The other half of the mediopassive past is the perfective one: it presents one occurrence — or a finite series of occurrences — as a bounded whole, without showing its internal unfolding. Its trademark ending is -θηκα, and it serves the entire voice — passive, reflexive, middle and deponent alike: it got written, I got dressed, I got scared, I got lost. This page gives you the recognition view — where -θηκα sits in the system, what it means, and the three consonant faces it wears — then routes you to Aorist Mediopassive: -θηκα for the full paradigm and to the -στηκα / -χτηκα variants for the fusion rules.
Where -θηκα sits in the system
Line the past up against the present and the imperfect and the aorist's job becomes obvious. Take χάνομαι (get lost):
| Present | Imperfective past (inside the process) | Aorist (bounded whole) |
|---|---|---|
| χάνομαι I get lost | χανόμουν I was getting lost | χάθηκα I got lost |
The imperfect -όμουν presents an action from inside, as a developing process or an open habit; the aorist -θηκα presents an occurrence or delimited series from outside, as one bounded whole. English was getting lost versus got lost can illustrate that contrast, but the mapping is not mechanical: Greek aspect chooses a viewpoint rather than certifying objective completion.
Χάθηκα στα σοκάκια της παλιάς πόλης και άργησα μια ώρα.
cháthika sta sokákia tis paliás pólis ke áryisa mia óra
I got lost in the alleys of the old town and was an hour late.
A finite repeated series can therefore also take the aorist when a boundary encloses the series as a whole:
Μέσα σε μία εβδομάδα, το σύστημα ενημερώθηκε τρεις φορές.
mésa se mía evdhomádha, to sístima enimeróthike tris forés
Within one week, the system was updated three times.
The endings, at a glance
The aorist mediopassive runs on -θηκα, -θηκες, -θηκε, -θήκαμε, -θήκατε, -θηκαν — the same person-endings as the active aorist (-α, -ες, -ε…) glued onto a -θηκ- block. The one movement to watch is the accent: it is antepenultimate, sitting on the syllable before -θηκα in the singular (ντύθηκα) but pushed forward onto -θή- in the 1st and 2nd plural (ντυθήκαμε). The base -θηκα page drills that jump.
Χτενίστηκα βιαστικά και έτρεξα να προλάβω το τρένο.
chtenístika viastiká ke étreksa na prolávo to tréno
I combed my hair in a hurry and ran to catch the train.
What -θηκα means: three readings, one form
Just like the present, the aorist -θηκα form does not change with meaning — only context tells you which of the voice's jobs it is doing.
1. True passive — the subject was acted on. It was delivered, it was rejected, it was destroyed.
Το πακέτο παραδόθηκε στη λάθος διεύθυνση.
to pakéto paradhóthike sti láthos dhiéfthinsi
The parcel was delivered to the wrong address.
Η πρόταση απορρίφθηκε από την επιτροπή χωρίς συζήτηση.
i prótasi aporífthike apó tin epitropí chorís sizítisi
The proposal was rejected by the committee without discussion.
When such a passive names its agent, Greek uses από ("by") — as in από την επιτροπή above; that corner of the system is on expressing the agent with από.
2. Reflexive / middle — the subject did it to or for itself. I got ready, I shaved, I got dressed.
Ξυρίστηκα και φόρεσα το καλό μου πουκάμισο για τη γιορτή.
ksirístika ke fóresa to kaló mu pukámiso ya ti yortí
I shaved and put on my good shirt for the celebration.
3. Deponent — an active meaning locked in the -ομαι shape. The everyday deponents take this same past: φοβάμαι → φοβήθηκα, θυμάμαι → θυμήθηκα, κοιμάμαι → κοιμήθηκα. A small group drops the -θ- and lands on bare -ηκα — χαίρομαι → χάρηκα, ντρέπομαι → ντράπηκα, φαίνομαι → φάνηκα — but the person-endings and the accent-jump work exactly as above (χαρήκαμε, ντραπήκαμε).
Ντράπηκα πολύ όταν κατάλαβα το λάθος μου μπροστά σε όλους.
drápika polí ótan katálava to láthos mu brostá se ólus
I was very embarrassed when I realised my mistake in front of everyone.
Χάρηκα πάρα πολύ που σε είδα ξανά μετά από τόσα χρόνια.
chárika pára polí pu se ídha ksaná metá apó tósa chrónia
I was really glad to see you again after so many years.
The three consonant faces: -φτηκα, -χτηκα, -στηκα
The -θ- of -θηκα does not always surface unchanged. On a vowel-based stem or in verbs such as ντύνομαι and χάνομαι it remains visible (ντύθηκα, χάθηκα); after many consonants it appears in fused -φτηκα, -χτηκα or -στηκα shapes. The table gives useful recognition tendencies; it is not a rule for deriving every passive aorist from the present:
| Recognizable pattern | Surface sequence | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Unfused θ | -θηκα | ντύνομαι → ντύθηκα |
| Labial fusion | -φτηκα | γράφομαι → γράφτηκα |
| Velar fusion | -χτηκα | ρίχνομαι → ρίχτηκα |
| Sibilant / dental fusion | -στηκα | κουράζομαι → κουράστηκα |
Το μνημείο καταστράφηκε από πυρκαγιά πριν από δύο αιώνες.
to mnimío katastráfike apó pirkayá prin apó dhío eónes
The monument was destroyed by a fire two centuries ago.
