στενοχωριέμαι is what Greeks say when something troubles or upsets them—and what they negate when comforting somebody: Μη στενοχωριέσαι. It is also a useful working model for the everyday mediopassive ending -ιέμαι.
Μη στενοχωριέσαι, θα περάσει κι αυτό.
mi stenochoriése, tha perási ki aftó
Don't be upset; this too will pass.
Principal parts and accepted doublets
| Slot | Forms | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Present | στενοχωριέμαι, στενοχωριέσαι, στενοχωριέται, στενοχωριόμαστε, στενοχωριέστε, στενοχωριούνται | everyday -ιέμαι set |
| Present doublet | στενοχωρούμαι | (formal); real, not a spelling error |
| Imperfect | στενοχωριόμουν | a continuing state |
| Aorist | στενοχωρήθηκα | a bounded reaction |
| Dependent | στενοχωρηθώ | να / θα στενοχωρηθώ |
| Perfect | έχω στενοχωρηθεί | |
| Participle | στενοχωρημένος, -η, -ο | upset, distressed |
| Active | στενοχωρώ | upset or bother somebody |
The spelling στεναχωριέμαι is equally accepted in standard current Greek, with the corresponding family στεναχωρώ, στεναχωρήθηκα, στεναχωρημένος. The word comes from στενός + χώρος, literally a “narrow space”; the vowel alternation also appears in στενόχωρος / στενάχωρος. There is no prize for hunting down one uniquely correct spelling—choose one family and stay consistent throughout the same text from start to finish.
Γιατί είσαι στεναχωρημένος; Έγινε κάτι στη δουλειά;
yatí íse stenachoriménos; éyine káti sti dhuliá;
Why are you upset? Did something happen at work?
The ordinary negative command uses the imperfective present form: μη στενοχωριέσαι / μη στενοχωριέστε. A positive imperative has no normal consoling use; speakers use the active command only when they mean “do not upset me.”
Μη με στενοχωρείς άλλο· πες μου τι έγινε.
mi me stenochorís álo; pes mu ti éyine
Don't upset me any further; tell me what happened.
This verb has both an active and a mediopassive paradigm, so it is not a true deponent. The middle subject experiences the distress; the active subject causes it. See the broader account under middle-voice meaning.
Government
A που + indicative clause gives the fact causing the emotion. This is the natural emotion-verb pattern: the departure is treated as an established fact, not as a wished-for or hypothetical event. English “that” tempts learners toward ότι, but neutral Greek chooses που here.
Στενοχωριέμαι που φεύγεις τόσο νωρίς.
stenochoriéme pu févyis tóso norís
I'm upset that you're leaving so early.
για + accusative names the person, issue, or future outcome one is worried about. με + accusative names an irritant or circumstance that causes discomfort. Active στενοχωρώ + accusative person directly names the person affected.
Στενοχωριέται πολύ για τον γιο της που μένει μακριά.
stenochoriéte polí ya ton yo tis pu méni makriá
She worries a lot about her son who lives far away.
Στενοχωριέμαι με τον τρόπο που μου μίλησε.
stenochoriéme me ton trópo pu mu mílise
I'm upset by the way he spoke to me.
Με στενοχωρούν αυτά τα παπούτσια· με χτυπάνε στη φτέρνα.
me stenochorún aftá ta papútsia; me chtipáne sti ftérna
These shoes are bothering me; they rub against my heel.
In that shoe example, initial Με is the accusative clitic “me,” not the preposition; αυτά τα παπούτσια is the nominative subject of active στενοχωρούν.
Τον στενοχώρησε πολύ η είδηση, αλλά δεν το έδειξε.
ton stenochórise polí i ídhisi, alá dhen to édhikse
The news upset him greatly, but he didn't show it.
Set phrases
- Μη στενοχωριέσαι. — Don't worry / don't be upset.
- στενοχωρήθηκα πολύ — I was very upset
- έχω στενοχώριες — I have worries
- με πιάνει στενοχώρια — sadness/worry comes over me
- μη με στενοχωρείς — don't upset me
Μόλις το άκουσα, με έπιασε μεγάλη στενοχώρια.
mólis to ákusa, me épiase megháli stenochória
As soon as I heard it, I was overcome by deep sadness.
Common Mistakes
❌ Στενοχωριέμαι ότι φεύγεις.
Incorrect in the neutral emotion frame — use που for the fact causing the distress.
✅ Στενοχωριέμαι που φεύγεις.
stenochoriéme pu févyis
I'm upset that you're leaving.
Do not write ×στενοχωρώμαι. Everyday Greek uses στενοχωριέμαι; the learned doublet is correctly spelled στενοχωρούμαι(formal).
Key Takeaways
- στενοχωριέμαι · στενοχωριόμουν · στενοχωρήθηκα · στενοχωρηθώ · στενοχωρημένος.
- Both στενο- and στενα- spellings are standard; στενοχωρούμαι is a formal doublet.
- Use που for the upsetting fact, για for whom or what you worry about, and με for an irritant.
Related Topics
- λυπάμαι (to be sorry)B1 — Sympathy, regret, pity and reluctance with λυπάμαι—distinct from the everyday apology formula συγγνώμη.
- χαίρομαι (to be glad)B1 — The irregular forms of χαίρομαι, factive που versus activity/prospect να, and the greeting pair Χαίρω πολύ–Χάρηκα.
- Present Mediopassive: -ιέμαιB1 — How the -άω verbs (Conjugation Β1, like αγαπάω) build their mediopassive present — αγαπιέμαι, αγαπιέσαι, αγαπιέται — where the -ι- glide comes from, the synizesis that keeps it one syllable, and the reciprocal 'kiss/love each other' meaning that makes -ιούνται so common.
- να After Emotion and EvaluationB1 — Verbs and expressions of feeling and judgement — μου αρέσει να, φοβάμαι να, χαίρομαι, λυπάμαι, αξίζει, είναι κρίμα — take a να-clause for the event itself and που for an established fact that stirs the feeling; how to tell which one you need.
- Middle-Voice MeaningsB2 — What the -ομαι ending really encodes once you stop calling it 'the passive' — acting for your own benefit (δανείζομαι, μοιράζομαι), emotional and mental states (χαίρομαι, στεναχωριέμαι, ντρέπομαι), spontaneous events (φαίνεται, ακούγεται), and the potential middle that means 'can't be done' (δεν τρώγεται, δεν διαβάζεται) — plus the honest warning that θυμώνω and νιώθω are active.
- Principal Parts: Complete IndexA2 — A consolidated index of the principal parts of 151 frequent Modern Greek verbs, including defective and register-limited paradigms.