The present mediopassive has three productive shapes, selected by a verb's active conjugation class whenever that verb licenses a mediopassive. Class Α maps to -ομαι, Β1 to -ιέμαι, and Β2 to -ούμαι; a small closed set of deponents sits in -άμαι without an active source. This page is the recognition map, not a claim that every active verb has a mediopassive. It does not reprint the six-person paradigms; each is drilled on its linked owner page.
The mapping at a glance
Learn this table and you can place any -μαι verb on sight. The only cell you cannot derive is the -άμαι row: those verbs are deponents with no active twin, so there is no active form to map from — you memorise them whole.
| Active class | Active (1sg) | Passive (1sg / 3sg) | Drill page |
|---|---|---|---|
| Α — -ω | γράφω, πλένω | -ομαι: γράφομαι / γράφεται | -ομαι present |
| Β1 — -άω / -ώ | αγαπάω, φιλάω | -ιέμαι: αγαπιέμαι / αγαπιέται | -ιέμαι present |
| Β2 — -ώ (contract) | θεωρώ, καλώ | -ούμαι: θεωρούμαι / θεωρείται | -ούμαι present |
| (deponent, no active source) | — | -άμαι: θυμάμαι / θυμάται | -άμαι deponents |
The useful reflex is to inspect the active paradigm first. If a plain -ω verb has a mediopassive, its class shape is -ομαι. An -άω verb (or shorter -ώ pairing with -άς) maps to -ιέμαι; contract -ώ pairing with -είς maps to -ούμαι. The 2sg pairing prevents the two -ώ classes from being confused.
Πώς προφέρεται αυτή η λέξη; Δεν είμαι σίγουρος για τον τόνο.
pos proférete aftí i léksi; dhen íme síghuros ya ton tóno
How is this word pronounced? I'm not sure about the stress.
Το δωμάτιο νοικιάζεται με τον μήνα, όχι με τη βδομάδα.
to dhomátio nikiázete me ton mína, óchi me ti vdhomádha
The room is rented by the month, not by the week.
Class Α → -ομαι
The biggest and most regular group. When an -ω verb such as γράφω, πλένω, ετοιμάζω or στέλνω has a mediopassive, it uses -ομαι, -εσαι, -εται, -όμαστε, -εστε, -ονται, with stress moving onto the ending in 1pl (πλενόμαστε). Everyday deponents also occupy the -ομαι shape — έρχομαι, γίνομαι, σκέφτομαι, χρειάζομαι. The complete paradigm and the -εται/-ετε homophone trap are on the -ομαι present.
Χρειάζομαι πέντε λεπτά ακόμα και είμαι έτοιμος.
chriázome pénde leptá akóma ke íme étimos
I need five more minutes and I'm ready.
Τα δέματα στέλνονται κάθε Δευτέρα από την αποθήκη.
ta dhémata stélnonde káthe Dheftéra apó tin apothíki
The parcels are sent every Monday from the warehouse.
Class Β1 → -ιέμαι
A live mediopassive of a -άω verb such as αγαπάω, φιλάω, κρατάω or τραβάω inserts an -ι- glide: -ιέμαι, -ιέσαι, -ιέται, -ιόμαστε, -ιέστε, -ιούνται. The -ι- fuses by synizesis, and plural forms commonly express reciprocal relations — αγαπιούνται "they love each other," φιλιούνται "they kiss each other." The full drill is on the -ιέμαι present.
Ο Νίκος και η Ελένη φιλιούνται στα δύο μάγουλα κάθε φορά που συναντιούνται.
o Níkos ke i Eléni filiúnde sta dhío mághula káthe forá pu sinandiúnde
Nikos and Eleni kiss each other on both cheeks every time they meet.
Κρατιέμαι από την κουπαστή γιατί ζαλίζομαι στα καράβια.
kratyéme apó tin kupastí yatí zalízome sta karávia
I hold on to the railing because I get seasick on boats.
Class Β2 → -ούμαι (and the -άμαι deponents)
When a contract verb whose active -ώ pairs with -είς has a mediopassive (θεωρώ/θεωρείς, καλώ/καλείς), its pattern is -ούμαι: -ού- in θεωρούμαι, θεωρούμαστε, θεωρούνται and -εί- in θεωρείσαι, θεωρείται, θεωρείστε. Most such forms lean (formal) — στερούμαι, διαιρούμαι, κρατούμαι — though θεωρούμαι is everyday. Beside them sits the closed -άμαι deponent set: θυμάμαι, κοιμάμαι, φοβάμαι, λυπάμαι. Both groups are drilled on the -ούμαι and -άμαι present.
