English hides a distinction that Greek makes you notice. The waiter broke the glass and the glass broke use the same word broke, but they are not active and passive versions of one sentence — the second one does not say the glass was broken by anybody. It says the breaking simply happened. Greek has the same pairing, and it is one of the most under-explained corners of the language, because learners meet καίω / καίγομαι and assume they are looking at a passive. They are not. This page is about the causative–inchoative alternation: the pairing of a verb that means make something change with a verb that means change.
This is not passivisation
Keep two operations apart, because they do different things to the sentence.
Passivisation takes one event with two participants and re-angles it. Ο φύλακας έκλεισε την πόρτα → Η πόρτα κλείστηκε από τον φύλακα. The doer is still there; you can leave him unnamed, but the sentence still means somebody closed it. The από-phrase is the proof: it can be put back at any point.
The causative–inchoative alternation is not a re-angling. The two members describe the situation with different numbers of participants. Έκαψα τα γράμματα has a burner and a thing burnt. Κάηκαν τα γράμματα has only the thing, and it presents the burning as something that happened to it — no doer implied, none recoverable. That is why English can say the glass broke by itself but not ×the glass was broken by itself: "by itself" is only compatible with the version that has no agent in it.
Έκαψα όλα τα παλιά γράμματα σε ένα τενεκεδάκι στην αυλή.
ékapsa óla ta paliá ghrámata se éna tenekedháki stin avlí
I burnt all the old letters in a tin can in the yard.
Πρόσεχε, καίγεται το φαγητό! Έχει μισή ώρα να το ανακατέψει κανείς.
próseche, kéyete to fayitó! échi misí óra na to anakatépsi kanís
Careful, the food's burning! It's been half an hour since anyone stirred it.
Route 1: the voice does the work
The first and most obvious route is the one the -ομαι ending was made for. The active is the causative — make it happen — and the mediopassive is the inchoative — it happens.
| Active (causative) | Mediopassive (inchoative) |
|---|---|
| καίω — I burn (something) | καίγομαι — I burn, I'm on fire |
| κουράζω — I tire (someone) out | κουράζομαι — I get tired |
| ζεσταίνω — I heat (something) | ζεσταίνομαι — I get warm |
| λερώνω — I dirty (something) | λερώνομαι — I get dirty |
| σκίζω — I tear (something) | σκίζομαι — it tears, it rips |
| χάνω — I lose (something) | χάνομαι — I get lost |
| μειώνω — I reduce (something) | μειώνομαι — it goes down |
Κουράζομαι πιο εύκολα φέτος, θα πρέπει να κάνω κάτι με τον ύπνο μου.
kurázome pio éfkola fétos, tha prépi na káno káti me ton ípno mu
I get tired more easily this year — I'll have to do something about my sleep.
Μου σκίστηκε το παντελόνι καθώς πηδούσα τον φράχτη.
mu skístike to pandelóni kathós pidhúsa ton fráchti
My trousers ripped as I was jumping the fence.
Οι θερμοκρασίες μειώνονται σταδιακά από την Πέμπτη.
i thermokrasíes miónonde stadhiaká apó tin Pémpti
Temperatures drop gradually from Thursday. (weather forecast)
Notice what happens with καίω. Its inchoative twin καίγομαι covers be on fire, get burnt, burn out — Κάηκε η λάμπα, Κάηκε η ασφάλεια, Κάηκε το φαγητό. Meanwhile the active καίω has an intransitive life of its own, meaning give off heat: Καίει ο ήλιος ("the sun is scorching"), Καίει το μέτωπό του ("his forehead is burning up"). So the two are not simply "transitive" and "intransitive" — you have to know which intransitive meaning belongs to which form.
Καίει ο ήλιος στη μία το μεσημέρι, μην κατέβεις στην παραλία τώρα.
kéi o ílios sti mía to mesiméri, min katévis stin paralía tóra
The sun is scorching at one in the afternoon — don't go down to the beach now.
Route 2: no marking at all — the labile actives
Here is the part textbooks skip, and it is why learners over-produce the mediopassive. A large group of extremely common Greek verbs does the whole alternation inside the active voice, with no ending change whatsoever. The same form is causative when it has an object and inchoative when it does not — exactly like English stop, open, finish.
| Verb | Causative (with an object) | Inchoative (no object) |
|---|---|---|
| σταματάω | Σταμάτησα το αυτοκίνητο | Σταμάτησε η βροχή |
| τελειώνω | Τελείωσα την αναφορά | Τελείωσε το πάρτι |
| ανοίγω | Άνοιξα το παράθυρο | Το μαγαζί ανοίγει στις εννιά |
| κλείνω | Έκλεισα την τηλεόραση | Ο δρόμος έκλεισε |
| σπάω | Έσπασα ένα ποτήρι | Έσπασε το ποτήρι |
| αρχίζω | Αρχίζω τη δίαιτα | Άρχισε η ταινία |
| γεμίζω | Γέμισα τη στάμνα | Γέμισε το ποτήρι |
| λιώνω | Λιώνω το βούτυρο | Έλιωσε το χιόνι |
| ανάβω | Άναψα το φως | Άναψε η φωτιά |
| σβήνω | Έσβησα τη φωτιά | Έσβησε η φωτιά |
| χαλάω | Χάλασα το ρολόι | Χάλασε το ψυγείο |
Σταμάτησε επιτέλους η βροχή, πάμε μια βόλτα πριν ξαναρχίσει.
stamátise epitélus i vrochí, páme mia vólta prin ksanarchísi
The rain's finally stopped — let's go for a walk before it starts again.
