Spelling the Present Endings | Greek Grammar

Greek verbs are easy to say and easy to misspell. The six present endings collapse into just a handful of sounds — two of them are pronounced /i/, two more are pronounced /e/ or /ete/ — yet each one has a single fixed spelling that never varies. The trap is that your ear cannot tell you which letters to write. This page drills the one principle that solves it: the grammar chooses the spelling, not the pronunciation. Ask "which person and number is this?" and the spelling is determined; guess from the sound and you will be wrong roughly half the time.

This is the verb-specific corner of a much larger Greek phenomenon — several letters sharing one sound. The general logic, and why Greek keeps these historical spellings at all, is on common spelling errors and spelling verb endings; here we drill the present-tense endings themselves.

The active endings, sound vs spelling

Take a plain Class Α verb, γράφω ("I write"), and lay the endings against their sounds:

Person	Spelling	Sounds like	Common wrong spelling
1sg	γράφω	/o/	×γράφο
2sg	γράφεις	/i/	×γράφης, ×γράφις
3sg	γράφει	/i/	×γράφη, ×γράφι
1pl	γράφουμε	/ume/	×γράφωμε, ×γράφομε
2pl	γράφετε	/ete/	×γράφεται
3pl	γράφουν(ε)	/un(e)/	×γράφων

Every "wrong spelling" in that last column is pronounced identically to the correct one. That is exactly why they are so tempting — and why you cannot trust your ear.

Γράφω ένα γράμμα στον παππού μου.

ghráfo éna ghráma ston papú mu

I'm writing a letter to my grandfather.

Ο Γιώργος γράφει πάντα με το χέρι.

o Yórghos ghráfi pánda me to chéri

Giorgos always writes by hand.

1sg is -ω (omega), never -ο

The "I" form ends in -ω, the long omega, not the short omicron -ο. Both are pronounced /o/, but the first-person singular is spelled with ω without exception. Writing ×γράφο is one of the most common early errors.

Δουλεύω από το σπίτι τις Παρασκευές.

dhulévo apó to spíti tis paraskevés

I work from home on Fridays.

❌ Δεν καταλαβαίνο τι λες.

Incorrect — 1sg ends in omega: καταλαβαίνω.

✅ Δεν καταλαβαίνω τι λες.

dhen katalavéno ti les

I don't understand what you're saying.

Why ω and not ο is a question about the /o/ sound in general, treated on spelling the /o/ sound. For the verb, just bind it to the grammar: first person singular ⇒ ω.

2sg is -εις and 3sg is -ει — both /i/, both with ει

Here is the sound that catches everyone. You (sg) and he/she/it both end in the /i/ sound, and both are spelled with the digraph ει: 2sg -εις, 3sg -ει. They are never spelled with η, with ι, or with οι, even though all of those would sound the same.

Πού μένεις τώρα, ακόμα στην Αθήνα;

pu ménis tóra, akóma stin Athína;

Where do you live now, still in Athens?

Το τρένο φτάνει στις εννιά ακριβώς.

to tréno ftáni stis eniá akrivós

The train arrives at nine sharp.

❌ Τι γράφης εκεί;

Incorrect — the 2sg ending is -εις, so the form is γράφεις.

✅ Τι γράφεις εκεί;

ti ghráfis ekí;

What are you writing there?

❌ Το κινητό μου δεν παίρνη σήμα εδώ.

Incorrect — 3sg is -ει: παίρνει.

✅ Το κινητό μου δεν παίρνει σήμα εδώ.

to kinitó mu dhen pérni síma edhó

My phone doesn't get any signal here.

The /i/ sound has five possible spellings in Greek (η, ι, υ, ει, οι); in the verb ending it is always ει. That is the payoff of the grammar-not-sound rule: a sound with five spellings collapses to one certainty once you know it's a 2sg or 3sg verb ending. The wider /i/ picture is on spelling the /i/ sound.

1pl is -ουμε (not -ωμε), 3pl is -ουν(ε)

The "we" form is -ουμε — spelled with the ου digraph, then -με. It is not ×-ωμε and not ×-ομε, both of which learners reach for because /u/ can feel like a plain vowel. The "they" form is -ουν, optionally -ουνε in relaxed speech, again with ου.

Δουλεύουμε μαζί εδώ και δέκα χρόνια.

dhulévume mazí edhó ke dhéka chrónia

We've been working together for ten years.

Τα μαγαζιά κλείνουν στις οκτώ το βράδυ.

ta maghaziá klínun stis októ to vrádhi

The shops close at eight in the evening.

❌ Δουλεύωμε πάρα πολλές ώρες.

Incorrect — 1pl is -ουμε, spelled with ου: δουλεύουμε.

✅ Δουλεύουμε πάρα πολλές ώρες.

dhulévume pára polés óres

We work far too many hours.

