The plain -ομαι mediopassive belongs to Class Α verbs — the ones ending in -ω. But the -άω verbs (Conjugation Β1: αγαπάω, φιλάω, κρατάω, τραβάω) do something different: their mediopassive slots in an extra -ι- and comes out as -ιέμαι. So αγαπάω "I love" has the passive αγαπιέμαι "I am loved," and φιλάω "I kiss" gives φιλιέμαι "I am kissed." This -ιέμαι set is the home of one of the warmest little corners of Greek grammar — the reciprocal αγαπιούνται "they love each other," φιλιούνται "they kiss each other."
The paradigm
Here is αγαπιέμαι, the passive of αγαπάω, in full:
| Person | Active (Β1) | Mediopassive | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| εγώ | αγαπάω | αγαπιέμαι | aghapyéme |
| εσύ | αγαπάς | αγαπιέσαι | aghapyése |
| αυτός/-ή/-ό | αγαπάει | αγαπιέται | aghapyéte |
| εμείς | αγαπάμε | αγαπιόμαστε | aghapyómaste |
| εσείς | αγαπάτε | αγαπιέστε | aghapyéste |
| αυτοί/-ές/-ά | αγαπάνε | αγαπιούνται | aghapyúnde |
The endings are -ιέμαι, -ιέσαι, -ιέται, -ιόμαστε, -ιέστε, -ιούνται. Take the -ι- away and you have the ordinary -ομαι endings — but here they are always preceded by that -ι-, and the stress lands on the vowel right after it (αγαπιέμαι, αγαπιούνται). The same fixed αι-spelling applies: -ιέμαι, -ιέσαι, -ιέται, -ιούνται all end in the /e/ sound but are written with αι.
Where the -ι- comes from, and why it's one syllable
The active Β1 stem carries an -α- (αγαπάω, αγαπάμε). When the mediopassive endings attach, that -α- palatalises into an -ι- glide wedged between the stem and the ending. It is not a random insertion — it is the fingerprint of the -άω conjugation, the thing that tells you at a glance that αγαπιέμαι comes from αγαπάω and not from some Class Α verb.
Crucially, this -ι- is not a full vowel. In αγαπιέμαι the letters ι + έ fuse by synizesis into a single syllable — pyé, not pi-é — so the word is four syllables (α-γα-πιέ-μαι, a-gha-pyé-me), not five. The ι behaves as the consonantal glide [ʝ], the same sound written y in the readings here. Say it as one smooth push, "aghap-YEH-me," and you have it. Slowing it into "aghapi-eme" is the classic non-native tell.
Ένα παιδί που αγαπιέται μεγαλώνει με αυτοπεποίθηση.
éna pedhí pu aghapyéte meghalóni me aftopepíthisi
A child who is loved grows up with self-confidence.
Μην ανησυχείς, αγαπιέσαι πολύ σε αυτό το σπίτι.
min anisichís, aghapyése polí se aftó to spíti
Don't worry — you are very much loved in this house.
The reciprocal: "each other"
The mediopassive plural of a -άω verb is the most natural way in Greek to say people do something to one another. αγαπιούνται = "they love each other," φιλιούνται = "they kiss each other." No separate word for "each other" is needed — the voice carries it.
Είναι μαζί είκοσι χρόνια και ακόμα αγαπιούνται σαν την πρώτη μέρα.
íne mazí íkosi chrónya ke akóma aghapyúnde san tin próti méra
They've been together twenty years and still love each other like on day one.
Στην πλατεία δύο ερωτευμένοι φιλιούνται κάτω από τη βροχή.
stin platía dhío erotevméni filyúnde káto apó ti vrochí
In the square two lovers are kissing under the rain.
The 1st plural does the same for "we": αγαπιόμαστε "we love each other."
Μαλώνουμε συχνά, αλλά στο βάθος αγαπιόμαστε πολύ.
malónume sichná, alá sto váthos aghapyómaste polí
We argue often, but deep down we love each other very much.
The full range of the reciprocal — including when you need it and when a plain plural will do — is on reciprocal meaning.
Other -άω verbs, other meanings
Not every -ιέμαι form is about love. Any Β1 verb builds one, and the meaning can be a plain passive or a middle "do to oneself":
Κρατιέμαι από την κουπαστή για να μην πέσω.
kratyéme apó tin kupastí ya na min péso
I'm holding on to the railing so I don't fall.
