Suppletion is what happens when one verb's forms are supplied by two different words — English go / went, am / was. Greek does it in six verbs you cannot avoid for a single conversation: βλέπω, λέω, τρώω, πάω, έρχομαι, παίρνω — see, say, eat, go, come, take (the last only just, as we'll see). They are irregular precisely because they are that common: a form said a hundred times a day gets handed down intact, while rarer verbs get quietly tidied up over the centuries. Other pages take these verbs one form at a time — the aorist page drills the past, the perfective-stem page drills the θα/να form, the imperative page drills the commands. What no single place gives you is the whole card: every shape of one verb, side by side, the way you actually need them mid-sentence. That is this page.
The six cards
| Verb | Aorist (I did it) | After θα / να | Command sg / pl | Perfect (έχω …) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| βλέπω — see | είδα | δω | δες / δείτε | έχω δει |
| λέω — say, tell | είπα | πω | πες / πείτε | έχω πει |
| τρώω — eat | έφαγα | φάω | φάε / φάτε | έχω φάει |
| πάω, πηγαίνω — go | πήγα | πάω | πήγαινε / πηγαίνετε | έχω πάει |
| έρχομαι — come | ήρθα | έρθω | έλα / ελάτε | έχω έρθει |
| παίρνω — take, get | πήρα | πάρω | πάρε / πάρτε | έχω πάρει |
Count the roots
Reading the cards down the columns tells you exactly how much is genuinely new in each verb.
- βλέπω runs on two roots: βλεπ- for the imperfective half (βλέπω, έβλεπα, βλέποντας) and ιδ-/δ- for everything perfective (είδα, δω, δες, δει). Nothing of βλεπ- crosses into the perfective half.
- λέω likewise: λεγ- in the imperfective half (λέω, έλεγα, λέγεται) against ειπ-/π- in the perfective (είπα, πω, πες, πει).
- τρώω: τρωγ- (τρώω, έτρωγα) against φαγ-/φά- (έφαγα, φάω, φάε).
- παίρνω is the mildest of the six, and it is worth saying so plainly: πάρ- is visible in both cells (πήρα, πάρω, πάρε). Strictly it is a stem-alternation verb — the -ν- of the present drops and the augment fuses into πή- — rather than true suppletion. If the six feel like a wall, start here: παίρνω is one root, lightly disguised.
- πάω carries πα- and πηγαιν-/πηγ-, and they divide the work unevenly (below).
- έρχομαι carries three: έρχ-, ρθ-/έρθ-, and ελ- for the command alone.
Two cells generate the rest
You do not have to memorise five forms per verb. Beyond the present, which is the headword you already know, there are two to learn — the aorist 1sg and the θα/να form — and the rest follows from them.
From the aorist you get the whole past tense by swapping endings: είδα → είδες, είδε, είδαμε, είδατε, είδαν. Watch the front vowel, though: the έ- of έφαγα is a detachable augment and drops as soon as the stem can carry the stress on its own (φάγαμε, φάγατε), while the ει- of είδα and είπα, the η- of ήρθα, and the πή- of πήγα and πήρα are welded into the stem and stay in every person (είδαμε, είπαμε, ήρθαμε, πήγαμε, πήραμε).
From the θα/να form you get three things: the six persons of the future and subjunctive (δω, δεις, δει, δούμε, δείτε, δουν), the plural command (δείτε, πείτε, φάτε — the 2pl of that same set, syncopated in πάρετε → πάρτε), and the -ει form of the perfect (δει, πει, φάει, πάρει). The singular command sits on the same root but its exact ending has to be learned: δες, πες, φάε, πάρε.
βλέπω and λέω — the δ- and π- pair
These two behave identically and are best learned as a pair: the perfective shrinks to a single syllable (δω, πω), which does not stand on its own as a sentence — it leans on θα or να, on ας or μη(ν), or on a conjunction such as όταν or αν.
Είδα το πρώτο επεισόδιο χθες και θα δω το υπόλοιπο το Σάββατο.
ídha to próto episódhio chthes ke tha dho to ipólipo to Sávato
I watched the first episode yesterday and I'll watch the rest on Saturday.
Έλα να δεις τι έφτιαξα!
éla na dhis ti éftiaksa
Come and see what I've made!
