αισθάνομαι is the careful, semi-formal counterpart of everyday νιώθω. Its distinctive grammar appears after the verb: a predicate adjective is nominative and agrees with the person who feels, even though English feel tired gives no visible agreement cue.
Ο Νίκος αισθάνεται κουρασμένος μετά το ταξίδι.
o Níkos esthánete kurazménos metá to taksídhi
Nikos feels tired after the journey.
Η Μαρία αισθάνεται κουρασμένη αλλά ανακουφισμένη.
i María esthánete kurazméni alá anakufizméni
Maria feels tired but relieved.
Principal parts
This is a deponent verb: mediopassive in shape but active in meaning. Its general voice pattern belongs to deponent verbs.
| Slot | Forms | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Present | αισθάνομαι, αισθάνεσαι, αισθάνεται, αισθανόμαστε, αισθάνεστε, αισθάνονται | |
| Imperfect | αισθανόμουν | |
| Aorist | αισθάνθηκα | |
| Dependent | αισθανθώ | να / θα αισθανθώ |
| Imperative | αισθάνσου / αισθανθείτε | real but marked; chiefly careful instructions or advertising |
| Perfect | έχω αισθανθεί | |
| -μένος participle | does not exist | |
The positive imperative is not absent: official teaching material records αισθανθείτε, and modern instructions do use it. It is nevertheless stylistically restricted. In everyday conversation and slogans, νιώσε / νιώστε is normally more idiomatic.
Αισθανθείτε την ένταση να φεύγει από τους ώμους σας.
esthanthíte tin éndasi na févyi apó tus ómus sas
Feel the tension leaving your shoulders. (formal instruction)
Νιώσε τον ρυθμό και άσε το σώμα σου ελεύθερο.
nióse ton rithmó ke áse to sóma su eléfthero
Feel the rhythm and let your body move freely. (everyday)
The register difference is a tendency, not a ban. A doctor, interviewer, or official questionnaire readily uses Πώς αισθάνεστε;, because the verb sounds measured and neutral. Friends normally prefer Πώς νιώθεις;. In reflective writing, αισθάνομαι is also natural because it can mean “be aware” or “have the impression,” not merely experience an emotion.
Αισθάνομαι ότι κάτι έχει αλλάξει στον τρόπο που μου μιλάει.
esthánome óti káti échi aláksi ston trópo pu mu milái
I sense that something has changed in the way he speaks to me. (careful)
Government
| Complement | Function | Model |
|---|---|---|
| nominative adjective | state of the subject; agreement required | αισθάνομαι κουρασμένη |
| adverb | manner or general condition | αισθάνομαι καλά / άσχημα |
| accusative noun | sensation or emotion experienced | αισθάνομαι πόνο / τύψεις |
ότι / πως
| intuition or awareness | αισθάνομαι ότι κάτι άλλαξε |
σαν να
| subjective comparison | αισθάνομαι σαν να ονειρεύομαι |
Αισθανόμαστε κουρασμένοι, αλλά θέλουμε να συνεχίσουμε.
esthanómaste kurazméni, alá thélume na sinechísume
We feel tired, but we want to continue. (mixed or all-male group)
Δεν αισθάνομαι καλά σήμερα· καλύτερα να μείνω σπίτι.
dhen esthánome kalá símera; kalítera na míno spíti
I don't feel well today; I'd better stay home.
Αισθάνομαι τύψεις που δεν της τηλεφώνησα νωρίτερα.
esthánome típsis pu dhen tis tilefónisa norítera
I feel guilty that I didn't call her earlier.
Μαζί σας αισθάνομαι ασφαλής και μπορώ να μιλήσω ανοιχτά.
mazí sas esthánome asfalís ke boró na milíso anichtá
With you I feel safe and able to speak openly.
Αισθάνομαι σαν να είμαι πάλι στο σπίτι μου.
esthánome san na íme páli sto spíti mu
I feel as though I'm back home.
καλά or καλός?
Both are grammatical, but they answer different questions. καλά describes well-being; καλός is a masculine predicate adjective and evaluates the speaker as a good person.
Αισθάνομαι καλά μετά από έναν καλό ύπνο.
esthánome kalá metá apó énan kaló ípno
I feel well after a good night's sleep.
Αισθάνομαι καλός άνθρωπος όταν βοηθάω κάποιον.
esthánome kalós ánthropos ótan voitháo kápion
I feel like a good person when I help someone. (male speaker)
Set phrases
- Πώς αισθάνεστε; — “How are you feeling?” (polite/formal)
- αισθάνομαι άβολα / ασφαλής / τύψεις — feel uncomfortable / safe / guilty
- δεν αισθάνομαι καλά — not feel well
- αισθάνομαι σαν στο σπίτι μου — feel at home
The related nouns overlap, but αίσθηση usually names a sensation or impression, while αίσθημα more readily names an emotion.
Common Mistakes
A woman says κουρασμένη, not masculine ×κουρασμένος; a group chooses κουρασμένοι / κουρασμένες by agreement. Use καλά for well-being, while καλός genuinely means “good.” The active-looking ×αισθάνω is not the standard verb.
Key Takeaways
- αισθάνομαι · αισθανόμουν · αισθάνθηκα · να αισθανθώ · έχω αισθανθεί.
- Predicate adjectives are nominative and agree with the subject; adverbs such as καλά do not.
- Accusative nouns name the sensation: πόνο, τύψεις, ντροπή.
- αισθάνσου / αισθανθείτε exists in careful instructions; everyday speech generally prefers νιώσε / νιώστε.
Related Topics
- νιώθω (to feel)A2 — How νιώθω combines with sensations, agreeing predicate adjectives, adverbs, and clauses—and why its active voice must be learned as part of the verb.
- πονάω/πονώ (to hurt)B1 — One verb, four argument frames, and English needs a different construction for each: Πονάω, Πονάει το πόδι μου, Με πονάει το κεφάλι, Με πόνεσαν τα λόγια σου. Principal parts with the -εσα aorist, why putting yourself in the subject slot turns the verb causative, and πονεμένος.
- Deponent Verbs (-ομαι only)B1 — Verbs with no corresponding active present but an active meaning — έρχομαι (come), κάθομαι (sit), γίνομαι (become), θυμάμαι (remember), φοβάμαι (fear), σκέφτομαι (think), εργάζομαι (work) — their mediopassive present and imperfect, and their unpredictable active-type or mediopassive-type perfective forms.
- 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.
- Nominative: Predicate and NamingA2 — Why both sides of είμαι share the nominative — Ο Γιάννης είναι δάσκαλος, Εγώ είμαι — how γίνομαι, φαίνομαι and μένω behave the same way, why Greek says Είναι γιατρός with no article, and the neat reason Με λένε Γιάννη is accusative instead.
- Principal Parts: Complete IndexA2 — A consolidated index of the principal parts of 151 frequent Modern Greek verbs, including defective and register-limited paradigms.