Spelling the Present Endings | Greek Grammar

Greek verbs are easy to say and easy to misspell. Within a given conjugation pattern, each present ending has a fixed spelling even when several endings sound alike. The trap is that your ear cannot identify either the letters or the paradigm. This page drills the principle that solves it: person, number, voice and conjugation class choose the spelling, not pronunciation alone.

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.

Type A 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 Type A form. 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 active "I" form ends in -ω, omega, not omicron -ο: compare Type A γράφω and Type B αγαπάω/αγαπώ. Both letters are pronounced /o/, so writing ×γράφο is a common early error.

Δουλεύω από το σπίτι τις Παρασκευές.

dhulévo apó to spíti tis paraskevés

I work from home on Fridays.

❌ Δεν καταλαβαίνο αυτή την άσκηση.

Incorrect — active 1sg ends in omega: καταλαβαίνω.

✅ Δεν καταλαβαίνω αυτή την άσκηση.

dhen katalavéno aftí tin áskisi

I don't understand this exercise.

Why ω and not ο is treated on spelling the /o/ sound. For active citation forms, bind the 1sg to omega; mediopassive 1sg belongs to the separate -ομαι paradigm below.

Type A 2sg is -εις and 3sg is -ει

In Type A, you (sg) and he/she/it both end in /i/ and use the digraph ει: 2sg -εις, 3sg -ει. Other conjugations must not be forced into that template: Type B1 has αγαπάς, αγαπά(ει), while contracted καλώ has καλείς, καλεί.

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 common spellings in Greek (η, ι, υ, ει, οι). In a Type A 2sg/3sg ending, grammar narrows the choice to ει; person alone is not enough until you know the conjugation class. The wider /i/ picture is on spelling the /i/ sound.

Type A 1pl is -ουμε, 3pl is -ουν(ε)

In Type A, the "we" form is -ουμε — spelled with the ου digraph, then -με — and the "they" form is -ουν, optionally -ουνε in relaxed speech. Type B has additional shapes such as αγαπάμε/αγαπούμε and αγαπάνε/αγαπούν.

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.

Where the mediopassive carries 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. The three singular forms and 3pl -ονται contain the digraph αι, pronounced /e/; 1pl -όμαστε and 2pl -εστε do not:

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 is on the present mediopassive; here, lock in the αι of -ομαι / -εσαι / -εται / -ονται without extending it to -όμαστε / -εστε.

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.

Verbal -ει vs -η (feminine noun) vs -οι (plural). All three are /i/ — καλή (good, feminine), καλοί (good, masculine plural) and καλεί (he/she calls): three words, one sound, and only the grammatical slot and paradigm pick the spelling. That noun-vs-verb triple is drilled on spelling the verb endings.

-εται (3sg mediopassive) vs -ετε (Type A 2pl active). Both are pronounced /ete/ and both are genuine endings. The first marks a singular subject in a mediopassive paradigm; the second marks plural "you" in a Type A active paradigm.

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?

❌ Η αίτηση υποβάλλετε ηλεκτρονικά.

Incorrect — nominative η αίτηση requires 3sg mediopassive υποβάλλεται.

✅ Η αίτηση υποβάλλεται ηλεκτρονικά.

i étisi ipoválete ilektroniká

The application is submitted electronically.

💡

Don't ask only "how does it sound?" Ask for person, number, voice and conjugation class. A 3sg mediopassive form takes -εται; Type A active 2pl takes -ετε. The sound is identical, but the grammatical slots differ.

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 Type A 2sg/3sg with η or ι instead of ει. In this paradigm, the verbal /i/ ending is ει; Type B1 forms such as αγαπάς, αγαπά(ει) follow their own pattern.

❌ 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. Mediopassive 3sg versus Type A active 2pl — the grammar decides, not the sound.

❌ Η πόρτα κλειδώνετε αυτόματα στις δέκα.

Incorrect — nominative η πόρτα requires 3sg mediopassive κλειδώνεται.

✅ Η πόρτα κλειδώνεται αυτόματα στις δέκα.

i pórta klidhónete aftómata stis dhéka

The door locks automatically at ten.

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.
Type A active: -ω (1sg), -εις (2sg), -ει (3sg), -ουμε (1pl), -ετε (2pl), -ουν(ε) (3pl).
Type B1 αγαπάς, αγαπά(ει) and contracted καλείς, καλεί show that conjugation class, not person alone, selects the surface ending.
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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