πλένω “wash” is a model of why Greek verbs must be learned with principal parts. Its imperfective stem has ε (πλεν-), while its bounded active forms have υ (πλυν-) and its mediopassive perfective forms have πλυθ-. The spelling change is lexical; sound alone cannot reconstruct it.
Πλένω τα ποτήρια τώρα, άφησέ τα στον νεροχύτη.
pléno ta potíria tóra, áfisé ta ston nerochíti
I'm washing the glasses now; leave them in the sink.
Πλύθηκα γρήγορα και έφυγα για τη δουλειά.
plíthika ghríghora ke éfigha ya ti dhuliá
I washed quickly and left for work.
The present sets are regular: πλένω, πλένεις, πλένει, πλένουμε, πλένετε, πλένουν and πλένομαι, πλένεσαι, πλένεται, πλενόμαστε, πλένεστε, πλένονται. The irregular information lies in the principal stems, not the personal endings.
Principal parts
| Slot | Active | Mediopassive |
|---|---|---|
| Present | πλένω | πλένομαι |
| Imperfect | έπλενα | πλενόμουν |
| Aorist | έπλυνα | πλύθηκα |
| Dependent | πλύνω | πλυθώ |
| Imperative | πλύνε / πλύντε (also πλύνετε) | πλύσου / πλυθείτε |
| Perfect | έχω πλύνει | έχω πλυθεί |
| Result participle | — | πλυμένος, -η, -ο |
| Voice/aspect stem gaps | None: both voices have imperfective and perfective stems | |
Do not use έπλενα as a vague past substitute for έπλυνα. The former presents washing internally or as open; the latter presents it as a bounded whole. This is viewpoint, not a mechanical contrast between long and short actions.
Έπλυνα τα σεντόνια, αλλά δεν πρόλαβαν να στεγνώσουν.
éplina ta sendónia, alá dhen prólavan na steghnósun
I washed the sheets, but they didn't have time to dry.
Όταν τηλεφώνησες, έπλενα ακόμη τα πιάτα.
ótan tilefónises, éplena akómi ta piáta
When you called, I was still washing the dishes.
Government
Active πλένω takes an accusative object. A named body part also stays active and takes a possessive clitic: πλένω τα χέρια μου. Use πλένομαι without a direct object when the subject washes themself. The wider reflexive pattern belongs to reflexive mediopassives.
The same mediopassive also supplies an ordinary passive when the subject is the item washed: τα ρούχα πλένονται. Context distinguishes “wash oneself” from “be washed”; the form itself does not carry a separate reflexive label.
Πλύνε τα χέρια σου πριν καθίσουμε στο τραπέζι.
plíne ta chéria su prin kathísume sto trapézi
Wash your hands before we sit down at the table.
Αυτό το πουκάμισο πλένεται μόνο στο χέρι.
aftó to pukámiso plénete móno sto chéri
This shirt is hand-wash only.
Means takes με + accusative: με κρύο νερό, με σαπούνι. Laundry manner or setting commonly appears as στο χέρι or στο πλυντήριο.
Keep πλένω distinct from broader καθαρίζω. Water or washing is central to πλένω; καθαρίζω covers cleaning generally and also peeling, shelling, and clearing. Either verb can describe some household jobs, but they are not interchangeable in every object frame.
Process and result
πλενόμενος describes an ongoing process or a washable type; πλυμένος describes the resulting state. They are both grammatical and cannot be reduced to “wrong versus right.”
Τα ρούχα θα πλυθούν στους τριάντα βαθμούς.
ta rúcha tha plithún stus triánda vathmús
The clothes will be washed at thirty degrees.
Ήρθαν όλα πλυμένα και σιδερωμένα από το καθαριστήριο.
írthan óla pliména ke sidheroména apó to katharistírio
Everything came back washed and ironed from the dry cleaner's.
Set phrases
- πλένω τα πιάτα / τα ρούχα — wash the dishes / clothes
- πλένω τα χέρια μου — wash my hands; also disclaim responsibility
- βάζω πλυντήριο — put a load of washing on
- στο χέρι / στο πλυντήριο — by hand / in the washing machine
- πλύνε βάλε(informal) — easy-care, wash-and-wear
- πλύση εγκεφάλου — brainwashing
Για αυτή την απόφαση, πλένω τα χέρια μου.
ya aftí tin apófasi, pléno ta chéria mu
As for this decision, I wash my hands of it.
Common Mistakes
Say πλένω τα χέρια μου, not ×πλένομαι τα χέρια μου. Keep έπλυνα for the bounded active past and πλύθηκα for “I washed myself / was washed”; neither is a spelling variant of έπλενα.
Key Takeaways
- πλένω · έπλενα · έπλυνα · πλύνω; mediopassive πλένομαι · πλενόμουν · πλύθηκα · πλυθώ.
- Body parts are active objects; whole-body reflexive washing uses πλένομαι without an object.
- πλενόμενος is process/type, while πλυμένος is result.
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