Present Tense: Class Α (-ω) | Greek Grammar

Class Α — the πρώτη συζυγία, or first conjugation — is the verb class you meet first and use most. (If you have not yet seen how the Greek verb is put together as a whole — the two conjugations, the two stems, the tense grid — start from the Greek verb: an overview.) It holds the huge majority of Greek verbs and almost every newly coined one, and its hallmark is an unstressed -ω on the "I" form: γράφω, παίζω, τρέχω, διαβάζω. Because the stress sits on the stem and never budges, this is the easiest paradigm in the language: learn the six endings once and every regular Α verb falls into line. This page drills that present in full — the endings, the everyday model verbs, the one spelling trap that catches everybody, and the single idea English speakers keep tripping over.

The full present of γράφω

Person	Form	Reading
εγώ (I)	γράφω	ghráfo
εσύ (you sg.)	γράφεις	ghráfis
αυτός/-ή/-ό (he/she/it)	γράφει	ghráfi
εμείς (we)	γράφουμε	ghráfume
εσείς (you pl./formal)	γράφετε	ghráfete
αυτοί/-ές/-ά (they)	γράφουν(ε)	ghráfun(e)

These six endings — -ω, -εις, -ει, -ουμε, -ετε, -ουν(ε) — clip onto the verb's imperfective stem (γράφ-) and never change from verb to verb. They are the master set that also runs the simple future and the subjunctive (only the stem underneath swaps out); their full story lives on Active personal endings. Two everyday variants are worth flagging now so they don't surprise you: the "we" form has a colloquial γράφομε (ghráfome) beside standard γράφουμε, and the "they" form has a longer γράφουνε (ghráfune) beside γράφουν. Both variants are (informal) — common in speech, never wrong, just a register down.

Γράφω ένα μήνυμα στη μαμά μου, μισό λεπτό.

ghráfo éna mínima sti mamá mu, misó leptó

I'm texting my mum, one second.

Εσύ γράφεις πολύ ωραία γράμματα στο χέρι.

esí ghráfis polí oréa ghrámata sto chéri

You write really lovely letters by hand.

The same pattern across every Α verb

Once you have γράφω you have all of them. Here are five more high-frequency models — παίζω (play), τρέχω (run), διαβάζω (read/study), μένω (live/stay) and θέλω (want) — laid out in the persons you actually reach for:

Person	παίζω	τρέχω	διαβάζω	μένω	θέλω
εγώ	παίζω	τρέχω	διαβάζω	μένω	θέλω
εσύ	παίζεις	τρέχεις	διαβάζεις	μένεις	θέλεις
αυτός/-ή/-ό	παίζει	τρέχει	διαβάζει	μένει	θέλει
εμείς	παίζουμε	τρέχουμε	διαβάζουμε	μένουμε	θέλουμε
εσείς	παίζετε	τρέχετε	διαβάζετε	μένετε	θέλετε
αυτοί/-ές/-ά	παίζουν(ε)	τρέχουν(ε)	διαβάζουν(ε)	μένουν(ε)	θέλουν(ε)

Notice that the accent stays welded to the stem the whole way down: ΠΑΊζω, ΠΑΊζεις, ΠΑΊζουμε — it never slides onto the ending. That is the visible signature of Class Α, and the one thing that separates it from the ending-stressed Class Β (αγαπώ, μιλάς) covered on the two conjugations.

Τα παιδιά παίζουν στην αυλή μέχρι να σκοτεινιάσει.

ta pedhyá pézun stin avlí méchri na skotiniási

The kids play in the yard until it gets dark.

Ο χρόνος τρέχει όταν περνάς καλά με παρέα.

o chrónos tréchi ótan pernás kalá me paréa

Time flies when you're having a good time with company.

Τι διαβάζεις αυτόν τον καιρό, κάτι καλό;

ti dhiavázis aftón ton keró, káti kaló;

What are you reading these days, anything good?

Μένω σε μια μικρή γκαρσονιέρα στο κέντρο.

méno se mia mikrí garsoniéra sto kéndro

I live in a small studio flat in the centre.

Πού μένετε εσείς, στο κέντρο ή στα προάστια;

pu ménete esís, sto kéndro i sta proástia;

Where do you live, in the centre or the suburbs?

The -εις vs -ει trap: two spellings, one sound

Here is the detail that trips up learners and native writers alike. The 2nd person singular -εις (γράφεις, "you write") and the 3rd person singular -ει (γράφει, "he/she writes") are pronounced identically — both are a plain /i/, ghráfis and ghráfi, distinguished in speech only by the final -s. In writing you cannot let your ear decide, because the vowel sounds the same either way; the ending you write is fixed by the person, not by the pronunciation. "You" always ends in -εις (with the -ς), "he/she/it" always in -ει (no -ς). Get the person right and the spelling is automatic.

