Greek divides English “remembered” into a state and a moment of recall. θυμόμουν means that something was in your memory; θυμήθηκα means it came back to you at a particular moment. That contrast matters every time English says “remembered to do something.”
Θυμόμουν το πρόσωπό της, αλλά όχι το όνομά της.
thimómun to prósopó tis, alá óchi to ónomá tis
I remembered her face, but not her name.
Θυμήθηκα να κλειδώσω την πόρτα πριν μπω στο αυτοκίνητο.
thimíthika na klidhóso tin pórta prin bo sto aftokínito
I remembered to lock the door before getting into the car.
Principal parts
θυμάμαι is a contracted -άμαι deponent. See deponent verbs for the voice pattern and the -άμαι present for the full endings.
| Slot | Form | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Present | θυμάμαι, θυμάσαι, θυμάται, θυμόμαστε, θυμάστε, θυμούνται | θυμούμαι(formal) |
| Imperfect | θυμόμουν | remembered; used to remember |
| Aorist | θυμήθηκα | recalled; remembered at that moment |
| Dependent | θυμηθώ | να / θα θυμηθώ |
| Imperative | θυμήσου / θυμηθείτε | |
| Perfect | έχω θυμηθεί | |
| Participle | θυμημένος, -η, -ο | remembered; retained in memory |
| Active present meaning “remember” | does not exist; θυμάμαι is the citation form | |
Θυμήσου να με πάρεις όταν φτάσεις στο ξενοδοχείο.
thimísu na me páris ótan ftásis sto ksenodhochío
Remember to call me when you reach the hotel.
Memory held vs memory recovered
The present and imperfect view memory as a continuing mental state. The aorist instead marks the transition into remembering. English often uses the same past verb for both, so the surrounding meaning must guide you.
Δεν θυμάμαι πού πάρκαρα το αυτοκίνητο.
dhen thimáme pu párkara to aftokínito
I don't remember where I parked the car.
Ξαφνικά θυμήθηκα ότι είχαμε ραντεβού στις έξι.
ksafniká thimíthika óti íchame randevú stis éksi
I suddenly remembered that we had an appointment at six.
The separate transitive verb θυμίζω means “remind” or “resemble.” The person reminded is normally a weak genitive pronoun: μου θυμίζει “it reminds me.”
Θύμισέ μου να πάρω ψωμί πριν γυρίσω σπίτι.
thímisé mu na páro psomí prin yiríso spíti
Remind me to get bread before I come home.
Ο γιος της μου θυμίζει πολύ τον πατέρα του.
o yos tis mu thimízi polí ton patéra tu
Her son reminds me a lot of his father.
The roles reverse across the pair. With θυμάμαι, the person holding the memory is the subject: Θυμάμαι τη διεύθυνση. With θυμίζω, the reminder is the subject and the person whose memory is activated appears as μου / σου / του / της: Η φωτογραφία μου θυμίζει το χωριό. This is not optional decoration; it is how Greek keeps “remember” and “remind” structurally distinct.
| Meaning | Greek frame |
|---|---|
| hold something in memory | θυμάμαι + accusative |
| recover a memory now | θυμήθηκα + accusative / clause |
| make somebody remember | θυμίζω + genitive person + accusative/clause |
Government
- accusative: θυμάμαι το πρόσωπό της
- ότι
- clause: θυμάμαι ότι είχαμε συμφωνήσει
- να
- dependent: θυμήθηκα να τηλεφωνήσω
- indirect question: δεν θυμάμαι πού το έβαλα
- που inside a remembered episode: εκείνο το καλοκαίρι που πήγαμε στη Νάξο
Θυμάσαι εκείνο το καλοκαίρι που πήγαμε στη Νάξο;
thimáse ekíno to kalokéri pu píghame sti Nákso;
Do you remember that summer when we went to Naxos?
Set phrases
- απ' όσο θυμάμαι — as far as I remember
- θυμάμαι σαν χθες — remember as if it were yesterday
- θυμάμαι αμυδρά — remember vaguely
- φέρνω κάτι στη μνήμη μου — bring something back to mind
Common Mistakes
Do not invent active ×θυμώ for “remember”; use θυμάμαι. Keep it separate from θυμώνω “get angry” and θυμίζω “remind.”
❌ Θυμώ καλά εκείνη τη μέρα.
Incorrect — the verb meaning ‘remember’ is the deponent θυμάμαι.
✅ Θυμάμαι καλά εκείνη τη μέρα.
thimáme kalá ekíni ti méra
I remember that day well.
Key Takeaways
- θυμάμαι is a state; θυμήθηκα is the moment a memory returns.
- “Remembered to do” is θυμήθηκα να + dependent.
- θυμίζω means “remind” and normally marks the person with a genitive clitic.
- The active present ×θυμώ does not supply the meaning “remember.”
Related Topics
- μαθαίνω (to learn)A2 — One Greek verb doing the work of three English ones — learn, find out and teach — with the aspect deciding which: the imperfective says 'am learning', the aorist έμαθα says 'found out'. Plus the genitive of the person taught, and why μαθημένος means 'accustomed' and never 'learnt'.
- Present Mediopassive: -ούμαι and -άμαιB1 — The last two mediopassive present patterns — the formal-leaning -ούμαι of Β2 verbs (θεωρούμαι), and the small but ultra-frequent set of -άμαι deponents θυμάμαι, κοιμάμαι, φοβάμαι and λυπάμαι, with their irregular three-vowel paradigm laid out in full.
- ξεχνάω/ξεχνώ (to forget)A2 — One Greek verb where English needs three: forget a fact, forget to do something, and leave an object behind. Plus the imperative pair Ξέχνα το / Ξέχασέ το, the genitive clitic that names whose loss it is, and ξεχνιέμαι — both 'is never forgotten' and 'I lost track of time'.
- 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.