Perfect With ήδη, ακόμα, ποτέ | Greek Grammar

A handful of adverbs are the present perfect's natural travelling companions. When your sentence carries an already, a not yet, an ever/never, or a lately, you are almost always in perfect territory — because all four talk about the span up to now rather than a single past moment. Greek has a neat word for each: ήδη (already), ακόμα (yet, in "not yet"), ποτέ (ever/never), and τελευταία (lately, recently). This page shows where they sit in the sentence and the one trap that catches every English speaker: making ποτέ mean "never."

ήδη — "already"

ήδη marks that something is already done, sooner than expected. Its most natural spot is between έχω and the -ει form: έχω *ήδη φάει*. You can also front it (Ήδη έχω φάει) for a touch of emphasis, but the mid position is the default.

Έχω ήδη φάει, φάγαμε πολύ νωρίς σήμερα.

écho ídhi fái, fághame polí norís símera

I've already eaten — we ate very early today.

Μην ανησυχείς, έχω ήδη στείλει το μήνυμα στον διευθυντή.

min anisichís, écho ídhi stíli to mínima ston dhiefthindí

Don't worry, I've already sent the message to the manager.

δεν... ακόμα — "not yet"

For not yet, Greek uses ακόμα together with the negative δεν. The everyday order is δεν έχω… *ακόμα* (ακόμα at the end), though you will also hear the fronted ακόμα δεν έχω…, which sounds a little more emphatic ("still not…").

Δεν έχω τελειώσει ακόμα, δώσε μου πέντε λεπτά.

dhen écho teliósi akóma, dhóse mu pénde leptá

I haven't finished yet — give me five minutes.

Ακόμα δεν έχουν απαντήσει στην αίτησή μου, κι ας πέρασε ένας μήνας.

akóma dhen échun apandísi stin étisí mu, ki as pérase énas mínas

They still haven't answered my application, even though a month has gone by.

💡

Don't reach for ήδη when you mean "yet." English "already" and "yet" are two different jobs, and Greek keeps them apart: ήδη is the positive "already" (έχω ήδη φάει), while the negative "not yet" is δεν… ακόμα (δεν έχω φάει ακόμα). Using ήδη in a "not yet" sentence is one of the most common slips.

ποτέ — "ever" in a question, "never" in a statement

ποτέ is the classic perfect adverb, and it is where the experiential perfect lives. In a question it means ever and needs no negative — Έχεις πάει *ποτέ…;* ("Have you ever been…?"). In a statement it means never, and here is the trap: Greek marks "never" with δεν … ποτέ, a double negative that is fully correct and in fact obligatory.

Έχεις ταξιδέψει ποτέ μόνος σου στο εξωτερικό;

échis taksidhépsi poté mónos su sto eksoterikó;

Have you ever travelled abroad on your own?

Δεν έχω ξαναδεί τέτοιο ηλιοβασίλεμα ποτέ στη ζωή μου.

dhen écho ksanadhí tétio iliovasílema poté sti zoí mu

I've never seen a sunset like that in my life.

That δεν … ποτέ is not a mistake or a doubled-up error — Greek is a negative-concord language: the negative particle and the negative word agree, both staying negative, the way δεν είδα κανέναν ("I didn't see anyone") also carries two negatives. The full pattern lives on negative polarity and concord; for now, remember that "never" = δεν … ποτέ, never bare ποτέ.

τελευταία — "lately, recently"

τελευταία ("lately") frames an open, still-running stretch of time up to now, which is exactly what the perfect wants. It usually sits at the end of the clause or right after the verb.

Έχω δουλέψει πάρα πολύ τελευταία, χρειάζομαι λίγη ξεκούραση.

écho dhulépsi pára polí teleftéa, chriázome líyi ksekúrasi

I've worked far too much lately — I need a bit of a rest.