Πες μου την αλήθεια — τι σου είπε ακριβώς;
pes mu tin alíthia — ti su ípe akrivós;
Tell me the truth — what exactly did he say to you?
Δεν το έχω πει σε κανέναν ακόμα, μην ανησυχείς.
dhen to écho pi se kanénan akóma, min anisichís
I haven't told anyone yet, don't worry.
τρώω and παίρνω — everyday business
These two sit at opposite ends of the set. τρώω is the only card here whose aorist front vowel is a detachable augment, so it is the one verb whose past changes shape in the plural (έφαγα but φάγαμε). παίρνω is the one whose root you can see in every cell — πήρα, πάρω, πάρε — which is why it is the card to start with.
Φάγαμε τόσο πολύ που δεν μπορούσαμε να σηκωθούμε από το τραπέζι.
fághame tóso polí pu dhen borúsame na sikothúme apó to trapézi
We ate so much we couldn't get up from the table.
Θέλεις να φάμε κάτι γρήγορο πριν την ταινία;
thélis na fáme káti ghríghoro prin tin tenía;
Do you want to grab something quick before the film?
Πήρα τα κλειδιά σου κατά λάθος — πάρε τα δικά μου προς το παρόν.
píra ta klidhiá su katá láthos — páre ta dhiká mu pros to parón
I took your keys by mistake — take mine for now.
πάω — one verb with two presents
πάω is the odd card in the set, because it has two present tenses that split the labour. πηγαίνω supplies the imperfective side (present πηγαίνω, imperfect πήγαινα, command πήγαινε), while πάω serves both as an everyday present and as the form after θα and να. So πάω is the one verb here where the θα/να form is spelled exactly like a present tense — the context does all the work.
Πάω στη δουλειά με το ποδήλατο, εκτός αν βρέχει.
páo sti dhuliá me to podhílato, ektós an vréchi
I cycle to work, unless it's raining.
Πήγα στην τράπεζα το πρωί, αλλά θα ξαναπάω αύριο.
pígha stin trápeza to proí, alá tha ksanapáo ávrio
I went to the bank this morning, but I'll go again tomorrow.
Πήγαινε εσύ μπροστά, θα έρθω σε δέκα λεπτά.
píyene esí brostá, tha értho se dhéka leptá
You go ahead, I'll come in ten minutes.
The 1st-plural πάμε doubles as the everyday "let's go," standing on its own with no particle at all: Πάμε!
Πάμε για καφέ όταν σχολάσεις;
páme ya kafé ótan scholásis;
Shall we go for a coffee when you finish work?
έρχομαι — three roots, and a change of shape
έρχομαι is the most heavily suppletive verb of the six. Its imperfective half wears mediopassive endings (έρχομαι, έρχεσαι, ερχόμουν) — it is a deponent — but the moment you cross into the perfective, the endings turn ordinary and active: ήρθα, ήρθες, ήρθε, να έρθω, έχω έρθει. And the command comes from neither root: έλα / ελάτε, salvaged from a verb that otherwise died out centuries ago.
Ερχόταν κάθε Κυριακή για φαγητό, αλλά φέτος δεν ήρθε ούτε μία φορά.
erchótan káthe Kiriakí ya fayitó, alá fétos dhen írthe úte mía forá
He used to come every Sunday for lunch, but this year he hasn't come once.
Έχω έρθει σε αυτό το μέρος άλλες δύο φορές, μου αρέσει πολύ.
écho érthi se aftó to méros áles dhío forés, mu arési polí
I've been to this place twice before, I really like it.
Ελάτε από το σπίτι το βράδυ, θα έχει έρθει και η Μαρία.
eláte apó to spíti to vrádhi, tha échi érthi ke i María
Come round to ours this evening, Maria will be there by then too.
Common Mistakes
1. Spelling the front vowel by ear. είδα and είπα take ει-; ήρθα and ήπια take η-. Both spellings are pronounced the same plain /i/, so the front vowel is invisible to the ear and has to be learned with the word.
❌ Χθες ήδα τον Νίκο στην αγορά με τα παιδιά του.
Incorrect — the aorist of βλέπω is spelled είδα, with ει-.
✅ Χθες είδα τον Νίκο στην αγορά με τα παιδιά του.
chthes ídha ton Níko stin aghorá me ta pedhiá tu
Yesterday I saw Nikos at the market with his kids.
