finished event but one of these:
- A standing warning — "always be careful": Πρόσεχε!
- A habit or rule — "study a bit every day": Διάβαζε λίγο κάθε μέρα.
- A "carry on / keep going" — "keep talking, I'm listening": Μίλα, σε ακούω.
- A durative action — "wait here" (waiting is inherently ongoing): Περίμενε.
Πρόσεχε τα λόγια σου μπροστά στα παιδιά.
próseche ta lóya su brostá sta pedhiá
Mind your language in front of the kids.
Περίμενε λίγο εδώ, έρχομαι αμέσως.
perímene lígho edhó, érchome amésos
Wait here a moment, I'll be right back.
Πέρνα καμιά φορά από το μαγαζί, θα χαρώ να σε δω.
pérna kamiá forá apó to maghazí, tha charó na se dho
Drop by the shop now and then, I'd love to see you.
The minimal pairs: same verb, two aspects
Because the two aspects are both fully grammatical, the difference is pure meaning. Read each pair aloud and feel the shift from "once" to "as a rule":
Γράψε το όνομά σου εδώ, στην πρώτη γραμμή.
ghrápse to ónomá su edhó, stin próti ghramí
Write your name here, on the first line. (this once)
Γράφε πάντα το όνομά σου στην πάνω γωνία.
ghráfe pánda to ónomá su stin páno ghonía
Always write your name in the top corner. (as a rule)
Πρόσεξε, έρχεται αυτοκίνητο!
prósekse, érchete aftokínito
Watch out, there's a car coming! (right now)
Πρόσεχε όταν διασχίζεις τον δρόμο.
próseche ótan dhiaschízis ton dhrómo
Be careful when you cross the street. (every time)
The full decision logic — including the tricky cases where either aspect is possible with a subtle difference — lives on Aspect in the Imperative. The one-shot form itself is drilled on Perfective Imperative.
Why English speakers under-use this form
English collapses both meanings into the bare verb: "Write your name" covers both "once, now" and "always, as a rule." Because your native language never forced the distinction, the imperfective imperative feels optional — and learners default to the perfective for everything. Resist that. A Greek parent telling a child a life-rule (Να τρως φρούτα, Διάβαζε, Πρόσεχε) reaches instinctively for the imperfective, and using the perfective there sounds like a one-time order rather than guidance. Training your ear on habitual and warning contexts is the fastest way to make this form automatic.
Διάβαζε λίγο κάθε μέρα και θα δεις μεγάλη διαφορά.
dhiávaze lígho káthe méra ke tha dhis megháli dhiaforá
Study a little every day and you'll see a big difference.
Παιδιά, προσέχετε τα πράγματά σας στο λεωφορείο.
pedhiá, proséchete ta prághmatá sas sto leoforío
Kids, keep an eye on your things on the bus.
The gentler everyday alternative: να + imperfective
There is one more thing worth knowing, because it is what Greeks actually say most of the time. For standing advice — the caring, repeated instruction a parent gives — native speakers very often reach for να + the imperfective instead of the bare imperfective imperative. Να προσέχεις is softer and warmer than the blunt Πρόσεχε; Να τρως φρούτα sounds like loving guidance, while a bare imperative can sound like a one-off order. Both are grammatical and both carry the same imperfective (habitual) aspect — the να-version simply feels less like a command and more like advice.
Να τρως φρούτα κάθε μέρα, κάνουν καλό.
na tros frúta káthe méra, kánun kaló
Eat fruit every day, it's good for you.
Να προσέχεις όταν οδηγείς νύχτα στην εθνική.
na proséchis ótan odhiyís níchta stin ethnikí
Be careful when you drive at night on the motorway.
This softened form belongs to the subjunctive family and has its own page, Standalone να: Wishes and Softened Commands; the point here is that it is the imperfective's natural partner for life-advice, so do not be surprised to hear Να διαβάζεις far more often than a bare Διάβαζε.
Common Mistakes
1. Using the imperfective for a single, finish-it request. When you mean "do it once, now," you need the perfective stem.
❌ Γράφε τη διεύθυνση σε ένα χαρτάκι, γρήγορα.
Incorrect for a one-off — the present-stem γράφε means 'keep writing'; use the perfective: Γράψε.
✅ Γράψε τη διεύθυνση σε ένα χαρτάκι, γρήγορα.
ghrápse ti dhiéfthinsi se éna chartáki, ghríghora
Write the address on a slip of paper, quickly.
2. Giving a 2nd-conjugation verb the 1st-conjugation -ε ending. Verbs like κοιτάω, μιλάω take a stressed -α in the singular, not -ε.
❌ Κοίτε πού πατάς, έχει λάσπες.
Incorrect — κοιτάω takes -α: the form is κοίτα, not κοίτε.
✅ Κοίτα πού πατάς, έχει λάσπες.
kíta pu patás, échi láspes
Watch where you step, it's muddy.
3. Using the perfective for a habit or standing rule. With κάθε μέρα, πάντα, or a general instruction, the imperfective is required.
❌ Διάβασε λίγο κάθε μέρα, όχι όλα την τελευταία στιγμή.
Incorrect — 'every day' is habitual, so use the imperfective: Διάβαζε.
✅ Διάβαζε λίγο κάθε μέρα, όχι όλα την τελευταία στιγμή.
dhiávaze lígho káthe méra, óchi óla tin teleftéa stighmí
Study a bit every day, not everything at the last minute.
4. Reaching for the perfective on a "keep going" command. "Carry on / keep doing it" is durative and stays imperfective.
❌ Μίλησε, σε ακούω, μη σταματάς.
Incorrect for 'carry on talking' — the ongoing sense needs the imperfective: Μίλα.
✅ Μίλα, σε ακούω, μη σταματάς.
míla, se akúo, mi stamatás
Keep talking, I'm listening, don't stop.
Key Takeaways
- The imperfective imperative means keep doing it / do it habitually / as a general rule.
- Formation: present stem
- -ε (1st conj.)
- stressed -α (2nd conj.)
- Reach for it on warnings, habits, life-advice, and "carry on" commands; the perfective is for single completed acts.
- Test it with πάντα / κάθε μέρα: if that fits, the imperfective is right.
- English marks neither aspect, so this is the form learners most often forget — train it on habitual and warning contexts.
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Start learning Greek →Related Topics
- Perfective ImperativeA2 — The default 'do it once, now' command — built on the perfective stem with the endings -ε / -τε (γράψε / γράψτε, διάβασε / διαβάστε, μίλησε / μιλήστε), including the crucial rule that the imperative takes no augment.
- Aspect in the ImperativeB1 — Greek commands carry aspect too: the perfective imperative (γράψε, κλείσε, φάε) tells someone to do one thing now, while the imperfective imperative (γράφε, πρόσεχε, να τρως) tells them to do it habitually, continuously, or as a standing rule. This distinction is almost never taught to English speakers — here it is, with the Πες μου / Λέγε contrast at its centre.