The second face of Class Β is the μπορώ type, or Β2. This paradigm stresses the ending and has -είς / -εί in the middle persons. Pure anchors such as μπορώ have only this set: ×μποράω and ×μποράς are not Standard Greek. A paradigm label does not, however, guarantee that a lexical verb has only one set. Some verbs waver productively: alongside οδηγώ / οδηγείς and προχωρώ / προχωρείς, Modern Standard also has οδηγάω / οδηγάς and προχωράω / προχωράς. Learn both the Β2 endings and whether a particular verb is pure or wavering.
The full present of μπορώ
| Person | Form | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| εγώ | μπορώ | boró |
| εσύ | μπορείς | borís |
| αυτός/-ή/-ό | μπορεί | borí |
| εμείς | μπορούμε | borúme |
| εσείς | μπορείτε | boríte |
| αυτοί/-ές/-ά | μπορούν(ε) | borún(e) |
The endings are -ώ, -είς, -εί, -ούμε, -είτε, -ούν(ε). Note that -είς (2sg) and -εί (3sg) both sound like a plain /i/ — borís, borí — exactly the same spelling trap as Class Α's -εις/-ει, and disambiguated the same way: by the person, not the ear. The 3pl has the usual longer everyday variant μπορούνε (borúne) beside μπορούν; that one is (informal), never wrong.
μπορώ is the workhorse of this group, and it almost always leads into a να-clause — "I can do something." That frame (μπορώ να + verb) is on να after modal verbs, and μπορώ's complete set of tenses on its reference page.
Μπορώ να σε πάρω τηλέφωνο λίγο αργότερα;
boró na se páro tiléfono lígho arghótera;
Can I call you a bit later?
Μπορείς να μου κρατήσεις μια θέση δίπλα σου;
borís na mu kratísis mia thési dhípla su;
Can you save me a seat next to you?
Μπορεί να βρέξει το απόγευμα, πάρε μια ομπρέλα.
borí na vréksi to apóyevma, páre mia ombréla
It might rain in the afternoon, take an umbrella.
Τα παιδιά δεν μπορούν να κοιμηθούν με τόση φασαρία.
ta pedhyá dhen borún na kimithún me tósi fasaría
The kids can't sleep with all this noise.
The same endings within the Β2 set
Every Β2 set takes the same endings. The table gives that set for four verbs; headings flag the two that also have a live -άω paradigm. After the stem-final γ of οδηγώ, the sound shifts between gh before ο/ου and soft y before ε/ι, so οδηγείς is odhiyís, not odhighís.
| Person | οδηγώ also οδηγάω | θεωρώ | καλώ | προχωρώ also προχωράω |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| εγώ | οδηγώ | θεωρώ | καλώ | προχωρώ |
| εσύ | οδηγείς | θεωρείς | καλείς | προχωρείς |
| αυτός/-ή/-ό | οδηγεί | θεωρεί | καλεί | προχωρεί |
| εμείς | οδηγούμε | θεωρούμε | καλούμε | προχωρούμε |
| εσείς | οδηγείτε | θεωρείτε | καλείτε | προχωρείτε |
| αυτοί/-ές/-ά | οδηγούν(ε) | θεωρούν(ε) | καλούν(ε) | προχωρούν(ε) |
Οδηγώ εδώ και είκοσι χρόνια και δεν είχα ποτέ ατύχημα.
odhighó edhó ke íkosi chrónia ke dhen ícha poté atíchima
I've been driving for twenty years and never had an accident.
Θεωρώ ότι έχεις απόλυτο δίκιο σ' αυτό.
theoró óti échis apólito dhíkio s' aftó
I think you're absolutely right about this.
Καλούμε όλη την οικογένεια για τα Χριστούγεννα.
kalúme óli tin ikoyénia ya ta Christúyena
We invite the whole family for Christmas.
Προχωρώ σιγά σιγά με τα ελληνικά μου, αλλά προχωρώ.
prochoró sighá sighá me ta eliniká mu, alá prochoró
I'm making slow progress with my Greek, but I'm getting there.
The two sets are both Standard, with the -άω set especially common in conversation. Thus οδηγώ / οδηγείς / οδηγούμε and οδηγάω / οδηγάς / οδηγάμε are register-and-rhythm alternatives, not a right form and a wrong one. The same warning applies to other waverers; it does not create ×μποράω for the pure model μπορώ.