Το μάθημα τελειώνει στις τρεις, θα σε πάρω μόλις βγω.
to máthima telióni stis tris, tha se páro mólis vgho
The class finishes at three — I'll call you as soon as I get out.
Έσπασε ένα ποτήρι στον νεροχύτη και μαζεύω γυαλιά μισή ώρα.
éspase éna potíri ston nerochíti ke mazévo yaliá misí óra
A glass broke in the sink and I've been picking up shards for half an hour.
The mediopassive of these verbs is not unavailable — it just does the other job, the genuine passive. γυρίζω shows both halves cleanly. In the active it is labile: γυρίζω το κλειδί (I turn the key) beside γυρίζω σπίτι (I go back home). The mediopassive γυρίζομαι does not mean "come back" at all; it is the plain passive of the "turn / shoot" senses.
Γύρισα το κλειδί δύο φορές, αλλά η πόρτα δεν ξεκλείδωσε.
yírisa to klidhí dhío forés, alá i pórta dhen kseklídhose
I turned the key twice, but the door didn't unlock.
Γυρίσαμε σπίτι κατά τις δύο και βρήκαμε το ρεύμα κομμένο.
yirísame spíti katá tis dhío ke vríkame to révma koméno
We got back home around two and found the power cut off.
Η ταινία γυρίστηκε ολόκληρη στη Νάξο μέσα σε έξι εβδομάδες.
i tenía yirístike olókliri sti Nákso mésa se éksi evdhomádhes
The film was shot entirely on Naxos in six weeks.
Route 3: two different verbs
A third group solves the same problem lexically — a separate verb for each side. These are the pairs you already know as ordinary vocabulary, and it is worth seeing them lined up, because they belong to the same system.
| Causative | Inchoative / motion | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ανεβάζω | ανεβαίνω | take up / go up |
| κατεβάζω | κατεβαίνω | bring down / go down |
| βγάζω | βγαίνω | take out / come out |
| βάζω | μπαίνω | put in / go in |
| ρίχνω | πέφτω | drop / fall |
| φοβίζω | φοβάμαι | frighten / be frightened |
Ανέβασα τις βαλίτσες στο πατάρι και μετά ανέβηκα κι εγώ να τις τακτοποιήσω.
anévasa tis valítses sto patári ke metá anévika ki eghó na tis taktopiíso
I took the suitcases up to the loft and then went up myself to sort them out.
When the middle becomes a different word
The pairs above are predictable. This next group is not, and pretending otherwise would be dishonest: for a set of very frequent verbs the mediopassive has drifted away from its active until the two are effectively separate vocabulary items. You have to learn each one.
| Active | Mediopassive | What the middle actually means |
|---|---|---|
| χάνω (lose) | χάνομαι | get lost; disappear |
| βρίσκω (find) | βρίσκομαι | be located, be situated |
| φέρνω (bring) | φέρομαι | behave (towards someone) |
| πιάνω (catch) | πιάνομαι | get caught; seize up, go stiff |
| ανοίγω (open) | ανοίγομαι | open up to someone; put out to sea |
| κλείνω (close) | κλείνομαι | shut oneself away |
| σηκώνω (lift) | σηκώνομαι | get up; (of wind, dough) rise |
Το χωριό βρίσκεται δέκα χιλιόμετρα μετά τη διασταύρωση, δεξιά.
to chorió vrískete dhéka chiliómetra metá ti dhiastávrosi, dheksiá
The village is ten kilometres past the junction, on the right.
Φέρθηκε πολύ άσχημα στη μητέρα του και μετά ζήτησε συγγνώμη.
férthike polí áschima sti mitéra tu ke metá zítise sighnómi
He behaved very badly towards his mother and then apologised.
Πιάστηκε ο λαιμός μου από το μαξιλάρι και δεν μπορώ να γυρίσω το κεφάλι.
piástike o lemós mu apó to maksilári ke dhen boró na yiríso to kefáli
My neck has seized up from the pillow and I can't turn my head.
σηκώνομαι deserves its own note, because it straddles the line. With a person as subject it is an ordinary self-directed action — Σηκώθηκα και έφυγα, "I got up and left" — the grooming-and-routine use covered on the reflexive middle. With an inanimate subject the very same verb is purely inchoative, and no one is doing anything at all.