The mediopassive endings carry αι

The mediopassive (the "-ομαι" family, used for passives, reflexives and many everyday verbs like έρχομαι "I come" and κοιμάμαι "I sleep") has its own endings — and three of them are spelled with the digraph αι, pronounced /e/:

Person	Ending	Example (έρχομαι)
1sg	-ομαι	έρχομαι
2sg	-εσαι	έρχεσαι
3sg	-εται	έρχεται
3pl	-ονται	έρχονται

The αι here is /e/, exactly like ε — so ×έρχεσε and ×έρχετε sound right but are misspelled. The full paradigm, including the 1pl -όμαστε and 2pl -εστε (which don't take αι), is on the present mediopassive; on this page, lock in the αι of -ομαι / -εσαι / -εται / -ονται.

Ετοιμάζομαι, σε δέκα λεπτά είμαι έτοιμη.

etimázome, se dhéka leptá íme étimi

I'm getting ready — I'll be done in ten minutes.

❌ Πότε έρχεσε στην Αθήνα;

Incorrect — the 2sg mediopassive ending is -εσαι, spelled with αι, so the form is έρχεσαι.

✅ Πότε έρχεσαι στην Αθήνα;

póte érchese stin Athína;

When are you coming to Athens?

The killer homophones: -ει vs -η vs -οι, and -εται vs -ετε

Two homophone traps deserve their own drill because both spellings are real verb (or noun) endings — so a wrong choice isn't gibberish, it's a different word.

-ει (3sg verb) vs -η (feminine noun) vs -οι (plural). All three are /i/ — καλή (good, feminine), καλοί (good, masculine plural) and καλεί (he/she calls, a 3sg verb): three words, one sound, and only the grammar picks the spelling. That noun-vs-verb triple is drilled on spelling the verb endings; here we stay with the trap that is purely inside the verb.

-εται (3sg mediopassive) vs -ετε (2pl active). Both are pronounced /ete/, and both are genuine endings — so this is the single most consequential spelling choice in the present tense. -εται means "it is done / it happens" (one subject, passive); -ετε means "you (plural) do" (an active command or statement to a group).

Το φαγητό μαγειρεύεται σιγά σιγά σε χαμηλή φωτιά.

to fayitó mayirévete sighá sighá se chamilí fotiá

The food cooks slowly over a low flame.

Εσείς τι μαγειρεύετε για το τραπέζι;

esís ti mayirévete ya to trapézi;

What are you (all) cooking for the meal?

❌ Το φαγητό μαγειρεύετε μόνο του.

Incorrect — 'the food cooks' is 3sg passive -εται: μαγειρεύεται.

✅ Το φαγητό μαγειρεύεται μόνο του.

to fayitó mayirévete móno tu

The food cooks by itself.

💡

The test that never fails: don't ask "how does it sound?" — ask "who is the subject and is it active or passive?" One person, being acted on ⇒ -εται. A group of "you," doing the action ⇒ -ετε. The sound is identical; only the grammar decides.

Common Mistakes

1. Writing 1sg with omicron. The "I" ending is always -ω.

❌ Κάθε πρωί τρέχο στο πάρκο.

Incorrect — 1sg ends in omega: τρέχω.

✅ Κάθε πρωί τρέχω στο πάρκο.

káthe proí trécho sto párko

Every morning I run in the park.

2. Spelling 2sg/3sg with η or ι instead of ει. The verb ending for /i/ is always ει.

❌ Αυτό το τραγούδι μου αρέση πολύ.

Incorrect — 3sg is -ει: μου αρέσει.

✅ Αυτό το τραγούδι μου αρέσει πολύ.

aftó to traghúdhi mu arési polí

I really like this song.

3. Confusing -εται and -ετε. Passive singular vs active plural — the grammar decides, not the sound.

❌ Η πόρτα ανοίγετε αυτόματα.

Incorrect — 'the door opens' is 3sg passive: ανοίγεται.

✅ Η πόρτα ανοίγεται αυτόματα.

i pórta aníyete aftómata

The door opens automatically.

4. Dropping the αι from the mediopassive. The singular mediopassive endings -ομαι / -εσαι / -εται all keep αι.

❌ Κάθε βράδυ κοιμάμε νωρίς.

Incorrect — 1sg mediopassive is -αμαι here: κοιμάμαι.

✅ Κάθε βράδυ κοιμάμαι νωρίς.

káthe vrádhi kimáme norís

Every night I go to bed early.

Key Takeaways

The present endings share only a few sounds; each has one fixed spelling — let the grammar, not your ear, choose it.
Active: -ω (1sg, omega), -εις (2sg), -ει (3sg), -ουμε (1pl, with ου), -ετε (2pl), -ουν(ε) (3pl).
The /i/ ending is always ει (never η, ι, or οι); the 1sg is always ω (never ο).
Mediopassive singular and 3pl carry αι: -ομαι, -εσαι, -εται, -ονται.
The two homophone traps — -ει/-η/-οι and -εται/-ετε — are different words, not variant spellings; identify person, number and voice to pick correctly.

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