βάζω (to put) | Greek Grammar

Every -ζω verb you learn forces a choice in the past tense: does the ζ go to ξ or to σ? βάζω answers neither. Its perfective root ends in λ, so the aorist is έβαλα — no merge, no suffix, nothing the present tense would have led you to expect.

Principal parts

Slot	Form
Present	βάζω, βάζεις, βάζει, βάζουμε, βάζετε, βάζουν
Imperfect	έβαζα — plural βάζαμε, βάζατε
Aorist	έβαλα, έβαλες, έβαλε, βάλαμε, βάλατε, έβαλαν
After θα / να	βάλω, βάλεις, βάλει, βάλουμε, βάλετε, βάλουν
Command	βάλε / βάλτε
Perfect / pluperfect	έχω / είχα βάλει
Participle	βαλμένος — put, placed, in position
Gerund	βάζοντας

The augment is the ordinary kind, there only to carry the stress: it drops as soon as the word grows a syllable — έβαλα but βάλαμε, βάλατε. Set beside the two routes the rest of the family takes:

Verb	Aorist	What happened to the ζ
παίζω	έπαιξα	→ ξ, from an old velar root
διαβάζω	διάβασα	ζ → σ
αγοράζω	αγόρασα	ζ → σ
βάζω	έβαλα	neither — the root is βαλ-

Which -ζω verbs take which route is the business of perfective consonant changes. All this card needs to say is that βάζω is not in that argument at all.

What βάζω covers

English spreads this job over a dozen verbs — put, place, set, pour, turn on, apply, enrol, put on. Greek uses one, and the noun tells you which reading is meant.

Βάλε το ψωμί στο τραπέζι και φώναξε τα παιδιά.

vále to psomí sto trapézi ke fónakse ta pedhiá

Put the bread on the table and call the kids.

Βάλε μου λίγο ακόμα, σε παρακαλώ.

vále mu lígho akóma, se parakaló

Pour me a little more, please.

Έβαλα το πλυντήριο πριν φύγω και το ξέχασα εντελώς.

évala to plindírio prin fígho ke to kséchasa endelós

I put a wash on before I left and completely forgot about it.

Τους έβαλα και τους δύο στο ίδιο σχολείο.

tus évala ke tus dhío sto ídhio scholío

I put them both in the same school.

Government

Frame	Example	Reading
accusative + σε	Έβαλα τα πιάτα στο ντουλάπι.	thing, then place
genitive clitic	Βάλε μου έναν καφέ.	who it is for
βάζω κάποιον να + verb	Τον έβαλα να πλύνει τα πιάτα.	set someone to do it
βάζω τα plural noun	Έβαλε τα κλάματα.	burst into — not derivable from "put"
τα βάζω με + accusative	Μην τα βάζεις μαζί μου.	pick a fight with

Μόλις είδε τη βαλίτσα, έβαλε τα κλάματα.

mólis ídhe ti valítsa, évale ta klámata

The moment she saw the suitcase she burst into tears.

Μην τα βάζεις μαζί μου, εγώ δεν φταίω σε τίποτα.

min ta vázis mazí mu, eghó dhen ftéo se típota

Don't take it out on me, none of this is my fault.

💡

The βάζω τα + plural frame is a fixed inchoative: τα κλάματα (tears), τα γέλια (laughter), τις φωνές (shouting). The article is not optional and the noun is always plural — this is one lexical unit meaning "burst into", not the ordinary verb with an object.

What βάζω does not have

A passive meaning "was put" — does not exist. The form βάλθηκα is real but it is a different word: βάλθηκε να μάθει κιθάρα means "he set out to learn the guitar." For "it was put" Greek reaches for the intransitive twin μπήκε, or τοποθετήθηκε (formal).
An everyday present βάζομαι — does not exist. Nothing fills the mediopassive present slot; what survives of that voice is the βάλθηκα idiom above and the participle βαλμένος.
An aorist in ξ or σ — does not exist. No έβαξα, no έβασα. If you can say έβαλα you have the whole perfective side, because να βάλω, θα βάλω, βάλε and έχω βάλει all come off the same root.

Τα κλειδιά ήταν βαλμένα στην κλειδαριά από μέσα.

ta klidhiá ítan valména stin klidhariá apó mésa

The keys were left in the lock on the inside.

βάζω or φοράω;

Both turn up in English as wear, and they are not interchangeable: βάζω is the act of putting the thing on, φοράω the state of having it on. Both sentences below are correct — they simply say different things.

Βάλε μια ζακέτα, έχει ψύχρα έξω.

vále mia zakéta, échi psíchra ékso

Put a cardigan on, it's chilly out.

Φοράει ακόμα το ίδιο παλτό από τα φοιτητικά της χρόνια.

forái akóma to ídhio paltó apó ta fititiká tis chrónia

She still wears the same coat she had as a student.

Set phrases

Phrase	Meaning
βάζω μπρος	start (an engine); get something going
βάζω τα δυνατά μου	give it everything I've got
βάζω στοίχημα	bet — also "I'll bet you anything"
βάζω φωτιά	set fire to
δεν το βάζω κάτω	I won't give up
βάζω χέρι (informal)	get stuck into it; also grope someone
το βάζω με τον νου μου	picture it, imagine it

Δεν βάζει μπρος το αυτοκίνητο με τέτοιο κρύο.

dhen vázi bros to aftokínito me tétio krío

The car won't start in cold like this.

Key Takeaways

βάζω · έβαζα · έβαλα · να βάλω · βάλε / βάλτε · έχω βάλει · βαλμένος.
The aorist takes neither -ζω route: not έβαξα, not έβασα, but έβαλα from the root βαλ-, with the augment dropping in βάλαμε, βάλατε.
One verb for put, place, pour, turn on, apply and enrol — the object decides which.
βάζω τα κλάματα / τα γέλια is a fixed "burst into" frame; τα βάζω με κάποιον is picking a fight.
βάλθηκα is not the passive of βάζω — it means "set out to". "It was put in" is μπήκε.
βάζω is putting it on; φοράω is wearing it.

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