The first thing a Greek is likely to ask you with this verb has nothing to do with running. Τι τρέχει; — literally "what's running?" — is the everyday "What's going on? What's wrong?", and its stock answer Δεν τρέχει τίποτα is "nothing's up, no harm done". Neither is derivable from run, and both arrive early.
Τι τρέχει; — the subjectless third person
In this use the verb sits in the third singular with no subject at all: nothing is running, something is simply going on. That subjectless frame is a shape Greek reaches for often — see impersonal constructions.
Τι τρέχει; Σε βλέπω κατσουφιασμένο από το πρωί.
ti tréchi; se vlépo katsufiazméno apó to proí
What's up? You've had a face on you all morning.
Δεν τρέχει τίποτα, μια χαρά είμαι.
dhen tréchi típota, mia chará íme
Nothing's wrong, I'm fine.
Έσπασε ένα ποτήρι, δεν τρέχει τίποτα.
éspase éna potíri, dhen tréchi típota
A glass broke — no harm done.
What else runs
Liquids run, time runs, machines and programs run, and a person who is τρέχει all day is not jogging — they are chasing paperwork around town.
Τρέχει η μύτη μου από το πρωί, κάτι κόλλησα.
tréchi i míti mu apó to proí, káti kólisa
My nose has been running since this morning — I've caught something.
Τρέχαμε όλη μέρα στα γραφεία και δεν βγάλαμε άκρη.
tréchame óli méra sta ghrafía ke dhen vghálame ákri
We spent all day running between offices and got nowhere.
Το πρόγραμμα τρέχει κανονικά στον καινούριο υπολογιστή.
to próghrama tréchi kanoniká ston kenúrio ipoloyistí
The program runs fine on the new computer.
Principal parts
| Slot | Form |
|---|---|
| Present | τρέχω, τρέχεις, τρέχει, τρέχουμε, τρέχετε, τρέχουν |
| Imperfect | έτρεχα, έτρεχες, έτρεχε, τρέχαμε, τρέχατε, έτρεχαν |
| Aorist | έτρεξα, έτρεξες, έτρεξε, τρέξαμε, τρέξατε, έτρεξαν |
| After θα / να | τρέξω |
| Command | τρέξε / τρέξτε (one dash) · τρέχα / τρέχετε (keep running, get going) |
| Perfect / pluperfect | έχω, είχα τρέξει |
| Gerund | τρέχοντας |
χ + σ → ξ is the cleanest merge in the language, because you can hear the stem consonant on both sides of it: τρέχω, τρέξω. The rule is perfective consonant changes; the augment comes and goes as usual, present in έτρεξα and gone in τρέξαμε.
Έτρεξα στη στάση αλλά το λεωφορείο είχε φύγει.
étreksa sti stási alá to leoforío íche fíyi
I ran to the stop but the bus had already gone.
Τρέξε να ανοίξεις, χτυπάει η πόρτα.
trékse na aníksis, chtipái i pórta
Run and get the door, someone's knocking.
What τρέχω does not have
- A passive paradigm — does not exist. No τρέχομαι, no τρέχτηκα — and that holds even for the one transitive use the verb has grown (the computing τρέχω ένα πρόγραμμα, below). A program that is being run is simply το πρόγραμμα τρέχει, active, never ×τρέχεται.
- A -μένος participle — does not exist. There is no τρεγμένος. "Having run" is έχοντας τρέξει.
But it is not participle-less, and both survivors are in daily use:
| Form | Register | Lives in |
|---|---|---|
| τρεχούμενος, -η, -ο | everyday | τρεχούμενο νερό (running water), τρεχούμενος λογαριασμός (current account) |
| τρέχων / τρέχουσα / τρέχον | (formal) | ο τρέχων μήνας, τα τρέχοντα έξοδα, η τρέχουσα κατάσταση |
The second is a learned active participle and it means "current", not "running" — a survival from ancient Greek that modern administrative prose leans on heavily.
Το σπίτι δεν είχε τρεχούμενο νερό μέχρι πριν λίγα χρόνια.
to spíti dhen íche trechúmeno neró méchri prin lígha chrónia
The house had no running water until a few years ago.
Η αίτηση πρέπει να κατατεθεί εντός του τρέχοντος μήνα.
i étisi prépi na katatethí endós tu tréchondos mína
The application must be submitted within the current month. (formal)
Government
| Frame | Example | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| no object | Έτρεξα πολύ σήμερα. | the default — τρέχω is intransitive |
σε
| Τρέχω στο πάρκο. | where you run |
για
| Τρέχω για τα χαρτιά μου. | what you're rushing about |
πίσω από
| Τρέχει πίσω από τα λεφτά. | chase after |
να
| Έτρεξα να προλάβω. | rush to do something |
| 3rd singular, no subject | Τι τρέχει; | what's going on |
| genitive clitic | Μου τρέχει η μύτη. | whose nose, whose tears |
Τρέχω το πρόγραμμα κάθε πρωί για να δω τα νούμερα.
trécho to próghrama káthe proí ya na dho ta númera
I run the program every morning to look at the numbers.
Διευθύνει το εστιατόριο της οικογένειας εδώ και δέκα χρόνια.
dhiefthíni to estiatório tis ikoyénias edhó ke dhéka chrónia
She's been running the family restaurant for ten years.
Set phrases
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| τι τρέχει; | what's going on? what's wrong? |
| δεν τρέχει τίποτα | nothing's up; no harm done |
| τρέχει η μύτη μου | my nose is running |
| τρέχω και δεν φτάνω | I'm run off my feet |
| τρέχει ο χρόνος | time's flying |
| μου τρέχουν τα σάλια | my mouth's watering |
| τρέχω στα νοσοκομεία | be stuck doing hospital runs |
| μου τρέχουν τα δάκρυα | my eyes are streaming |
Τρέχω και δεν φτάνω με τα δύο μικρά και τη δουλειά.
trécho ke dhen ftáno me ta dhío mikrá ke ti dhuliá
I'm run off my feet with the two little ones and work.
Μου τρέχουν τα δάκρυα από το κρεμμύδι.
mu tréchun ta dhákria apó to kremídhi
The onion is making my eyes stream.
Key Takeaways
- τρέχω · έτρεχα · έτρεξα · να τρέξω · τρέξε / τρέχα · έχω τρέξει · τρέχοντας.
- χ + σ → ξ — τρέξω, έτρεξα — the merge you can hear on both sides.
- Τι τρέχει; and Δεν τρέχει τίποτα are subjectless third persons and are the two you will meet first.
- No passive, no -μένος participle — but τρεχούμενος (running water, current account) and the (formal) τρέχων "current" are both live.
- Intransitive by default; the transitive τρέχω ένα πρόγραμμα is real computing jargon, but running a business is διευθύνω.
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