The Perfect in the Passive | Greek Grammar

When you put a perfect into the passive, Greek gives you two different tools, and they do not mean the same thing. One describes the state something ends up in — the door is closed, the table is set, I'm worn out. The other reports the event of that thing being done — it has been written, it has been cancelled, I've got tired. English lets a single phrase, "the door has been closed," cover both readings; Greek pulls them cleanly apart. This page is about telling the two apart and building each one correctly — the part of the Greek verb system that textbooks most often leave half-explained.

Two strategies at a glance

	Resultant-state passive	Event (true) perfect passive
Built with	είμαι the -μένος participle	έχω the passive -εί απαρέμφατο
Example	η πόρτα είναι κλεισμένη	το γράμμα έχει γραφτεί
Means	it is (in the condition of being) shut	it has been written
The second word	agrees — κλεισμένος / -η / -ο	invariable — γραφτεί, always
Focus	the standing state	the completed event

The reason one word agrees and the other never does is the whole point. The -μένος form is really an adjective — a description of how the thing now is — so it behaves like any adjective and matches its noun. The -εί form is a frozen verbal form — the same απαρέμφατο that powers the active perfect (έχω γράψει), just in its passive shape — so it sits there unchanged while έχω does all the work.

Strategy 1: είμαι + -μένος — the resulting state

This is the everyday one, the one you will use constantly (informal to neutral). You take the verb's -μένος participle — κλεισμένος (shut), γραμμένος (written), κουρασμένος (tired), πλυμένος (washed) — and put είμαι / ήταν in front. Because the participle is an adjective, it agrees in gender, number and case with its subject.

Η εξώπορτα είναι κλεισμένη, βγάλε το κλειδί σου να μπούμε.

i eksóporta íne klizméni, vghále to klidhí su na búme

The front door is shut — get your key out so we can go in.

Τα ποτήρια είναι ήδη πλυμένα, μην τα ξαναπλένεις.

ta potíria íne ídhi pliména, min ta ksanaplénis

The glasses are already washed — don't wash them again.

Όταν μπήκα, το ξενοδοχείο ήταν πλήρως ανακαινισμένο.

ótan bíka, to ksenodhochío ítan plíros anakenizméno

When I walked in, the hotel had been completely renovated.

Watch the endings track the noun: κλεισμένη (feminine, with πόρτα), πλυμένα (neuter plural, with ποτήρια), ανακαινισμένο (neuter, with ξενοδοχείο). This is not the verb agreeing — it is an adjective agreeing, exactly as καθαρή / καθαρά / καθαρό would. The meaning is always a standing result: the door is in a shut condition, the glasses are in a washed condition, right now.

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The -μένος strategy answers "what state is it in?" — so it loves a subject you can point at and describe: είναι κλεισμένη, είναι γραμμένο, είμαι κουρασμένος. If you can rephrase your English with "is/was + adjective" ("the table was already set"), this is your form.

Strategy 2: έχω + the passive -εί form — the event

The second strategy is the true perfect of the passive voice — the mirror image of the active έχω γράψει. It uses έχω plus a special invariable passive form ending in -εί: γραφτεί, κουραστεί, πλυθεί. It reports the event of completion — that the thing got done — and it leans a little more formal or written (it is the workhorse of news and notices: έχει ανακοινωθεί, "it has been announced").

Το άρθρο έχει γραφτεί από ειδικό, γι' αυτό είναι τόσο ακριβές.

to árthro échi ghraftí apó idhikó, yi aftó íne tóso akrivés

The article has been written by an expert — that's why it's so accurate.

Η συναυλία έχει ακυρωθεί λόγω της κακοκαιρίας.

i sinavlía échi akirothí lógho tis kakokerías

The concert has been cancelled because of the bad weather.

Έχω κουραστεί πολύ αυτή τη βδομάδα, χρειάζομαι λίγες μέρες άδεια.

écho kurastí polí aftí ti vdhomádha, chriázome líyes méres ádhia

I've got really worn out this week — I need a few days off.

Όλα έχουν κανονιστεί για το ταξίδι, μην ανησυχείς για τίποτα.

óla échun kanonistí ya to taksídhi, min anisichís ya típota

Everything has been arranged for the trip — don't worry about a thing.