The one that bends the rules: ζω
A handful of one-syllable Β2 verbs — above all ζω (live) — trim their endings slightly. ζω keeps the Β2 stress on the ending but drops a vowel in a couple of places, giving ζω, ζεις, ζει, ζούμε, ζείτε, ζουν(ε). There is no ×ζάω and no ×ζέω; you simply learn this short, high-frequency verb as its own little paradigm.
| Person | Form | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| εγώ | ζω | zo |
| εσύ | ζεις | zis |
| αυτός/-ή/-ό | ζει | zi |
| εμείς | ζούμε | zúme |
| εσείς | ζείτε | zíte |
| αυτοί/-ές/-ά | ζουν(ε) | zun(e) |
Ζω μόνος μου, αλλά δεν νιώθω ποτέ μοναξιά.
zo mónos mu, alá dhen niótho poté monaksiá
I live on my own, but I never feel lonely.
Πόσα χρόνια ζεις πια στην Ελλάδα;
pósa chrónia zis pia stin Eládha;
How many years have you been living in Greece now?
Β2 versus Β1: the -είς / -άς divide
The endings distinguish the two paradigm sets. A Β2 "you" is -είς; a Β1 "you" is -άς. For a pure verb such as μπορώ or αγαπάω, the lexical entry selects one set. A waverer such as οδηγώ/οδηγάω licenses both, but never mixes endings inside a single selected set.
Ρωτάς αν μπορείς — και ναι, φυσικά και μπορείς.
rotás an borís — ke ne, fisiká ke borís
You're asking if you can — and yes, of course you can.
Here ρωτάς (Β1, -άς) and μπορείς (Β2, -είς) live one word apart and neither pure verb takes the other's ending. The fuller inventory, including waverers, is on Class Β subtypes.
Common Mistakes
1. Adding an -άω form to μπορώ. μπορώ is Β2: the "I" form is μπορώ, full stop. ×μποράω does not exist.
❌ Δεν μποράω να το πιστέψω, είναι απίστευτο!
Incorrect — μπορώ is Β2 and has no -άω form: μπορώ.
✅ Δεν μπορώ να το πιστέψω, είναι απίστευτο!
dhen boró na to pistépso, íne apístefto!
I can't believe it, it's incredible!
2. Rejecting a live wavering set. With οδηγώ, both the contracted and -άω paradigms are Standard; the latter is especially conversational.
✅ Οδηγάς πολύ αργά, θα χάσουμε το τρένο.
odhighás polí arghá, tha chásume to tréno
You're driving too slowly; we'll miss the train. (conversational -άω set)
✅ Οδηγείς πολύ αργά, θα χάσουμε το τρένο.
odhiyís polí arghá, tha chásume to tréno
You're driving too slowly, we'll miss the train.
3. Using a Β1 -άει in the 3rd person. "He/she can" is μπορεί, never ×μποράει.
❌ Ο Γιάννης δεν μποράει να έρθει απόψε.
Incorrect — the 3sg of μπορώ is μπορεί.
✅ Ο Γιάννης δεν μπορεί να έρθει απόψε.
o Yánis dhen borí na érthi apópse
Yannis can't come tonight.
Key Takeaways
- The Β2 set takes -ώ, -είς, -εί, -ούμε, -είτε, -ούν(ε); pure anchor μπορώ has no -άω partner.
- θεωρώ and καλώ model pure Β2 here; οδηγώ/οδηγάω and προχωρώ/προχωράω are waverers with both complete sets.
- After a stem-final γ, the sound alternates gh / y (οδηγώ = odhighó, οδηγείς = odhiyís) — a pronunciation detail, not a spelling change.
- ζω is slightly irregular: ζω, ζεις, ζει, ζούμε, ζείτε, ζουν — learn it as its own short paradigm.
- The set boundary is Β2 -είς versus Β1 -άς. A lexical verb may select one set or license both; never reject a verified doublet.
Related Topics
- Present Tense: Class Β1 (αγαπάω/-ώ)A1 — The full present of the everyday Β1 contract verbs — αγαπάω/αγαπώ, μιλάω, ρωτάω, περπατάω, κοιτάω, ξεχνάω, περνάω — with the -άω/-ώ doublet in the 'I' and 'they' forms, the fixed -άς 'you' ending, and the crossover error ×αγαπείς that spells it as if it were Class Α.
- μπορώ (can/to be able)A2 — The model Class Β2 verb: -ώ, -είς, -εί all the way down, with no -άω doublet, an aorist μπόρεσα in the small -εσ- group, and neither an imperative nor a mediopassive paradigm in current Standard Greek. Plus the two things only this card carries — Δεν τον μπορώ ('I can't stand him') and the health reading of bare Δεν μπορώ.
- να After Modal VerbsA2 — The everyday frame [modal + να + verb] — θέλω να, μπορώ να, πρέπει να, ξέρω να, πάω να, αρχίζω να — where the second verb is person-marked and personal main verbs conjugate too.