Two Greek tenses translate the English past, and choosing between them is one of the defining B1 skills. The aorist — έγραψα, “I wrote” — packages a past event or finite series as a bounded whole. The present perfect — έχω γράψει, “I have written” — connects a prior event to the present, as experience or as a result that matters now. The trap for an English speaker is the balance: English gives its perfect more everyday work, while Greek often chooses the aorist where an English translation has have + participle.
The core idea: what is the sentence really about?
Ask yourself: is the sentence about the past moment itself, or about the present situation that the past left behind?
- About the past event (when it happened, in what order, as a story) → aorist.
- About the present — your life-experience so far, or a result that still holds — → perfect.
The perfect belongs to the sphere of the present: it comments on now through an earlier event. A phrase such as χθες or το 2010 ordinarily localizes the event inside a closed past interval, so a neutral event report uses the aorist. That is a strong learner default, not a claim that every time expression mechanically selects one tense.
Rule 1 — a closed event-time anchor normally favors the aorist
When a phrase names when the event happened in a completed past interval — χθες, την Τρίτη, πέρσι, πριν μία ώρα, το 2010 — the ordinary choice is the aorist. This is why a past narrative and its sequence of dated events naturally use aorists.
Το είδα την Τρίτη στην τηλεόραση, ήταν πολύ καλό ντοκιμαντέρ.
to ídha tin Tríti stin tileórasi, ítan polí kaló dokimandér
I saw it on Tuesday on TV — it was a very good documentary.
Γύρισα σπίτι στις έντεκα χθες το βράδυ και έπεσα αμέσως για ύπνο.
yírisa spíti stis éndeka chthes to vrádhi ke épesa amésos ya ípno
I got home at eleven last night and went straight to bed.
Μετακόμισα εδώ πριν δύο χρόνια και δεν το έχω μετανιώσει.
metakómisa edhó prin dhío chrónia ke dhen to écho metaniósi
I moved here two years ago and I haven't regretted it.
The same logic favors the aorist when a “when…?” question asks for the occasion on which one event happened.
Πότε τελείωσες το πανεπιστήμιο; Πριν πόσα χρόνια;
póte telíoses to panepistímio; prin pósa chrónia;
When did you finish university? How many years ago?
Not every time phrase closes the event off from the present. φέτος, ως τώρα, τα τελευταία χρόνια and από το πρωί can define an interval that reaches now, so they combine naturally with the perfect:
Φέτος έχω πάει τρεις φορές στην Αθήνα για δουλειά.
fétos écho pái tris forés stin Athína ya dhuliá
I've been to Athens three times for work this year. (the year is still open)
Δεν έχω φάει τίποτα από το πρωί.
dhen écho fái típota apó to proí
I haven't eaten anything since this morning. (interval continuing to now)
Formal biographical or administrative prose also sometimes uses a perfect to present a dated fact as part of a current record: Η υποψήφια έχει γεννηθεί το 1998 και πληροί το ηλικιακό όριο. A plain biography would normally narrate Γεννήθηκε το 1998. The date is identical; the discourse job differs.
Rule 2 — experience and “ever / never” favor the perfect
When you are totting up what you have done in your life — with no particular occasion in mind — that is the perfect's home turf. It pairs naturally with ποτέ (ever/never), πολλές φορές (many times), and open counts.
Έχω πάει στην Ιταλία, αλλά ποτέ στη Ρώμη.
écho pái stin Italía, alá poté sti Rómi
I've been to Italy, but never to Rome.
Έχεις δουλέψει ποτέ σε εστιατόριο; Είναι πιο κουραστικό απ' ό,τι φαίνεται.
échis dhulépsi poté se estiatório; íne pio kurastikó ap' óti fénete
Have you ever worked in a restaurant? It's more tiring than it looks.
Έχω διαβάσει όλα τα βιβλία αυτού του συγγραφέα, τον λατρεύω.
écho dhiavási óla ta vivlía aftú tu singraféa, ton latrévo
I've read all of this author's books — I adore him.