Notice γραφτεί, ακυρωθεί, κουραστεί, κανονιστεί never change — έχει γραφτεί, έχουν κανονιστεί, έχω κουραστεί. Person and number live on έχω alone, precisely as in the active perfect.

How to build the -εί form

You already know most of it, because the passive -εί απαρέμφατο is built straight off the passive aorist in -θηκα. Take the passive aorist, strip the -ηκα / -ηκε ending, and add -εί:

Verb	Passive aorist (3sg)	-εί form	Perfect passive
γράφομαι (be written)	γράφτηκε	γραφτεί	έχει γραφτεί
κουράζομαι (get tired)	κουράστηκε	κουραστεί	έχω κουραστεί
πλένομαι (be washed)	πλύθηκε	πλυθεί	έχει πλυθεί
χτίζομαι (be built)	χτίστηκε	χτιστεί	έχει χτιστεί
ακυρώνομαι (be cancelled)	ακυρώθηκε	ακυρωθεί	έχει ακυρωθεί

The endings line up exactly with the aorist ones you already met: -θηκα → -θεί (πλύθηκα → πλυθεί), -στηκα → -στεί (κουράστηκα → κουραστεί), -φτηκα → -φτεί (γράφτηκα → γραφτεί), -χτηκα → -χτεί (ρίχτηκα → ριχτεί). If you can form the passive aorist, you can form this — same stem, new ending.

Η γέφυρα έχει ξαναχτιστεί μετά τον σεισμό του περασμένου χρόνου.

i yéfira échi ksanachtistí metá ton sizmó tu perazménu chrónu

The bridge has been rebuilt after last year's earthquake.

Δεν έχω κοιμηθεί καθόλου, το μωρό έκλαιγε όλο το βράδυ.

dhen écho kimithí kathólu, to moró ékleye ólo to vrádhi

I haven't slept at all — the baby cried all night.

State vs event, side by side

Put the two strategies on the same verb and the difference jumps out. γράφω gives you both γραμμένο (the -μένος participle) and γραφτεί (the -εί form):

Το όνομά σου είναι ήδη γραμμένο στη λίστα των καλεσμένων.

to ónomá su íne ídhi ghraméno sti lísta ton kalezménon

Your name is already written on the guest list. (it stands written — a state)

Η λίστα έχει γραφτεί βιαστικά και λείπουν κάποια ονόματα.

i lísta échi ghraftí viastiká ke lípun kápia onómata

The list was written in a hurry and some names are missing. (the act of writing it — an event)

The first looks at the paper now and describes its condition; the second looks back at the writing of it. English "your name is written / the list has been written" barely marks the difference — Greek makes you commit. As a rule of thumb: a lingering, describable condition → είμαι + -μένος; a reported completion, often with an agent (από ειδικό, από τον δήμο) → έχω + -εί.

Backwards and forwards: the passive pluperfect and future perfect

Both strategies project into the other tenses, and the good news is that nothing new has to be learned. The second word — the agreeing -μένος or the frozen -εί — never moves. Only the auxiliary does.

	State track (είμαι + -μένος)	Event track (έχω + -εί)
Perfect	είναι γραμμένο	έχει γραφτεί
Pluperfect	ήταν γραμμένο	είχε γραφτεί
Future perfect	θα είναι γραμμένο	θα έχει γραφτεί

The pluperfect passive does what its active counterpart does — it reaches back to a point before the past moment you are already talking about:

Όταν πήγα στο γραφείο, τα χαρτιά είχαν ήδη υπογραφεί.

ótan pígha sto ghrafío, ta chartiá íchan ídhi ipoghrafí

When I went to the office, the papers had already been signed.

Το τραπέζι ήταν ήδη στρωμένο για δέκα άτομα, οπότε καθίσαμε αμέσως.

to trapézi ítan ídhi stroméno ya dhéka átoma, opóte kathísame amésos

The table was already laid for ten, so we sat down straight away.

The first reports the event of signing, finished before I arrived; the second describes the state the table was in. Exactly the same split as in the present, one step further back.

The future perfect passive works the same way forward, and shows up constantly with μέχρι, ως and ώσπου:

Μέχρι τη Δευτέρα θα έχουν σταλεί όλες οι προσκλήσεις.

méchri ti dheftéra tha échun stalí óles i prosklísis

By Monday all the invitations will have been sent.

Ώσπου να γυρίσεις, όλα θα είναι τακτοποιημένα.

