νιώθω is the everyday verb for physical sensations, emotions, intuition, and empathetic understanding. Its forms are compact; the real difficulty comes after the verb, where Greek distinguishes an agreeing adjective from an adverb in a way English feel does not show.
Principal parts
| Slot | Form | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Present | νιώθω, νιώθεις, νιώθει, νιώθουμε, νιώθετε, νιώθουν | imperfective stem νιωθ- |
| Imperfect | ένιωθα | ongoing or repeated past feeling |
| Aorist | ένιωσα | θ gives way to σ |
| Dependent | νιώσω | after να or θα for a bounded experience |
| Imperative | νιώσε / νιώστε | real but uncommon; usually rhetorical |
| Perfect | έχω νιώσει | |
| Gerund | νιώθοντας | |
| Mediopassive | does not exist in the standard paradigm | no νιώθομαι |
| -μένος participle | does not exist | use an adjective such as κουρασμένος |
The standard spelling is νιώθω. νοιώθω is an older spelling still seen in print; it represents the same pronunciation, not a different tense or register, but current standard spelling omits the ο.
Because this spelling difference is historical rather than phonetic, it disappears completely in speech. Write νιώθω yourself, but recognize νοιώθω without assigning it a different pronunciation or meaning.
Δεν νιώθω καλά σήμερα, μάλλον με πείραξε κάτι που έφαγα.
dhen niótho kalá símera, málon me pírakse káti pu éfagha
I don't feel well today; something I ate must have disagreed with me.
Μόλις άκουσα τη φωνή της, ένιωσα τεράστια ανακούφιση.
mólis ákusa ti foní tis, éniosa terástia anakúfisi
As soon as I heard her voice, I felt enormously relieved.
Agreement after νιώθω
With an adjective, Greek describes the subject and therefore uses the nominative with full gender and number agreement. English hides this because tired never changes.
This is the same structure explained under nominative predicates.
Η Μαρία νιώθει κουρασμένη και θα φύγει νωρίς.
i María nióthi kurazméni ke tha fíyi norís
Maria feels tired and is going to leave early.
Μετά τη βάρδια νιώθουμε όλοι εξαντλημένοι.
metá ti várdhia nióthume óli eksandliméni
After the shift, we all feel exhausted.
An adverb instead describes how the feeling is experienced. That creates a real meaning contrast: νιώθω άσχημα means “I feel bad, unwell, or guilty”; νιώθω άσχημος means “I feel ugly” when the speaker is male.
Νιώθω άσχημα που της μίλησα τόσο απότομα.
niótho áschima pu tis mílisa tóso apótoma
I feel bad for speaking to her so abruptly.
Government
- Accusative noun: νιώθω πόνο, χαρά, φόβο, τύψεις.
- Nominative adjective: νιώθω ασφαλής; νιώθουμε κουρασμένοι.
- Adverb: νιώθω καλά, άβολα, άσχημα.
- ότι / πως + clause: an intuition or impression presented as information.
Νιώθω ότι κάτι δεν πάει καλά, αλλά δεν ξέρω τι.
niótho óti káti dhen pái kalá, alá dhen kséro ti
I feel that something is wrong, but I don't know what.
Δεν νιώθω τα πόδια μου από την ορθοστασία.
dhen niótho ta pódhia mu apó tin orthostasía
I can't feel my legs after standing for so long.
αισθάνομαι is a near-synonym and is natural in careful or measured speech; friends usually choose νιώθω. The register difference is a tendency, not a rule.
Set phrases
| Πώς νιώθεις; | How do you feel? |
| νιώθω τύψεις γι' αυτό | feel guilty about it |
| νιώθω σαν στο σπίτι μου | feel at home |
| Σε νιώθω. | I understand how you feel. (informal) |
| Νιώσε με! | Try to understand me! (informal, rhetorical) |
Common Mistakes
❌ Νιώθω κουρασμένο μετά τη δουλειά.
Incorrect for a male speaker—the predicate adjective must be nominative masculine.
✅ Νιώθω κουρασμένος μετά τη δουλειά.
niótho kurazménos metá ti dhuliá
I feel tired after work.
❌ Νιώθομαι πολύ καλύτερα σήμερα.
Incorrect—νιώθω has no standard mediopassive paradigm.
✅ Νιώθω πολύ καλύτερα σήμερα.
niótho polí kalítera símera
I feel much better today.
Key Takeaways
- νιώθω · ένιωθα · ένιωσα · να νιώσω · έχω νιώσει; the imperative νιώσε is real but uncommon.
- Predicate adjectives agree with the experiencer; adverbs describe the manner of feeling.
- Learn the active voice with the verb: standard Greek has no νιώθομαι and no -μένος participle.
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