Εσύ διαβάζεις πιο γρήγορα από μένα.

esí dhiavázis pio ghríghora apó ména

You read faster than me.

Η αδερφή μου γράφει ποιήματα στον ελεύθερο χρόνο της.

i adherfí mu ghráfi piímata ston eléfthero chróno tis

My sister writes poems in her free time.

💡

Say the two forms aloud and they are the same word — ghráfis, ghráfi. The -ς is the only audible clue, and even that vanishes before a following word. So spell by the subject, never by the sound: εσύ → -εις, αυτός/αυτή/αυτό → -ει. Writing -η or -ι here is a pure spelling slip; why these endings look the way they do is set out on Spelling the present endings.

One form does the work of two English tenses

English splits the present in two: I write (habitual) versus I am writing (happening right now). Greek makes no such split — the single present form γράφω covers both, and there is no separate "progressive" construction to build. Context and time-words tell you which reading is meant.

Κάθε μέρα γράφω λίγο στο ημερολόγιό μου.

káthe méra ghráfo lígho sto imerolóyió mu

Every day I write a little in my diary. (habitual)

Μισό λεπτό, γράφω τη διεύθυνση και έρχομαι.

misó leptó, ghráfo ti dhiéfthinsi ke érchome

One second, I'm writing down the address and I'll come. (right now)

This is the point English speakers must actively unlearn: do not reach for a helper verb like am or are — Greek does not have one for this job. The full range of what the present covers (habits, ongoing action, general truths, scheduled future, storytelling) is laid out on Using the present tense. Negation is just as economical: put δεν in front of the verb (Δεν γράφω = "I don't write" / "I'm not writing"), with the details on Negating the present with δεν.

Δεν διαβάζω εφημερίδα, μόνο τα νέα στο κινητό.

dhen dhiavázo efimerídha, móno ta néa sto kinitó

I don't read the newspaper, just the news on my phone.

Common Mistakes

1. Using the 3sg -ει where "you" needs -εις. Because they sound the same, learners often write the shorter -ει for the "you" form. The person decides the ending.

❌ Εσύ τι διαβάζει αυτή την περίοδο;

Incorrect — εσύ (you) takes -εις: τι διαβάζεις;

✅ Εσύ τι διαβάζεις αυτή την περίοδο;

esí ti dhiavázis aftí tin períodho;

What are you reading at the moment?

2. Building a progressive with "am/are". There is no Greek equivalent of I am reading; the plain present already means that. Adding a helper verb produces a non-sentence.

❌ Είμαι διαβάζοντας ένα πολύ καλό βιβλίο.

Incorrect — Greek has no progressive periphrasis; the present alone means 'I am reading'.

✅ Διαβάζω ένα πολύ καλό βιβλίο.

dhiavázo éna polí kaló vivlío

I'm reading a very good book.

3. Spelling the 3sg as -ι. The ending sounds like /i/, but the fixed spelling is -ει, never -ι or -η.

❌ Ο Νίκος τρέχι κάθε πρωί στο πάρκο.

Incorrect — the 3sg ending is spelled -ει: τρέχει.

✅ Ο Νίκος τρέχει κάθε πρωί στο πάρκο.

o Níkos tréchi káthe proí sto párko

Nikos runs in the park every morning.

4. Writing the 1sg with -ο instead of -ω. The "I" ending is the omega -ω, even though it sounds exactly like the short -ο of nouns. ×δουλεύο is one of the single most common Greek spelling errors.

❌ Δουλεύο σε μια τράπεζα στο κέντρο.

Incorrect — the 1sg ends in -ω (omega): δουλεύω.

✅ Δουλεύω σε μια τράπεζα στο κέντρο.

dhulévo se mia trápeza sto kéndro

I work at a bank in the centre.

Key Takeaways

Class Α (the πρώτη συζυγία) is the large, regular verb class, marked by an unstressed -ω on the "I" form (γράφω, παίζω, τρέχω).
The present endings are -ω, -εις, -ει, -ουμε, -ετε, -ουν(ε), attached to the imperfective stem; the stress never leaves the stem.
Colloquial variants -ομε (γράφομε) and -ουνε (γράφουνε) are everyday (informal) forms, not errors.
The -εις (2sg) and -ει (3sg) endings sound identical — spell them by the subject, not by ear.
One present form covers both English I write and I am writing: Greek has no separate progressive, so never add a helper verb.

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