φτάνω is two verbs sharing one shell. One of them arrives; the other is impersonal and means be enough. The second has gone a step further than any other verb in this group — it has hardened into a conjunction — and that is what earns this card its page.
Principal parts
| Slot | Forms | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Present | φτάνω, φτάνεις, φτάνει, φτάνουμε, φτάνετε, φτάνουν(ε) | spelled φθάνω in the learned register (formal) |
| Imperfect | έφτανα, έφτανες, έφτανε, φτάναμε, φτάνατε, έφταναν | |
| Aorist | έφτασα, έφτασες, έφτασε, φτάσαμε, φτάσατε, έφτασαν | the -ν- of φτάνω is imperfective only; -σα lands on bare φτα- |
| Dependent | φτάσω — θα φτάσω, να φτάσω | |
| Imperative | φτάσε / φτάστε | live — including Φτάσε μου το αλάτι, "pass me the salt" |
| Mediopassive | φτάνεται — present stem, third person | be reached, be attainable; see below |
| Perfect | έχω / είχα φτάσει | |
| Gerund | φτάνοντας | on arriving, as we got there |
| -μένος participle | φτασμένος, -η, -ο | not "arrived" — established, one who has made it |
There is no ×έφτανσα: the -ν- belongs to the present stem alone, exactly as it does in χάνω → έχασα.
The mediopassive is defective rather than missing, and knowing its shape saves you from inventing the rest of it. It lives on the present stem, in the third person, and nearly always under a negation: δε φτάνεται = it is out of reach, it can't be attained — Το ράφι είναι πολύ ψηλά, δε φτάνεται, Ένας τέτοιος στόχος δε φτάνεται μέσα σε έναν χρόνο. The past tenses are where the gap is: a passive aorist φτάστηκα is on record but colloquial and rare, and it is never ×φτάχτηκε.
φτασμένος is worth a second look, because it does not mean what its form suggests. It is not "having arrived somewhere" — it is arrival in a career.
Είναι φτασμένος δικηγόρος πια, δεν χρειάζεται συστάσεις.
íne ftazménos dhikighóros pia, dhen chriázete sistásis
He's an established lawyer now, he doesn't need introductions.
Arriving, and reaching
Το τρένο φτάνει στις έξι και τέταρτο, αν δεν έχει καθυστέρηση.
to tréno ftáni stis éksi ke tétarto, an dhen échi kathistérisi
The train gets in at quarter past six, if it's not delayed.
Έφτασα, σε πέντε λεπτά είμαι κάτω.
éftasa, se pénde leptá íme káto
I'm nearly there — I'll be downstairs in five minutes. (the aorist reports an arrival that hasn't quite happened yet)
Φτάνοντας στο σπίτι, θυμήθηκα ότι ξέχασα το ψωμί.
ftánondas sto spíti, thimíthika óti kséchasa to psomí
Getting home, I remembered I'd forgotten the bread.
Reaching something — with your arm, or in ability — is where φτάνω drops the preposition and takes a direct object. Δεν μπορώ να τον φτάσω says you cannot match him, not that you cannot get to him:
Δεν φτάνω το ντουλάπι, μου δίνεις μια καρέκλα;
dhen ftáno to dulápi, mu dhínis mia karékla;
I can't reach the cupboard — could you pass me a chair?
The same σε extends to states rather than places, and φτάσαμε στο σημείο να… ("we've got to the point where…") is the everyday way of reporting that things have gone further than they should.
Enough — and φτάνει να
In the second life the verb is impersonal. The sufficient thing is the subject, and the person it suffices for is a genitive clitic:
Δεν μου φτάνει ο μισθός μέχρι το τέλος του μήνα.
dhen mu ftáni o misthós méchri to télos tu mína
My salary doesn't last me to the end of the month.
Δεν φτάνει το φαγητό για όλους, να παραγγείλουμε κι άλλο;
dhen ftáni to fayitó ya ólus, na parangílume ki álo;
There isn't enough food for everyone — shall we order more?
From there φτάνει να has become a subordinator meaning as long as, provided that — a full conjunction built out of a verb, which is why it also appears on conditional conjunctions. It is not "it is enough that": the clause states the condition, not a quantity.
