επιτρέπω is the everyday and official verb “allow.” Its most useful form is not “I allow” but δεν επιτρέπεται, the agentless wording on doors, tickets, beaches, and museum walls. As a complete question, Επιτρέπεται; politely asks “May I?”
Δεν επιτρέπεται η είσοδος χωρίς εισιτήριο.
dhen epitrépete i ísodhos chorís isitírio
Entry is not allowed without a ticket.
Επιτρέπεται;
epitrépete;
May I?
Principal parts—and a partial passive
| Slot | Form | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Present | επιτρέπω, επιτρέπεις, επιτρέπει, επιτρέπουμε, επιτρέπετε, επιτρέπουν | |
| Imperfect | επέτρεπα | internal augment |
| Aorist | επέτρεψα | π + σ → ψ |
| Dependent / perfect | να επιτρέψω / έχω επιτρέψει | |
| Imperative | επίτρεψε / επιτρέψτε | singular επίτρεψε is uncommon; επιτρέψτε is current in polite or formal requests |
| Mediopassive present | επιτρέπεται / επιτρέπονται | third person only |
| Passive aorist | επιτράπηκε / επιτράπηκαν | third person only; επετράπη (formal) |
| Present passive participle | επιτρεπόμενος, -η, -ο | permitted, allowable |
| First/second-person passive | does not exist | no επιτρέπομαι, επιτρέπεσαι, επιτράπηκα |
The passive is not merely impersonal. A noun can be its nominative subject, singular or plural; what is missing is the first- and second-person part of the paradigm. The wider construction is explained under impersonal passives.
Δεν επιτρέπονται τα κατοικίδια μέσα στο κατάστημα.
dhen epitréponde ta katikídhia mésa sto katástima
Pets are not allowed inside the shop.
Τελικά επιτράπηκε η είσοδος στους δημοσιογράφους.
teliká epitrápike i ísodhos stus dhimosioghráfus
The journalists were eventually allowed in.
This is why δεν επιτρέπεται is more than a fixed sign. Replace its nominative subject and the verb agrees: δεν επιτρέπεται η είσοδος, but δεν επιτρέπονται τα ζώα. Greek foregrounds the permitted or forbidden activity, not the authority issuing the rule.
The participle is thoroughly current in notices and regulations, especially η επιτρεπόμενη ταχύτητα and το ανώτατο επιτρεπόμενο όριο. The learned active participle survives in the fixed expression Θεού θέλοντος και καιρού επιτρέποντος “God willing and weather permitting” (formal, formulaic).
Η επιτρεπόμενη ταχύτητα εδώ είναι πενήντα χιλιόμετρα την ώρα.
i epitrepómeni tachítita edhó íne penínda chiliómetra tin óra
The speed limit here is fifty kilometres per hour.
Government
The person receiving permission is normally a genitive clitic, while the permitted action is a να-clause: μου επέτρεψε να φύγω. A full noun recipient takes σε + accusative: επέτρεψε στον Νίκο να φύγει. A thing or kind of behaviour can be a direct accusative object.
Η γιατρός μου επέτρεψε να επιστρέψω στη δουλειά τη Δευτέρα.
i yatrós mu epétrepse na epistrépso sti dhuliá ti Dheftéra
The doctor allowed me to return to work on Monday.
Δεν επιτρέπω τέτοια συμπεριφορά μέσα στην τάξη.
dhen epitrépo tétia simberiforá mésa stin táksi
I do not allow that kind of behaviour in the classroom.
The emphatic σε μένα is grammatical: Επέτρεψε σε μένα να μείνω, όχι στον Πέτρο. What Standard Greek does not use neutrally is the accusative clitic με for this recipient; Με επέτρεψε is, however, licensed (regional: northern Greece), so it is a regional contrast rather than an ungrammatical string.
Set phrases
δεν επιτρέπεται “it is not allowed”; Επιτρέπεται; “May I?”; Αν μου επιτρέπετε… “If you will permit me…” (formal); δεν επιτρέπεται η είσοδος “no entry”; μου το επέτρεψε “he allowed me to do it”; με την άδειά σας “with your permission” (formal).
Αν μου επιτρέπετε, θα ήθελα να προσθέσω κάτι.
an mu epitrépete, tha íthela na prosthéso káti
If I may, I would like to add something. (formal)
Επιτρέπεται το κάπνισμα στην αυλή;
epitrépete to kápnizma stin avlí;
Is smoking allowed in the courtyard?
Common Mistakes
❌ Δεν επιτρέπομαι να μπω χωρίς κράτηση.
Incorrect—first-person επιτρέπομαι does not exist; Greek uses the impersonal with a genitive clitic.
✅ Δεν μου επιτρέπεται να μπω χωρίς κράτηση.
dhen mu epitrépete na bo chorís krátisi
I'm not allowed to go in without a reservation.
Key Takeaways
- επιτρέπω · επέτρεπα · επέτρεψα · να επιτρέψω · έχω επιτρέψει.
- The live passive is third-person only: επιτρέπεται, επιτρέπονται, επιτράπηκε.
- A recipient pronoun is genitive (μου); a full recipient is σε + accusative.
Related Topics
- αφήνω (to leave/let)A2 — Four stems — αφήν-, άφησ-, αφεθ- and the odd little άσ- — doing two jobs at once: leaving a thing behind (Άφησα τα κλειδιά στο γραφείο) and letting a person act (Με άφησε να φύγω). Plus Άσε, the short imperative that stopped being an imperative and became a conversational move of its own.
- βοηθάω/βοηθώ (to help)A2 — The person you help is a bare accusative — Σε βοηθάω, never a 'to'-phrase — while the thing you help with goes after σε or με and the action you help somebody do goes after να. Plus the subjectless βοηθάει να, which looks like a sentence with a missing subject and isn't.
- Principal Parts: Complete IndexA2 — A consolidated index of the principal parts of 151 frequent Modern Greek verbs, including defective and register-limited paradigms.
- Impersonal and Agentless PassivesB2 — The two routes Greek uses to keep the doer out of the sentence: mediopassive forms in signs, notices and reports — including completed agentless events such as Ανακοινώθηκε and Δόθηκε — and the everyday subjectless third-person plural (Μου έκλεψαν το πορτοφόλι, Λένε ότι…).
- Genitive: The Indirect ObjectA2 — A high-frequency job of the genitive in neutral Standard Greek — marking the person something is given, said, sent or shown to — and the tiny unstressed pronouns μου, σου, του, της, μας, σας, τους that carry it.
- Text: An Official NoticeC1 — Read a realistic public notice built from agentless mediopassives, formal requests, learned participles, and their clear everyday paraphrases.