Η ταινία θεωρείται κλασική πια, την έχουν δει όλοι.
i tenía theoríte klasikí pia, tin échun dhi óli
The film is considered a classic now — everyone has seen it.
Δεν θυμάμαι πια πού άφησα το φορτιστή μου.
dhen thimáme pia pu áfisa to fortistí mu
I no longer remember where I left my charger.
The shared 1sg signature: final αι
The four 1sg citation endings all finish in αι: -ομαι, -ιέμαι, -ούμαι, -άμαι. This is a reliable spelling rule for the dictionary form, not for every person. The full paradigms include epsilon spellings such as Β1 -ιόμαστε/-ιέστε and Β2 -ούμαστε/-είστε, alongside αι-bearing forms such as -ιέται/-ιούνται and -είται/-ούνται.
Common Mistakes
1. Dropping the -ι- from a Β1 mediopassive. When a live -άω mediopassive belongs to this class, it uses the glide: αγαπάω → αγαπιέμαι, not a mechanically bare ×αγαπάομαι.
Νιώθω ότι δεν αγαπιέμαι πραγματικά σ' αυτή τη σχέση.
nyótho óti dhen aghapyéme praghmatiká s' aftí ti schési
I feel that I'm not truly loved in this relationship.
2. Giving a Β2 verb the plain -εσαι ending. The -ούμαι class takes -είσαι in the 2nd singular, with ει.
❌ Θεωρέσαι υπεύθυνος για την καθυστέρηση της αποστολής.
Incorrect — the -ούμαι class 2sg is θεωρείσαι, with ει.
✅ Θεωρείσαι υπεύθυνος για την καθυστέρηση της αποστολής.
theoríse ipéfthinos ya tin kathistérisi tis apostolís
You're being held responsible for the delay in the shipment.
3. Adding the -ιέμαι glide to an -άμαι deponent. θυμάμαι, κοιμάμαι and φοβάμαι are not -ιέμαι verbs; there is no ×θυμιέμαι.
❌ Κοιμιέμαι πάντα με ανοιχτό παράθυρο, ακόμα και τον χειμώνα.
Incorrect — κοιμάμαι is an -άμαι deponent, not an -ιέμαι verb: κοιμάμαι.
✅ Κοιμάμαι πάντα με ανοιχτό παράθυρο, ακόμα και τον χειμώνα.
kimáme pánda me anichtó paráthiro, akóma ke ton chimóna
I always sleep with the window open, even in winter.
4. Treating a deponent as if its ordinary meaning came from an active twin. Learn φοβάμαι as the neutral current form for “be afraid”; the -άμαι form is the lexical verb, not a transparent passive assembled during conversation.
✅ Φοβάμαι πολύ τα σκυλιά από τότε που με δάγκωσε ένα.
fováme polí ta skiliá apó tóte pu me dhángose éna
I'm very afraid of dogs ever since one bit me.
Key Takeaways
- The present mediopassive shape is fixed by the active class: Α (-ω) → -ομαι, Β1 (-άω) → -ιέμαι, Β2 (-ώ) → -ούμαι; a closed deponent set sits in -άμαι.
- Predict the class from the active paradigm when a live mediopassive exists: plain -ω, -άω/-άς, or -ώ/-είς.
- The -άμαι group (θυμάμαι, κοιμάμαι, φοβάμαι, λυπάμαι) is deponent — no active source, memorise whole.
- All four 1sg citation endings share final αι; their six-person paradigms also contain epsilon spellings such as -ιόμαστε/-ιέστε and -ούμαστε/-είστε.
Related Topics
- Present Mediopassive: -ομαιA2 — The present of the -ομαι mediopassive — πλένομαι, έρχομαι, γίνομαι — its full six-person paradigm, the passive, reflexive and deponent meanings it carries, and the fixed αι-spelling that makes -εται sound exactly like the active -ετε.
- Present Mediopassive: -ιέμαιB1 — How the -άω verbs (Conjugation Β1, like αγαπάω) build their mediopassive present — αγαπιέμαι, αγαπιέσαι, αγαπιέται — where the -ι- glide comes from, the synizesis that keeps it one syllable, and the reciprocal 'kiss/love each other' meaning that makes -ιούνται so common.
- Present Mediopassive: -ούμαι and -άμαιB1 — The last two mediopassive present patterns — the formal-leaning -ούμαι of Β2 verbs (θεωρούμαι), and the small but ultra-frequent set of -άμαι deponents θυμάμαι, κοιμάμαι, φοβάμαι and λυπάμαι, with their irregular three-vowel paradigm laid out in full.