φεύγω (to leave) | Greek Grammar

English leave does three unrelated jobs, and Greek gives each of them a different verb. φεύγω is only the first: you go away. It never takes an object, which is why the commonest "leave" error in the language is an English sentence pushed through it whole.

Which "leave" is this?

English	Greek	Shape
I'm leaving (departing)	φεύγω	no object, ever
I left the keys on the table	αφήνω	object + place
I left my umbrella on the train (= forgot)	ξεχνάω	object, and it was an accident

Φεύγω σε δέκα λεπτά, θέλεις να σε πετάξω κάπου;

févgho se dhéka leptá, thélis na se petákso kápu;

I'm off in ten minutes — do you want a lift anywhere?

Άφησα το κλειδί κάτω από το χαλάκι, όπως πάντα.

áfisa to klidhí káto apó to chaláki, ópos pánda

I left the key under the mat, as usual.

Ξέχασα την ομπρέλα μου στο τρένο και βρέχει κιόλας.

kséchasa tin ombréla mu sto tréno ke vréchi kiólas

I left my umbrella on the train, and it's raining too.

Principal parts

Slot	Form
Present	φεύγω, φεύγεις, φεύγει, φεύγουμε, φεύγετε, φεύγουν
Imperfect	έφευγα, έφευγες, έφευγε, φεύγαμε, φεύγατε, έφευγαν
Aorist	έφυγα, έφυγες, έφυγε, φύγαμε, φύγατε, έφυγαν
After θα / να	φύγω
Command	φύγε / φύγετε · φεύγα(informal) "off you go, keep moving"
Perfect / pluperfect	έχω, είχα φύγει
Gerund	φεύγοντας

The stem change is one you can hear: φεύγ- /fev/ against φυγ- /fi/. Nothing merges with anything; the diphthong ευ simply collapses to υ, which puts φεύγω with στέλνω → έστειλα and πλένω → έπλυνα on stem-alternation verbs. Note the augment behaving normally on top of that: έφυγα but φύγαμε.

Έφυγε από τη δουλειά τον Μάρτιο και άνοιξε δικό του μαγαζί.

éfiye apó ti dhuliá ton Mártio ke ánikse dhikó tu maghazí

He left his job in March and opened his own shop.

Φύγαμε νωρίς το πρωί για να μην πέσουμε σε κίνηση.

fíghame norís to proí ya na min pésume se kínisi

We left early in the morning to avoid the traffic.

💡

φύγω looks exactly like a present tense — same length, same -ω as γράφω — but it is a dependent form and cannot head a clause on its own. It appears leaning on θα, να, ας, μη(ν) or a conjunction: θα φύγω, να φύγω, πριν φύγω, μόλις φύγει. See the aorist subjunctive.

Φύγαμε! — the aorist that means "let's go"

One form breaks rank. Φύγαμε! is literally "we left", but it is used as a hortative before anyone has moved: right, let's go, off we go. It is (informal) and hugely common, especially getting people out of the door or starting something.

Φύγαμε! Πάρε το μπουφάν σου και κατέβα.

fíghame! páre to bufán su ke katéva

Let's go! Grab your jacket and come down. (informal)

What φεύγω does not have

A direct object — does not exist. You cannot leave a thing with this verb; that is αφήνω.
A passive — does not exist. No φεύγομαι, no φύγθηκα.
A -μένος participle — does not exist. There is no φυγμένος. Two things fill the gap: the everyday gerund φεύγοντας "on the way out, as I was leaving", and the (informal) adjective φευγάτος "gone, away" — which of a person shifts sense completely, to "a bit odd, a bit off his head".

Φεύγοντας, κλείσε τα φώτα και κλείδωσε καλά.

févghondas, klíse ta fóta ke klídhose kalá

On your way out, turn off the lights and lock up properly.

Είναι φευγάτος από τις έξι, δεν θα τον βρεις εδώ.

íne fevghátos apó tis éksi, dhen tha ton vris edhó

He's been gone since six — you won't find him here. (informal)

Government

Frame	Example	Reading
no object	Φεύγω.	strictly intransitive
από accusative	Έφυγα από τη δουλειά.	the place — or the job you quit
για accusative	Φεύγω για Θεσσαλονίκη.	destination, often with no article
με accusative	Φεύγω με το τρένο των έξι.	means of transport
genitive clitic	Μου έφυγε από το μυαλό.	who it happened to
3rd singular of a mark	Δεν φεύγει ο λεκές.	it won't come out

Μου έφυγε εντελώς από το μυαλό ότι είχαμε ραντεβού.

mu éfiye endelós apó to mialó óti íchame randevú

It completely slipped my mind that we had an appointment.

Δεν φεύγει ο λεκές με τίποτα, τον έχω πλύνει τρεις φορές.

dhen févyi o lekés me típota, ton écho plíni tris forés

The stain just won't come out — I've washed it three times.

Set phrases

Phrase	Meaning
Πρέπει να φύγω	I have to get going
Φύγαμε! (informal)	let's go!
φεύγω από τη δουλειά	leave work; also quit the job
μου έφυγε από το μυαλό	it slipped my mind
φεύγει ο καιρός	time is getting away from us
έφυγε (euphemism)	he passed away
φύγε από δω (informal)	get out of here
δεν φεύγει ο λεκές	the stain won't come out

Έφυγε πέρσι, στα ενενήντα δύο του, ήσυχα στον ύπνο του.

éfiye pérsi, sta enenínda dhío tu, ísicha ston ípno tu

He passed away last year, at ninety-two, quietly in his sleep. (euphemism)

Common Mistakes

Giving φεύγω the object that English gives leave. In I left the book at my mother's, English has one verb doing two jobs. Greek keeps them apart: the person departing is φεύγω, the thing left behind is αφήνω.

❌ Έφυγα το βιβλίο στο σπίτι της μητέρας μου.

Incorrect — φεύγω has no object; leaving a thing somewhere is άφησα.

✅ Άφησα το βιβλίο στο σπίτι της μητέρας μου.

áfisa to vivlío sto spíti tis mitéras mu

I left the book at my mother's house.

Key Takeaways

φεύγω · έφευγα · έφυγα · να φύγω · φύγε · έχω φύγει · φεύγοντας.
ευ → υ: φεύγ- /fev/ against φυγ- /fi/ — a stem change you hear, not a consonant merge.
No object, no passive, no -μένος participle. Leaving a thing behind is αφήνω; forgetting it there is ξεχνάω.
Φύγαμε! is an aorist doing hortative duty — "let's go", (informal).
φεύγοντας (on the way out) and (informal) φευγάτος (gone, off) are the two derived forms worth having.

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