óspu na yirísis, óla tha íne taktopiiména

By the time you get back, everything will be tidied away.

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The pairing rule holds in every tense: είμαι in any form ↔ -μένος, έχω in any form ↔ -εί. So ήταν γραμμένο and είχε γραφτεί are both fine — but ×ήταν γραφτεί and ×είχε γραμμένο are the same crossed wires as in the present, just harder to spot. After να the pattern is unchanged too: να έχει γραφτεί, covered on the perfect subjunctive.

A third construction, not to be confused

There is one more shape you will meet, and it is neither of the above: έχω + a direct object + an agreeing participle, as in έχω γραμμένα τα ονόματα ("I've got the names written down") or έχω κλεισμένο το τραπέζι ("I've got the table booked"). This is a resultative — "I have X in a done state" — and here the participle does agree, because it is describing the object. It is perfectly good Greek; just don't mistake it for the plain perfect passive, which never puts an agreeing participle straight after έχω without an object to agree with.

Έχω κλεισμένο τραπέζι για τέσσερις στις εννιά απόψε.

écho klizméno trapézi ya téseris stis eniá apópse

I've got a table booked for four at nine tonight.

Common Mistakes

1. Failing to make -μένος agree. It is an adjective, so it must match its noun in gender and number.

❌ Η πόρτα είναι κλεισμένο και δεν μπορώ να μπω.

Incorrect — the participle must agree with πόρτα (feminine): κλεισμένη.

✅ Η πόρτα είναι κλεισμένη και δεν μπορώ να μπω.

i pórta íne klizméni ke dhen boró na bo

The door is shut and I can't get in.

2. Inflecting the -εί form for person. After έχω the passive απαρέμφατο is frozen — never the personal subjunctive γραφτούν / γραφτεί → ×γραφτούν.

❌ Τα γράμματα έχουν γραφτούν στο χέρι.

Incorrect — after έχουν the form is the invariable γραφτεί: έχουν γραφτεί.

✅ Τα γράμματα έχουν γραφτεί στο χέρι.

ta ghrámata échun ghraftí sto chéri

The letters have been written by hand.

3. Crossing the wires: είμαι + the -εί form. είμαι pairs with the agreeing -μένος; the invariable -εί form pairs only with έχω. Mixing them is a real learner error.

❌ Είμαι πολύ κουραστεί σήμερα.

Incorrect — with είμαι use the state participle (είμαι κουρασμένος); the -εί form takes έχω (έχω κουραστεί).

✅ Είμαι πολύ κουρασμένος σήμερα, δεν έχω όρεξη για τίποτα.

íme polí kurazménos símera, dhen écho óreksi ya típota

I'm very tired today — I don't feel like doing anything.

4. Crossing them the other way: έχω + a bare -μένος. Without an object to agree with, έχω cannot take a nominative participle; you want either έχω + -εί (event) or είμαι + -μένος (state).

❌ Έχω κουρασμένος από τη δουλειά.

Incorrect — either έχω κουραστεί (event) or είμαι κουρασμένος (state).

✅ Έχω κουραστεί από τη δουλειά, θα ξαπλώσω λίγο.

écho kurastí apó ti dhuliá, tha ksaplóso lígho

I've got tired from work — I'll lie down for a bit.

Key Takeaways

The passive perfect has two strategies: είμαι + -μένος for the resulting state (η πόρτα είναι κλεισμένη), and έχω + -εί for the event (το γράμμα έχει γραφτεί).
-μένος agrees like an adjective (κλεισμένος / -η / -ο) because it is one; the -εί form is invariable because it is the frozen passive απαρέμφατο.
Build the -εί word off the passive aorist: strip -ηκα and add -εί — γράφτηκε → γραφτεί, κουράστηκε → κουραστεί, πλύθηκε → πλυθεί.
Keep the pairing straight: είμαι ↔ -μένος, έχω ↔ -εί. Never είμαι κουραστεί, never έχω κουρασμένος.
Both tracks run through every tense with only the auxiliary changing: ήταν γραμμένο / είχε γραφτεί (pluperfect), θα είναι γραμμένο / θα έχει γραφτεί (future perfect).
A separate resultative, έχω + object + agreeing participle (έχω κλεισμένο τραπέζι, "I've got a table booked"), is good Greek — but it needs the object and is not the plain perfect passive.

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