φοράω or φορώ covers both wear and put on. The choice is not random: the open, internal view normally describes what someone is wearing, while the bounded stem presents the change into that state.
Σήμερα φοράω το μπλε σακάκι που μου χάρισες.
símera foráo to ble sakáki pu mu chárises
Today I'm wearing the blue jacket you gave me.
Φόρεσα το παλτό και κατέβηκα αμέσως.
fóresa to paltó ke katévika amésos
I put on my coat and came straight downstairs.
Principal parts
| Slot | Form |
|---|---|
| Present | φοράω / φορώ, φοράς, φοράει / φορά, φοράμε, φοράτε, φοράνε / φορούν |
| Imperfect | φορούσα |
| Aorist | φόρεσα |
| After θα / να | φορέσω |
| Command | φόρα / φορέστε |
| Perfect | έχω φορέσει |
| Mediopassive | φοριέμαι · φοριόμουν · φορέθηκα / φορεθώ |
| Participle | φορεμένος, -η, -ο |
| Unavailable slots | none in the ordinary active or mediopassive paradigm |
The aorist is φόρεσα, not a form in -ησα. This small -εσα family also includes γέλασα, χάλασα and κρέμασα. The same root gives το φόρεμα, “dress,” but a φόρεμα is a noun, not a verb form.
The two present spellings are equivalent in current Standard Greek. The shorter φορώ is common in writing, but it is not inherently more correct than conversational φοράω.
Three clothing verbs
φοράω selects a named garment or accessory. βάζω (informal) can describe putting that item on, especially in commands and bounded events. ντύνομαι presents the whole person getting dressed and normally has no garment object. The βάζω and ντύνομαι cards develop their other uses.
Βάλε μια ζακέτα, γιατί έξω έχει ψύχρα.
vále mia zakéta, yatí ékso échi psíchra
Put on a cardigan, because it's chilly outside.
Ντύθηκα βιαστικά και ξέχασα τα γάντια μου.
díthika viastiká ke kséchasa ta yándia mu
I got dressed in a hurry and forgot my gloves.
Government
The direct object is an accusative garment or accessory: φοράω πουκάμισο, γυαλιά, φακούς, ρολόι. Colour and material can be agreeing adjectives; με normally links a second garment or accessory.
Φοράει γυαλιά από το γυμνάσιο.
forái yaliá apó to yimnásio
She's worn glasses since secondary school.
Θα φορέσω μαύρο παντελόνι με λινό πουκάμισο.
tha foréso mávro pandelóni me linó pukámiso
I'll wear black trousers with a linen shirt.
The mediopassive is not confined to negative sentences. It can say that something is wearable in a setting or currently in fashion.
Αυτά τα παπούτσια φοριούνται πολύ φέτος.
aftá ta papútsia foriúnde polí fétos
These shoes are being worn a lot this year.
Το λινό σακάκι φοριέται άνετα και το βράδυ.
to linó sakáki foriéte áneta ke to vrádhi
The linen jacket can comfortably be worn in the evening too.
Set phrases
- Τι θα φορέσω; — What shall I wear?
- φοράει τα καλά του — is wearing their best clothes
- δεν φοριέται πια — it is no longer worn / fashionable
- βγάζω το παλτό — take off the coat, the opposite movement
- δεν μου κάνει — it does not fit me
Φόρα το μπουφάν σου και πάρε ομπρέλα.
fóra to bufán su ke páre ombréla
Put on your jacket and take an umbrella.
Common Mistakes
The verb-specific traps are φόρεσα, never φόρησα, and the clothing split. Ντύνομαι το παλτό wrongly gives ντύνομαι a garment object; say φοράω / βάζω το παλτό. For “I got dressed,” use ντύθηκα, not bare φοράω. The broader two-stem system is mapped in the principal-parts index.
Χτες φόρεσα τα καινούρια μου παπούτσια στη δουλειά.
chtes fóresa ta kenúria mu papútsia sti dhuliá
Yesterday I wore my new shoes to work.
Key Takeaways
- φοράω / φορώ · φορούσα · φόρεσα · φορέσω · φόρα / φορέστε · φοριέμαι · φορέθηκα · φορεμένος.
- The open stem typically describes wearing; the bounded stem commonly describes putting on.
- Use φοράω for a named item, βάζω for putting it on, and ντύνομαι for getting dressed as a whole person.
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Start learning Greek →Related Topics
- βάζω (to put)A2 — The -ζω verb that escapes the -ζω aorist split: not έβαξα, not έβασα, but έβαλα from a λ-final root. Full forms, the eight English verbs βάζω has swallowed (put, pour, turn on, enrol), the βάζω τα κλάματα frame, and why βάλθηκα is not a passive.
- δοκιμάζω (to try/taste)B1 — Greek's sampling verb — taste, try on, test, give it a go — always with a real object, which is what separates it from προσπαθώ. Full forms plus the second life of the mediopassive: δοκιμάζομαι, to be sorely tried.
- ντύνομαι (to get dressed)A2 — The clothing split between ντύνομαι, φοράω and βάζω, with the active–middle pair ντύνω/ντύνομαι and costume or role complements.
- Principal Parts: Complete IndexA2 — A consolidated index of the principal parts of 151 frequent Modern Greek verbs, including defective and register-limited paradigms.
- Present Tense: Class Β1 (αγαπάω/-ώ)A1 — The full present of the everyday Β1 contract verbs — αγαπάω/αγαπώ, μιλάω, ρωτάω, περπατάω, κοιτάω, ξεχνάω, περνάω — with the -άω/-ώ doublet in the 'I' and 'they' forms, the fixed -άς 'you' ending, and the crossover error ×αγαπείς that spells it as if it were Class Α.