2. Keeping the augment of έφαγα in the plural. The έ- is there only to carry the stress; once the stem itself is long enough, it goes.
❌ Εφάγαμε πολύ ωραία στο καινούριο ταβερνάκι.
Incorrect — the augment drops in the plural: φάγαμε. (είδαμε and ήρθαμε keep their ει-/η- because it is part of the stem, not an augment.)
✅ Φάγαμε πολύ ωραία στο καινούριο ταβερνάκι.
fághame polí oréa sto kenúrio tavernáki
We ate really well at the new little taverna.
3. Building the perfect on the aorist root. The -ει form of the perfect grows out of the θα/να form, not out of the past tense.
❌ Δεν έχω είδει ποτέ κάτι τέτοιο σε όλη μου τη ζωή.
Incorrect — the -ει form is built on the root of δω, giving δει: δεν έχω δει.
✅ Δεν έχω δει ποτέ κάτι τέτοιο σε όλη μου τη ζωή.
dhen écho dhi poté káti tétio se óli mu ti zoí
I've never seen anything like it in my whole life.
Key Takeaways
- Six verbs supply their perfective forms from a different root: βλέπω → δ- (είδα, δω), λέω → π- (είπα, πω), τρώω → φαγ- (έφαγα, φάω), έρχομαι → ρθ- (ήρθα, έρθω) — with πάω splitting its own perfective between πήγα and πάω, and παίρνω → πάρ- the borderline case.
- Learn each as a card of four cells beyond the present you already know: aorist (είδα), θα/να form (δω), command (δες / δείτε), perfect (έχω δει).
- Only two cells are genuinely new — the aorist and the θα/να form. The past tense follows from the first; the plural command and the -ει form of the perfect follow from the second.
- The chain breaks twice: έρχομαι commands with έλα / ελάτε from a third root, and πάω commands with πήγαινε / πηγαίνετε from its imperfective half.
- παίρνω is the mildest case — πάρ- shows up in both halves — and έρχομαι the heaviest, with three roots and a switch from mediopassive to active endings across the two halves.
- πάω is the verb whose θα/να form is spelled exactly like its present; πηγαίνω covers everything imperfective (πήγαινα, θα πηγαίνω, πήγαινε).
Now practice Greek
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Start learning Greek →Related Topics
- Irregular Verbs: PatternsB1 — Greek irregularity has one address: the perfective stem. The present of an irregular verb is almost always textbook-regular — it is δω, έφαγα, μπήκα, έστειλα that surprise you. This page sorts the whole field into five shapes (plus the impersonals) and the three verbs that have no perfective stem at all, and sends you to the page that handles each.
- Irregular and Suppletive AoristsB1 — The dozen aorists you cannot derive and must simply know — είδα, είπα, ήρθα, ήπια, πήγα, βρήκα, μπήκα, βγήκα, πήρα, έφαγα, έδωσα, έμεινα — grouped by their shared shape, and precisely because they belong to Greek's most frequent verbs, the highest-value forms in the whole past tense.
- λέω (to say/tell)A1 — Four stems on one card — λέω/λες, έλεγα, είπα, πω — plus the contrast that makes this verb worth a page: Μου είπε ότι φεύγει ('he told me he is leaving') against Μου είπε να φύγω ('he told me to leave'), one word apart.
- βλέπω (to see)A2 — One verb for see, watch and look at — and three different complements that mean three different things: Τον βλέπω να τρέχει (an event in progress), Τον είδα που έφευγε (a sighting), Βλέπω ότι δεν κατάλαβες (a conclusion, not a sight at all). Plus the full inventory of βλεπ- and δ- forms, and why Greek sees a dream rather than having one.
- τρώω (to eat)A2 — Two stems that share no letters — τρω- / τρωγ- against φαγ- — a present that contracts to τρως and τρώμε, and the habit English cannot copy: Έφαγες; with no object at all. Plus the γ that comes back in έτρωγα and τρώγεται, the participle φαγωμένος that describes the eater, and the idioms that turn on this verb's grammar.
- έρχομαι (to come)A2 — A deponent whose past is shaped like an active verb and whose command comes from a third root: this card lists έρχομαι, ήρθα, έρθω, έλα and ερχόμενος in one place, names the four slots the verb leaves empty, and sets out the frames it takes — including μου έρχεται να, where the person is a genitive clitic.