πρώτη φορά — mind the tense

"It's the first/second time I've done X" tempts English speakers into the perfect, but here Greek usually prefers the present after πρώτη φορά που: Είναι η πρώτη φορά *που δοκιμάζω…* ("It's the first time I've tried…"). The perfect is possible, but the present is the idiomatic default.

Είναι η πρώτη φορά που δοκιμάζω χταπόδι και μου άρεσε πολύ.

íne i próti forá pu dhokimázo chtapódhi ke mu árese polí

It's the first time I've tried octopus, and I really liked it.

Little dialogues

Hear how naturally these adverbs sit in real exchanges:

Θέλεις να παραγγείλουμε πίτσα; — Όχι, ευχαριστώ, έχω ήδη φάει.

thélis na parangílume pítsa; — óchi, efcharistó, écho ídhi fái

Shall we order pizza? — No thanks, I've already eaten.

Τελείωσες την αναφορά; — Όχι, δεν την έχω τελειώσει ακόμα.

telíoses tin anaforá; — óchi, dhen tin écho teliósi akóma

Have you finished the report? — No, I haven't finished it yet.

Common Mistakes

1. Using ήδη for "yet." "Not yet" is δεν… ακόμα; ήδη only means the positive "already."

❌ Δεν έχω τελειώσει ήδη την εργασία.

Incorrect — 'not yet' is ακόμα, not ήδη: Δεν έχω τελειώσει ακόμα.

✅ Δεν έχω τελειώσει ακόμα την εργασία.

dhen écho teliósi akóma tin erghasía

I haven't finished the assignment yet.

2. Using bare ποτέ for "never." In a statement, "never" needs the negative δεν alongside ποτέ.

❌ Έχω πάει ποτέ στο εξωτερικό.

Incorrect — 'never' requires the concord δεν… ποτέ: Δεν έχω πάει ποτέ.

✅ Δεν έχω πάει ποτέ στο εξωτερικό, φέτος όμως θα πάω.

dhen écho pái poté sto eksoterikó, fétos ómos tha páo

I've never been abroad, but this year I'm going to go.

3. Keeping the perfect once you name the occasion. "Have you ever…?" is a perfect, but the answer that pins a time switches to the aorist.

❌ Έχεις δοκιμάσει ποτέ σουβλάκι; — Ναι, έχω δοκιμάσει χθες.

Incorrect — once you say χθες, use the aorist: Ναι, δοκίμασα χθες.

✅ Έχεις δοκιμάσει ποτέ σουβλάκι; — Ναι, δοκίμασα χθες σε ένα σουβλατζίδικο.

échis dhokimási poté suvláki; — ne, dhokímasa chthes se éna suvladzídhiko

Have you ever tried souvlaki? — Yes, I had some yesterday at a souvlaki place.

4. Dropping the perfect in a "still haven't" sentence. "I still haven't finished" needs έχω + the -ει form, not a bare present.

❌ Ακόμα δεν τελειώνω την αναφορά.

Incorrect — 'still haven't finished' is the perfect: Ακόμα δεν έχω τελειώσει.

✅ Ακόμα δεν έχω τελειώσει την αναφορά, μου λείπει η τελευταία σελίδα.

akóma dhen écho teliósi tin anaforá, mu lípi i teleftéa selídha

I still haven't finished the report — I'm missing the last page.

Key Takeaways

ήδη = "already," most naturally between έχω and the -ει form (έχω ήδη φάει).
not yet = δεν… ακόμα (δεν έχω τελειώσει ακόμα, or fronted ακόμα δεν έχω…). Don't use ήδη for "yet."
ποτέ = "ever" in a question (Έχεις πάει ποτέ…;) and "never" in a statement — but "never" always needs the concord δεν… ποτέ.
τελευταία = "lately," framing the open stretch up to now (έχω δουλέψει πολύ τελευταία).
With πρώτη φορά που, Greek prefers the present: Είναι η πρώτη φορά που δοκιμάζω.
The perfect + ποτέ asks about your life; once the answer names a time, it flips to the aorist.

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