Rule 3 — a result that still holds favors the perfect
The other perfect use is a past action whose result is still true now. You are not reporting the event for its own sake; you are explaining the present state it created.
Έχω χάσει τα κλειδιά μου, δεν μπορώ να μπω στο σπίτι.
écho chási ta klidhiá mu, dhen boró na bo sto spíti
I've lost my keys — I can't get into the house.
Έχεις τελειώσει; Σε περιμένουν όλοι στο αυτοκίνητο.
échis teliósi; se periménun óli sto aftokínito
Have you finished? Everyone's waiting for you in the car.
Here the point of έχω χάσει is the present lock-out, and the point of έχεις τελειώσει is the present readiness to go. Note, though, that Greek is happy to use the aorist for these too when the "now-relevance" is not being stressed — which brings us to the warning that matters most.
The warning: Greek loves the aorist — stop over-using the perfect
Here is the single most valuable thing on this page. English uses the present perfect far more freely than Greek does. Countless English "have + done" sentences come out as a plain Greek aorist. The classic case is everyday spoken questions and reports:
Έφαγες; Σου κράτησα λίγο φαγητό στο ψυγείο.
éfayes; su krátisa lígho fayitó sto psiyío
Have you eaten? I saved you some food in the fridge. (ordinary meal-time check)
Έχεις φάει; Αν όχι, να σου ζεστάνω κάτι;
échis fái; an óchi, na su zestáno káti;
Have you eaten? If not, shall I heat something up for you? (current result matters)
At mealtime, Greek very often uses the crisp Έφαγες; where English chooses “Have you eaten?” Yet Έχεις φάει; is also ordinary when the speaker foregrounds the present result — whether the listener is hungry or needs food now. The same preference for aorist appears in Τελείωσα ήδη, Μόλις έφυγε, and Είδες το κινητό μου;, but a perfect remains available when its experience/result viewpoint is intended.
The two side by side
Sometimes both tenses are grammatical, and the choice quietly changes the meaning. In the next pair, the perfect opens your whole experience while the aorist points to one occasion.
Έχεις πάει ποτέ στην Κρήτη; Πρέπει να τη δεις.
échis pái poté stin Kríti; prépi na ti dhis
Have you ever been to Crete? You have to see it. (experience — any time in your life)
Πήγες στην Κρήτη το καλοκαίρι; Πώς σου φάνηκε;
píyes stin Kríti to kalokéri; pos su fánike;
Did you go to Crete this summer? How did you find it? (a specific occasion)
Both are correct — but they are different questions. The first opens your whole past; the second points at one summer. The same split works for a CV versus a fixed stint:
Έχω δουλέψει σε πολλές χώρες, από την Ισπανία ως την Ιαπωνία.
écho dhulépsi se polés chóres, apó tin Ispanía os tin Iaponía
I've worked in many countries, from Spain to Japan. (life experience)
Δούλεψα τρία χρόνια στη Γερμανία και μετά γύρισα πίσω.
dhúlepsa tría chrónia sti Yermanía ke metá yírisa píso
I worked three years in Germany and then came back. (a bounded, closed span)
Quick reference
| The situation | Tense | Example |
|---|---|---|
| A closed phrase locating the event (χθες, πέρσι, πριν μία ώρα) | Aorist normally | Ήρθε χθες |
| A “when…?” question about one past occasion | Aorist | Πότε γύρισες; |
| A story / chain of events | Aorist | Μπήκε, είδε, έφυγε |
| A plain spoken question about a past occasion | Aorist often | Έφαγες; |
| An open interval reaching now (φέτος, ως τώρα, από το πρωί) | Perfect | Φέτος έχω πάει τρεις φορές |
| Life experience ("ever / never / X times") | Perfect | Έχω πάει τρεις φορές |
| A result that still holds now | Perfect | Έχω χάσει το πορτοφόλι μου |
Common Mistakes
1. Treating every time phrase alike. A closed phrase that locates the event normally favors the aorist; an interval extending to now readily allows the perfect.
