Greek separates dressing your whole person from putting on a named item. ντύνομαι means “get dressed”; φοράω names what you wear; everyday βάζω can mean “put on” a garment. Where English builds get dressed from get plus a participle, Greek packages the change in one inflected middle verb. The active twin ντύνω means “dress somebody else,” so ντύνομαι is not deponent.
Principal parts
| Slot | Active: dress someone | Middle: get dressed |
|---|---|---|
| Present | ντύνω | ντύνομαι, ντύνεσαι, ντύνεται, ντυνόμαστε, ντύνεστε, ντύνονται |
| Imperfect | έντυνα | ντυνόμουν |
| Aorist | έντυσα | ντύθηκα |
| Dependent | ντύσω | ντυθώ |
| Imperative | ντύσε / ντύστε | ντύσου / ντυθείτε |
| Perfect | έχω ντύσει | έχω ντυθεί |
| Participle | ντυμένος | |
Ντύθηκα σε πέντε λεπτά και κατέβηκα αμέσως.
díthika se pénde leptá ke katévika amésos
I got dressed in five minutes and came straight downstairs.
Έντυσα το παιδί και μετά ετοιμάστηκα κι εγώ.
éndisa to pedhí ke metá etimástika ki eghó
I dressed the child and then got ready myself.
The middle alone normally expresses the reflexive relation; the general reason is explained on reflexive meaning. ντύνω τον εαυτό μου is also real Greek, but points emphatically to the self rather than stating the neutral routine.
The three clothing verbs
| Verb | What it profiles | Natural model | Wrong extension |
|---|---|---|---|
| ντύνομαι | the whole person becomes dressed | Ντύθηκα γρήγορα. | ×Ντύθηκα το παλτό. |
| φοράω | a named garment is worn or put on | Φόρεσα το παλτό. | not a free synonym for “got dressed” |
| βάζω | put a named garment on (informal) | Έβαλα το παλτό. | not a free synonym for “got dressed” |
Φόρεσα το παλτό μου, γιατί έξω φυσούσε.
fóresa to paltó mu, yatí ékso fisúse
I put on my coat because it was windy outside.
Βάλε ένα πουλόβερ· το βράδυ κάνει κρύο.
vále éna pulóver; to vrádhi káni krío
Put on a jumper; it gets cold in the evening. (informal)
Government
The middle takes no direct object. A bare noun can still describe the subject's costume or social role: it is a predicate, not a garment object. Manner appears as an adverb or in a με / σε phrase. Active ντύνω takes an accusative person.
| Frame | Model | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| bare middle | ντύνομαι γρήγορα | get dressed |
| bare role/costume predicate | ντύθηκε γαμπρός | dress as a groom |
στα / με
| στα μαύρα, με γούστο | style or manner |
| named garment as direct object | ×ντύνομαι το παλτό | does not exist; use φοράω / βάζω |
Για τον γάμο ντύθηκε γαμπρός με σκούρο μπλε κοστούμι.
ya ton ghámo díthike ghambrós me skúro ble kostúmi
For the wedding he dressed as the groom in a dark-blue suit.
Στη συναυλία ήταν όλοι ντυμένοι στα μαύρα.
sti sinavlía ítan óli diméni sta mávra
At the concert everyone was dressed in black.
The result participle
ντυμένος describes the state after dressing and agrees with its noun: ντυμένος, ντυμένη, ντυμένοι, ντυμένες. It combines productively with style words. καλοντυμένος evaluates the overall appearance, while ντυμένος στην τρίχα says that every detail is immaculate. Neither names a particular garment.
Ήρθε καλοντυμένη, αλλά όχι υπερβολικά επίσημα.
írthe kalondiméni, alá óchi ipervoliká epísima
She arrived well dressed, but without looking overly formal.
Set phrases
- Ντύσου καλά, κάνει κρύο. — Dress warmly; it is cold.
- ντύνομαι αποκριάτικα — dress up for Carnival
- καλοντυμένος — well dressed
- ντυμένος στην τρίχα — dressed to perfection
- Πότε θα ντυθείς; — When will you enlist? (informal, military)
Common Mistakes
❌ Ντύνομαι το παλτό μου.
Incorrect — a named garment takes φοράω or βάζω.
✅ Φοράω το παλτό μου.
foráo to paltó mu
I'm putting on / wearing my coat.
❌ Ντύθηκα το παιδί.
Incorrect — ντύθηκα means I got dressed; it cannot take this object.
✅ Έντυσα το παιδί.
éndisa to pedhí
I dressed the child.
Key Takeaways
- ντύνω · έντυσα dresses somebody; ντύνομαι · ντύθηκα · ντύσου dresses the subject.
- Whole person: ντύνομαι. Named garment: φοράω, or βάζω (informal).
- A bare costume noun is allowed: ντύθηκε γαμπρός. A garment object is not.
Related Topics
- φοράω / φορώA2 — The everyday clothing verb whose aspect distinguishes wearing from putting on, with the irregular aorist φόρεσα and the fully live mediopassive φοριέμαι.
- βγάζω (to take out/off)A2 — The extraction verb that covers eight English ones — take off, take out, remove, earn, produce, publish, photograph, work out. Forms identical to βάζω (έβγαλα, βγάλω, βγάλε, βγαλμένος), the naming frame Τον έβγαλαν Γιώργο, and the line between βγάζω and its intransitive twin βγαίνω.
- Reflexive Use of the Middle VoiceB1 — How Greek uses the mediopassive -ομαι ending to say you do something to yourself — πλένομαι (wash), ντύνομαι (get dressed), χτενίζομαι (comb one's hair), ετοιμάζομαι (get ready) — why the ending itself is the 'myself', when the marked τον εαυτό μου is needed instead, and why body parts take active + possessive (πλένω τα χέρια μου).
- Reflexive Pronoun vs Middle VoiceB2 — Greek encodes 'myself' twice — with the -ομαι ending and with the noun ο εαυτός μου — and they are not free variants. The middle deletes the object slot, the pronoun fills it, and that single fact predicts every case: why an oblique self, a contrasted self or a modified self forces τον εαυτό μου, why verbs like αγαπάω leave you no choice, why the two can never be stacked, and where the learned prefix αυτο- comes in.
- Mediopassive ImperativeB1 — Commands for -ομαι / -άμαι verbs — the reflexives, feelings and motion verbs — with singular -ου and plural -είτε (ντύσου / ντυθείτε, σκέψου / σκεφτείτε), plus the high-frequency irregulars κάτσε, σήκω, στάσου and έλα.
- Principal Parts: Complete IndexA2 — A consolidated index of the principal parts of 151 frequent Modern Greek verbs, including defective and register-limited paradigms.