φτιάχνω covers “make,” “build,” “prepare,” “repair,” and “tidy.” There is no single English equivalent because the object selects the reading: coffee is prepared, a bicycle repaired, a bed made, and a website built.
It is neutral and extremely common in everyday speech.
Principal parts
| Slot | Form | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Present | φτιάχνω, φτιάχνεις, φτιάχνει, φτιάχνουμε, φτιάχνετε, φτιάχνουν | |
| Imperfect | έφτιαχνα | |
| Aorist | έφτιαξα | the perfective stem is φτιαξ-; compare aorist consonant merges |
| Dependent | φτιάξω | |
| Imperative | φτιάξε / φτιάξτε | |
| Perfect | έχω φτιάξει | |
| Gerund | φτιάχνοντας | |
| Mediopassive | φτιάχνομαι · φτιάχτηκα · να φτιαχτώ | true passive and idiomatic middle |
| -μένος participle | φτιαγμένος | made, constructed, modified |
The spoken doublet φτιάνω (informal) is fully established; its aorist may be έφτιαξα or έφτιασα (informal). The older φκιάχνω is a folk form with regional distribution; it appears in dialectal writing but is not the form to learn for Standard Modern Greek.
The object chooses the English verb
Να σου φτιάξω έναν καφέ πριν φύγεις;
na su ftiákso énan kafé prin fíyis;
Shall I make you a coffee before you leave?
Ο μηχανικός έφτιαξε το ποδήλατο μέσα σε μία ώρα.
o michanikós éftiakse to podhílato mésa se mía óra
The mechanic fixed the bicycle in an hour.
Φτιάξε το κρεβάτι σου πριν έρθουν οι φίλοι σου.
ftiákse to kreváti su prin érthun i fíli su
Make your bed before your friends arrive.
With no object, the same active verb can mean “improve.” Greek does not add a reflexive or mediopassive ending for this change-of-state reading.
Από αύριο θα φτιάξει ο καιρός και θα πέσει ο αέρας.
apó ávrio tha ftiáksi o kerós ke tha pési o aéras
The weather will improve tomorrow and the wind will die down.
The mediopassive is not plain reflexive
φτιάχνομαι is live, but it does not normally mean the compositional “make myself.” It can mean get ready or groom oneself, become cheerful, or—(informal, slang)—become intoxicated or high. The true passive also remains available.
Περίμενέ με πέντε λεπτά να φτιαχτώ και φύγαμε.
perímené me pénde leptá na ftiachtó ke fíghame
Give me five minutes to get ready and then we'll go.
Το τραπέζι είναι φτιαγμένο στο χέρι από καστανιά.
to trapézi íne ftiaghméno sto chéri apó kastaniá
The table is handmade from chestnut wood.
What does not exist is a neutral reflexive equation φτιάχνομαι = make myself. For literal self-production Greek must rephrase; the middle has lexicalized meanings of its own.
Government
- Accusative object: the thing made, prepared, repaired, or tidied.
- από / με + accusative: material or means in passive descriptions.
- No object: improve—ο καιρός έφτιαξε.
- τα φτιάχνω με + person: begin a romantic relationship (informal).
Η Έλενα τα έφτιαξε με έναν συνάδελφό της το καλοκαίρι.
i Élena ta éftiakse me énan sinádhelfó tis to kalokéri
Elena started seeing one of her colleagues in the summer. (informal)
Set phrases
| φτιάχνω καφέ / φαγητό | make coffee / prepare food |
| φτιάχνω το κρεβάτι | make the bed |
| φτιάχνω τα μαλλιά μου | do my hair |
| μου φτιάχνει το κέφι | cheers me up |
| δεν φτιάχνεται | it is beyond repair |
κάνω φαγητό is grammatical, but φτιάχνω φαγητό is a strong everyday preference; this is collocation, not right versus wrong.
Έφτιαξα φαγητό για όλους, αλλά άργησαν να έρθουν.
éftiaksa fayitó ya ólus, alá áryisan na érthun
I made food for everyone, but they were late arriving.
Common Mistakes
The verb-specific trap is the perfective stem: ×έφτιαχα is not the aorist. Use έφτιαξα; έφτιαχνα is the imperfect.
✅ Χθες έφτιαξα επιτέλους τη βρύση που έσταζε.
chthes éftiaksa epitélus ti vrísi pu éstaze
Yesterday I finally fixed the tap that was dripping.
Key Takeaways
- φτιάχνω · έφτιαχνα · έφτιαξα · να φτιάξω · φτιάξε · έχω φτιάξει.
- The object chooses among make, prepare, repair, tidy, and build; without an object the verb can mean improve.
- φτιάχνομαι, φτιάχτηκα, φτιαγμένος are live, but the middle has idiomatic meanings rather than a plain reflexive one.
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