ταξιδεύω means travel: it presents movement as a journey, not simply as going somewhere. English makes a similar travel/go distinction, but Greek enforces it strongly in local errands. That scale explains why ταξιδεύω fits Crete, another country, or a long train ride, while πάω is normal for the supermarket. Morphologically, it is a stem-stressed Class Α verb.
Principal parts
| Slot | Form | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Present | ταξιδεύω, ταξιδεύεις, ταξιδεύει, ταξιδεύουμε, ταξιδεύετε, ταξιδεύουν(ε) | one Class Α set |
| -άω/-ώ doublet | does not exist | no ταξιδάω or ταξιδώ |
| Imperfect | ταξίδευα | |
| Aorist | ταξίδεψα | |
| Dependent | ταξιδέψω | θα / να + perfective |
| Imperative | ταξίδευε · ταξίδεψε / ταξιδέψτε | ongoing · bounded journey |
| Perfect | έχω ταξιδέψει | |
| Finite mediopassive | does not exist | the standard dictionary headword is bare |
| Participle | ταξιδεμένος | well-travelled; fully live |
| Family | το ταξίδι · ο ταξιδιώτης / η ταξιδιώτισσα | journey · traveller |
The -εύω → -εψα change is the Class Α pattern owned by μαγειρεύω, not a Class Β aorist. Consonant merges gives the sound mechanics.
A journey, not an errand
The contrast with πάω is one of scale and viewpoint. πάω merely says that you go; ταξιδεύω frames the movement itself as travel.
Πάω στο σούπερ μάρκετ, θέλεις κάτι;
páo sto súper márket, thélis káti;
I'm going to the supermarket; do you want anything?
Ταξιδεύω στην Κρήτη τον άλλο μήνα για έναν γάμο.
taksidhévo stin Kríti ton álo mína ya énan ghámo
I'm travelling to Crete next month for a wedding.
Government
Use με + accusative for transport; σε + accusative or για + accusative for a destination; στο εξωτερικό for “abroad.” Adverbs such as επαγγελματικά and μόνος μου describe purpose or company without changing the frame.
Ταξιδεύουμε με το τρένο γιατί θέλουμε να δούμε τη διαδρομή.
taksidhévume me to tréno yatí thélume na dhúme ti dhiadhromí
We're travelling by train because we want to see the route.
Φέτος θα ταξιδέψω στο εξωτερικό για δουλειά.
fétos tha taksidhépso sto eksoterikó ya dhuliá
This year I'll travel abroad for work.
Ταξίδεψα σε δέκα χώρες μέσα σε δύο χρόνια.
taksídhepsa se dhéka chóres mésa se dhío chrónia
I travelled to ten countries in two years.
The verb also has a genuine transitive-causative use. A person, book, film, smell, or piece of music can “take” the object on an imaginative journey.
Με ταξίδεψε η μουσική και ξέχασα για λίγο πού βρισκόμουν.
me taksídhepse i musikí ke kséchasa ya lígho pu vriskómun
The music transported me, and for a moment I forgot where I was.
The participle and the wandering mind
ταξιδεμένος is the one live mediopassive form: a widely travelled person, often with the suggestion that travel has given them experience. It does not license a finite passive such as ταξιδεύομαι.
Είναι ταξιδεμένος άνθρωπος και προσαρμόζεται εύκολα παντού.
íne taksidheménos ánthropos ke prosarmózete éfkola pandú
He is a well-travelled person and adapts easily anywhere.
In το μυαλό μου ταξιδεύει, the mind wanders away from the immediate conversation.
Πού ταξιδεύει το μυαλό σου; Σου μιλάω τόση ώρα.
pu taksidhévi to mialó su; su miláo tósi óra
Where is your mind wandering? I've been talking to you all this time.
Set phrases
Καλό ταξίδι! “Have a good trip!”; πάω ταξίδι “go on a trip”; ταξιδεύω επαγγελματικά “travel for work”; ταξιδεύω μόνος μου “travel alone”; ένας ταξιδεμένος άνθρωπος “a well-travelled person.” More wishes are collected under wishes and toasts.
Καλό ταξίδι και στείλε μήνυμα όταν φτάσεις!
kaló taksídhi ke stíle mínima ótan ftásis!
Have a good trip, and text when you arrive!
Common Mistakes
❌ Ταξιδάω συχνά για δουλειά.
Incorrect — ταξιδεύω is Class Α and has no -άω present.
✅ Ταξιδεύω συχνά για δουλειά.
taksidhévo sichná ya dhuliá
I often travel for work.
The aorist is ταξίδεψα, with stress on ί, never ×ταξιδέψα.
Key Takeaways
- ταξιδεύω · ταξίδευα · ταξίδεψα · ταξιδέψω · ταξίδεψε / ταξιδέψτε.
- Use πάω for an errand; ταξιδεύω presents movement as a journey.
- Transport takes με; destinations take σε / για; “abroad” is στο εξωτερικό.
- No finite mediopassive exists, but ταξιδεμένος and the transitive Με ταξίδεψε… are live.
Related Topics
- περνάω/περνώ (to pass/spend)A2 — The widest verb in the class: cross, drop by, hand over, thread, spend an evening, get into university, wear off, be taken for. Principal parts with the -ασα aorist, the six frames that sort the senses out, and the για that takes a nominative when it predicates of the subject.
- μαγειρεύω (to cook)A2 — A Class Α -εύω card: μαγειρεύω, μαγείρεψα, μαγειρεμένος, and the hidden-plans sense of cooking something up.
- Wishes, Toasts, and CelebrationsA2 — A practical phrasebook of Greek birthday, holiday, journey, recovery, condolence, encouragement, and drinking formulas with literal structure and register.
- Aorist: Class ΒA2 — The aorist of second-conjugation (Class Β) verbs — the contract verbs in -άω/-ώ. They are the most regular aorist in Greek: slot a linking vowel before the -σ- and add the past endings — αγάπησα, μίλησα, ρώτησα, περπάτησα. Covers the three linking-vowel families (-ησ-, -ασ-, -εσ-), the stress that rides the antepenult, and the -εύω lookalikes that are really Class Α.
- Principal Parts: Complete IndexA2 — A consolidated index of the principal parts of 151 frequent Modern Greek verbs, including defective and register-limited paradigms.