The verbs that opt out: suppletive aorists
Three of the most common mediopassive verbs refuse the -θηκα pattern and switch root or shape instead. They are high-frequency and simply have to be learned as they are: έρχομαι (come) → ήρθα; γίνομαι (become, happen) → έγινα; and κάθομαι (sit) → κάθισα, which even looks active. These sit with the irregular and suppletive aorists.
Ήρθε επιτέλους η άνοιξη και τα δέντρα άνθισαν όλα μαζί.
írthe epitélus i ániksi ke ta dhéndra ánthisan óla mazí
Spring finally came and the trees all blossomed together.
Έγινε μεγάλος σαματάς στη γειτονιά χθες το βράδυ.
éyine meghálos samatás sti yitoniá chthes to vrádhi
There was a big commotion in the neighbourhood last night.
Κάθισα δίπλα της στο λεωφορείο και πιάσαμε κουβέντα.
káthisa dhípla tis sto leoforío ke piásame kuvénda
I sat down next to her on the bus and we struck up a conversation.
Common Mistakes
1. Choose the viewpoint, not just the calendar time. The imperfective is natural for an internally viewed process or open habit; the aorist packages the particular incident as a bounded whole.
✅ Όταν έπαιζα μπάσκετ στο σχολείο, τραυματιζόμουν συχνά στο γόνατο.
ótan épeza básket sto scholío, travmatizómun sichná sto ghónato
When I played basketball at school, I would often injure my knee.
✅ Χθες τραυματίστηκα στο γόνατο παίζοντας μπάσκετ.
chthes travmatístika sto ghónato pézondas básket
Yesterday I hurt my knee playing basketball.
2. Regularizing a suppletive verb. γίνομαι has no ×γινόθηκε; its aorist is έγινε.
❌ Τι γινόθηκε στη συνάντηση; Πες μου τα νέα.
Incorrect — γίνομαι is suppletive: the aorist is έγινε, never ×γινόθηκε.
✅ Τι έγινε στη συνάντηση; Πες μου τα νέα.
ti éyine sti sinándisi; pes mu ta néa
What happened at the meeting? Tell me the news.
3. Not moving the accent in the 1st/2nd plural. The longer ending forces the stress forward onto -θή-/-στή-.
❌ Ετοιμάστηκαμε νωρίς για να προλάβουμε το πλοίο.
Incorrect — the 1st plural moves the accent forward: ετοιμαστήκαμε.
✅ Ετοιμαστήκαμε νωρίς για να προλάβουμε το πλοίο.
etimastíkame norís ya na prolávume to plío
We got ready early to catch the ferry.
4. Do not confuse forms from different verbs. The real form χάρησα is the aorist of χαρίζω (“give as a gift; waive”), not a form of χαίρομαι. For “I was pleased,” use χάρηκα.
✅ Χάρηκα πολύ με το δώρο σου, σε ευχαριστώ.
chárika polí me to dhóro su, se efcharistó
I was really pleased with your gift — thank you.
Key Takeaways
- -θηκα is the perfective past of the whole -ομαι voice: it presents one occurrence or a bounded finite series as a whole, whether its reading is passive, reflexive/middle or deponent.
- Endings: -θηκα, -θηκες, -θηκε, -θήκαμε, -θήκατε, -θηκαν, with the accent jumping forward onto -θή- in the 1st/2nd plural (ντύθηκα → ντυθήκαμε).
- On many consonant-stems the -θ- surfaces in -φτηκα / -χτηκα / -στηκα combinations; the active aorist can offer a clue, but the variants page owns the formation rules and exceptions.
- Hold it apart from the imperfect -όμουν: -θηκα gives an external, bounded view, while -όμουν gives an internal process or open habit. Neither viewpoint is a mechanical statement about objective completion.
- Three top-frequency verbs are suppletive: έρχομαι → ήρθα, γίνομαι → έγινα, κάθομαι → κάθισα.
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Start learning Greek →Related Topics
- Aorist Mediopassive: -θηκαB1 — The common perfective past in -θηκα for the -ομαι voice — αγαπήθηκα, ντύθηκα, φοβήθηκα, γεννήθηκα — with endings -θηκα, -θηκες, -θηκε, -θήκαμε, -θήκατε, -θηκαν, a plural accent shift, and passive, middle and deponent readings.
- Passive Aorist Variants: -στηκα, -χτηκαB1 — The consonant-driven faces of the passive aorist: -φτηκα on labial stems (γράφτηκα, κρύφτηκα), -χτηκα on velar stems (ρίχτηκα, τυλίχτηκα), -στηκα on sibilant and dental stems (κουράστηκα, αναγκάστηκα) — each one predictable from the verb's stem consonant, exactly like the active -ψα / -ξα / -σα merges.
- Deponent Verbs (-ομαι only)B1 — Verbs with no corresponding active present but an active meaning — έρχομαι (come), κάθομαι (sit), γίνομαι (become), θυμάμαι (remember), φοβάμαι (fear), σκέφτομαι (think), εργάζομαι (work) — their mediopassive present and imperfect, and their unpredictable active-type or mediopassive-type perfective forms.