Αν νομίζεις ότι θα τα καταφέρεις μόνος, γελιέσαι.
an nomízis óti tha ta kataféris mónos, yelyése
If you think you'll manage on your own, you're kidding yourself.
That last one is worth noting: γελάω means "I laugh," but its mediopassive γελιέμαι has drifted to "I am fooled / I'm mistaken" — a reminder that the passive of a verb sometimes carries an idiomatic meaning you cannot fully predict from the active.
Common Mistakes
1. Forgetting the -ι- and using the plain -ομαι endings. A -άω verb cannot take bare -όμαστε; it needs -ιόμαστε.
❌ Αγαπόμαστε πολύ με τον αδερφό μου.
Incorrect — αγαπάω is a Β1 verb, so its mediopassive keeps the -ι-: αγαπιόμαστε.
✅ Αγαπιόμαστε πολύ με τον αδερφό μου.
aghapyómaste polí me ton adherfó mu
My brother and I love each other very much.
2. Confusing -ιέμαι with the -άμαι deponents. θυμάμαι and κοιμάμαι end in -άμαι, but a regular -άω passive is -ιέμαι, never ×-άμαι.
❌ Νιώθω ότι αγαπάμαι από όλη την οικογένεια.
Incorrect — the passive of αγαπάω is αγαπιέμαι; -άμαι belongs only to a closed set of deponents (θυμάμαι, κοιμάμαι).
✅ Νιώθω ότι αγαπιέμαι από όλη την οικογένεια.
nyótho óti aghapyéme apó óli tin ikoyénya
I feel that I'm loved by the whole family.
3. Spelling the ending with ε instead of αι. As with every mediopassive, -ιέμαι sounds like /e/ but is written with αι.
❌ Σε ευχαριστώ, νιώθω πραγματικά ότι αγαπιέμε.
Incorrect — the 1sg is αγαπιέμαι, spelled with αι.
✅ Σε ευχαριστώ, νιώθω πραγματικά ότι αγαπιέμαι.
se efcharistó, nyótho praghmatiká óti aghapyéme
Thank you — I really do feel that I'm loved.
4. Building the 3rd plural as -ιόνται instead of -ιούνται. The plural of this class rounds to -ιούνται.
❌ Τα δύο παιδιά φιλιόνται στο μάγουλο για καλημέρα.
Incorrect — the -ιέμαι 3pl is -ιούνται: φιλιούνται.
✅ Τα δύο παιδιά φιλιούνται στο μάγουλο για καλημέρα.
ta dhío pedhyá filyúnde sto mághulo ya kaliméra
The two children kiss each other on the cheek to say good morning.
Key Takeaways
- The mediopassive of -άω (Β1) verbs is -ιέμαι, -ιέσαι, -ιέται, -ιόμαστε, -ιέστε, -ιούνται — the -ομαι endings plus a signature -ι- glide from the active -α-.
- That -ι- fuses by synizesis: αγαπιέμαι is one four-syllable word (aghapyéme), the ι sounding as the glide [ʝ], not a separate vowel.
- The plural forms give a ready-made reciprocal: αγαπιούνται "they love each other," φιλιούνται "they kiss each other," αγαπιόμαστε "we love each other."
- Don't confuse -ιέμαι with the closed -άμαι deponent set (θυμάμαι, κοιμάμαι), and keep the fixed αι-spelling.
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Start learning Greek →Related Topics
- Present Mediopassive: -ομαιA2 — The present of the -ομαι mediopassive — πλένομαι, έρχομαι, γίνομαι — its full six-person paradigm, the passive, reflexive and deponent meanings it carries, and the fixed αι-spelling that makes -εται sound exactly like the active -ετε.
- Reciprocal Use of the Middle VoiceB1 — How the mediopassive says 'each other' — αγαπιούνται, φιλιούνται, συναντιούνται, αγκαλιάζονται, τσακώνονται, δεν μιλιούνται — and why the requirement is two parties, not a plural subject: Συναντιέμαι με τη Μαρία is just as reciprocal. Covers the singular + με construction, the two disambiguators μεταξύ τους and ο ένας τον άλλον (with the neuter το ένα το άλλο and the case forms), the actives that are reciprocal on their own, and the overlap with the plain passive.
- 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.