✅ Πήγα στο σινεμά χθες με την παρέα μου.
pígha sto sinemá chthes me tin paréa mu
I went to the cinema yesterday with my friends. (closed past occasion)
✅ Φέτος έχω πάει στο σινεμά μόνο δύο φορές.
fétos écho pái sto sinemá móno dhío forés
I've been to the cinema only twice this year. (open interval through now)
2. Treating every πότε-question as the same. A question seeking one dated occasion normally uses the aorist; πότε can accompany a perfect when it searches a person's experience up to now.
✅ Πότε έμαθες να οδηγείς;
póte émathes na odhiyís;
When did you learn to drive?
✅ Πότε έχεις νιώσει πιο περήφανος στη ζωή σου;
póte échis niósi pio perífanos sti zoí su;
When in your life have you felt proudest? (experience up to now)
3. Defaulting to the perfect because English has one. For an ordinary past report Greek often chooses an aorist even when idiomatic English uses have + participle; use the perfect when you actually foreground experience or a result now.
✅ Χθες γνώρισα έναν παλιό μου φίλο στο κέντρο.
chthes ghnórisa énan palió mu fílo sto kéndro
Yesterday I ran into an old friend of mine in the centre.
✅ Έχω γνωρίσει πολλούς ενδιαφέροντες ανθρώπους σ' αυτή τη δουλειά.
écho ghnorísi polús endhiaférondes anthrópus s' aftí ti dhuliá
I've met many interesting people in this job. (experience relevant now)
4. Confusing πριν “ago” with από “since.” πριν πέντε χρόνια places an event at a past point; από το πρωί can open an interval that continues to now.
✅ Αγόρασα αυτό το σπίτι πριν πέντε χρόνια.
aghórasa aftó to spíti prin pénde chrónia
I bought this house five years ago. (past point)
✅ Δεν έχω πάρει καμία απάντηση από το πρωί.
dhen écho pári kamía apándisi apó to proí
I haven't received any answer since this morning. (interval through now)
Key Takeaways
- Aorist = a past event or finite series viewed as a bounded whole, especially with a closed event-time anchor (Πήγα χθες, Το είδα την Τρίτη) — this is Greek's default narrative past.
- Perfect = the present pay-off of a past action: experience (Έχω πάει στην Ιταλία) or a result that still holds (Έχω χάσει τα κλειδιά).
- A closed phrase that localizes the event ordinarily favors the aorist. An open interval through now (φέτος, ως τώρα, από το πρωί) readily takes the perfect, and formal current-record uses can also include a past date.
- The big adjustment for English speakers: Greek often uses an aorist where English uses a perfect. Έφαγες; is a common “Have you eaten?”, but Έχεις φάει; is also correct when the present result is foregrounded.
- When both are possible, viewpoint decides: the perfect can open experience or a present result, while the aorist presents a bounded occasion (Έχεις πάει ποτέ; vs Πήγες το καλοκαίρι;).
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Start learning Greek →Related Topics
- The Present Perfect (έχω γράψει)B1 — έχω plus the invariable -ει form reports an earlier action whose result, experience or record reaches into the present — Έχω διαβάσει το βιβλίο ('I've read the book'), Δεν έχω πάει ποτέ στην Κρήτη ('I've never been to Crete'). Greek leans on the plain aorist far more, especially for events localized in a closed past frame.
- Using the AoristA2 — The aorist is Greek's default perfective past: it presents an event, a narrative step, a result or even a finite series as one bounded whole — and often lines up with the English simple past while contrasting with the imperfect's internal view.
- Choosing the Right AspectB1 — The one page to bookmark: for verbs that supply an aspect pair, ask whether the speaker packages an occurrence or finite series as a bounded whole (→ perfective), or views a process, open habit or background from inside (→ imperfective), then work through ten real decisions across the past, future, subjunctive and imperative.