Θα σε πάω εγώ, φτάνει να μου το πεις από βραδίς.
tha se páo eghó, ftáni na mu to pis apó vradhís
I'll drive you, as long as you tell me the night before.
Φτάνει να θέλεις, τα υπόλοιπα βρίσκονται.
ftáni na thélis, ta ipólipa vrískonde
As long as you want it, the rest works itself out.
Aspect after it behaves normally — perfective να μου το πεις for the one act, imperfective να θέλεις for the standing state. And δεν φτάνει που… is the complaint frame: not only…, but on top of that…
Δεν φτάνει που άργησε, παραπονιέται κιόλας.
dhen ftáni pu áryise, paraponiéte kiólas
Not only was he late, he's complaining about it too.
Government
| Frame | Example | Reading |
|---|---|---|
σε
| Φτάσαμε στη Λάρισα. | arrive at a place |
| bare accusative | Δεν φτάνω το ράφι. | reach — physically, or in ability |
σε
| Φτάσαμε σε συμφωνία. | arrive at a state or an agreement |
| impersonal, subject = the thing | Δεν φτάνει ο χρόνος. | there isn't enough of it |
| genitive clitic + impersonal | Μου φτάνουν δύο μέρες. | enough for me |
φτάνει να
| Φτάνει να προσπαθήσεις. | as long as, provided that |
Set phrases
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Φτάνει! / Φτάνει πια! | that's enough, stop it |
| Έφτασα! | coming! I'm on my way |
| μου φτάνει και μου περισσεύει | that's more than enough for me |
| φτάνω στα άκρα | go to extremes |
| φτάνω στο αμήν | reach the end of my tether |
| Πού φτάσαμε! | what have we come to! — deploring only if the tone says so |
| εδώ / εκεί που φτάσαμε | the state we've got ourselves into |
| τρέχω και δεν φτάνω | I'm run off my feet and still behind |
Φτάνει πια με αυτή τη μουσική, έχω πονοκέφαλο.
ftáni pia me aftí ti musikí, écho ponokéfalo
Enough of that music now, I've got a headache.
Πού φτάσαμε, να μαλώνουμε για ένα τραπέζι.
pu ftásame, na malónume ya éna trapézi
What have we come to, arguing over a table.
Key Takeaways
- φτάνω · έφτανα · έφτασα · φτάσω · έχω φτάσει · φτάνοντας. No ×έφτανσα. The mediopassive is defective — third-person δε φτάνεται on the present stem, with only a rare colloquial aorist behind it. φθάνω is the same verb in learned spelling (formal).
- σε for arriving at a place, bare accusative for reaching something with your arm or your ability.
- The impersonal takes the sufficient thing as subject and the person as a genitive clitic: Μου φτάνει.
- φτάνει να is a conjunction, as long as — not a quantity statement.
- φτασμένος means established, arrived in life, never simply "having arrived".
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- έρχομαι (to come)A2 — A deponent whose past is shaped like an active verb and whose command comes from a third root: this card lists έρχομαι, ήρθα, έρθω, έλα and ερχόμενος in one place, names the four slots the verb leaves empty, and sets out the frames it takes — including μου έρχεται να, where the person is a genitive clitic.
- πάω / πηγαίνω (to go)A1 — One verb with two presents: πάω is what people say, πηγαίνω is what carries the imperfect πήγαινα and the command πήγαινε. This card shows which form owns which slot, the aorist πήγα (with γ), the empty imperative slot on the πα- side, and the prepositions the verb takes.
- Impersonal and Weather VerbsB1 — The inventory of Greek verbs that live in the third person singular with nobody behind them: βρέχει, χιονίζει, φυσάει, αστράφτει, νυχτώνει, ξημερώνει, plus πρόκειται να, συμβαίνει and τυχαίνει. Includes their two pasts (έβρεχε against έβρεξε), the subjects that do turn up when there is one to name (Φυσάει βοριάς), and the personal lives these same verbs lead elsewhere (Φύσα τη σούπα, Βράχηκα).