Σηκώθηκε αέρας το απόγευμα και μαζέψαμε βιαστικά τις ομπρέλες.
sikóthike aéras to apóyevma ke mazépsame viastiká tis ombréles
The wind picked up in the afternoon and we hurriedly took in the umbrellas.
Common Mistakes
1. Using the causative active for something that happens to you. χάνω needs a thing you lost; "I got lost" is the mediopassive χάνομαι.
❌ Έχασα στα σοκάκια της Πλάκας και άργησα μια ώρα.
Incorrect for 'I got lost' — έχασα means 'I lost (something)' or 'I lost (a game)'. Getting lost is χάθηκα.
✅ Χάθηκα στα σοκάκια της Πλάκας και άργησα μια ώρα.
cháthika sta sokákia tis Plákas ke áryisa mia óra
I got lost in the back streets of Plaka and turned up an hour late.
2. Building a mediopassive for a labile verb. γυρίζω already carries "come back" in the active; the mediopassive γυρίζομαι belongs to "turn something / shoot a film."
❌ Γυρίστηκα σπίτι αργά και έπεσα αμέσως για ύπνο.
Incorrect — 'I came back' is the plain active γύρισα. Γυρίστηκα is the passive of 'turn something round'.
✅ Γύρισα σπίτι αργά και έπεσα αμέσως για ύπνο.
yírisa spíti arghá ke épesa amésos ya ípno
I got home late and went straight to bed.
3. Reading a drifted middle as the passive of its active. φέρθηκε is not "was brought" — it is "behaved."
❌ Το παιδί φέρθηκε στο νοσοκομείο με ασθενοφόρο.
Incorrect for 'was taken to hospital' — φέρθηκε means 'behaved'. Use μεταφέρθηκε, or the active: το πήγαν στο νοσοκομείο.
✅ Το παιδί μεταφέρθηκε στο νοσοκομείο με ασθενοφόρο.
to pedhí metaférthike sto nosokomío me asthenofóro
The child was taken to hospital by ambulance.
4. Giving the inchoative an object. καίγομαι says the subject itself burns; to burn something you need the causative καίω.
❌ Καίγομαι τα ξερά κλαδιά στο πίσω χωράφι κάθε φθινόπωρο.
Incorrect — καίγομαι means 'I am burning / on fire'. Burning something is the active καίω.
✅ Καίω τα ξερά κλαδιά στο πίσω χωράφι κάθε φθινόπωρο.
kéo ta kserá kladhiá sto píso choráfi káthe fthinóporo
I burn the dry branches in the back field every autumn.
Key Takeaways
- The causative–inchoative alternation is not passivisation. A passive keeps a doer in the background and admits an από-phrase; an inchoative has no doer at all and takes μόνο του instead.
- Route 1 — the voice marks it: καίω/καίγομαι, κουράζω/κουράζομαι, ζεσταίνω/ζεσταίνομαι, σκίζω/σκίζομαι, χάνω/χάνομαι.
- Route 2 — nothing marks it: σταματάω, τελειώνω, ανοίγω, κλείνω, σπάω, αρχίζω, γεμίζω, λιώνω, ανάβω, σβήνω, χαλάω are labile inside the active. Their mediopassive is reserved for the true passive (η ταινία γυρίστηκε).
- Route 3 — two separate verbs: ανεβάζω/ανεβαίνω, κατεβάζω/κατεβαίνω, βγάζω/βγαίνω, ρίχνω/πέφτω.
- Some middles have drifted into new words — βρίσκομαι (be located), φέρομαι (behave), πιάνομαι (seize up), ανοίγομαι (open up) — and must be learned individually.
- Do not translate an inchoative with an English passive. Κάηκε το φαγητό is "the food burnt," not "the food was burnt (by someone)"; the wider map of these non-passive readings is on middle-voice meanings.
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Start learning Greek →Related Topics
- Middle-Voice MeaningsB2 — What the -ομαι ending really encodes once you stop calling it 'the passive' — acting for your own benefit (δανείζομαι, μοιράζομαι), emotional and mental states (χαίρομαι, στεναχωριέμαι, ντρέπομαι), spontaneous events (φαίνεται, ακούγεται), and the potential middle that means 'can't be done' (δεν τρώγεται, δεν διαβάζεται) — plus the honest warning that θυμώνω and νιώθω are active.
- The Mediopassive Voice: OverviewA2 — A map of the -ομαι voice as one system marching through every tense with the same shifting endings — present -ομαι, imperfect -όμουν, aorist -θηκα, perfect έχω + -θεί / είμαι + -μένος — with routes to the detailed form pages.
- Expressing the Agent (από)B1 — How to name the doer of a passive action with από + accusative — Το βιβλίο γράφτηκε από τον Σεφέρη — why Greek reuses its word for 'from' as 'by', how the agent differs from the instrument (με), and why spoken Greek usually prefers the active instead.