να After Modal Verbs | Greek Grammar

The most useful pattern in beginner Greek is [modal verb + να + second verb] — "want to", "can", "must", "know how to". You will use it in your first week and never stop. English builds these with a modal plus a bare infinitive: want to leave, can help, must go — only the first word is inflected. Greek does it differently, and the difference is the whole lesson on this page: both verbs are fully conjugated, and να links them.

The core modals

These seven cover the vast majority of everyday modal sentences. Learn the frame once and you can slot any verb into the second slot.

Modal	Meaning	Pattern
θέλω να	want to	θέλω να πάω — I want to go
μπορώ να	can / be able to	μπορώ να έρθω — I can come
πρέπει να	must / have to	πρέπει να φύγω — I have to leave
ξέρω να	know how to	ξέρω να οδηγώ — I know how to drive
πάω να	go to / be about to	πάω να δω — I'm going to see
αρχίζω να	start to	αρχίζω να καταλαβαίνω — I'm starting to understand
προσπαθώ να	try to	προσπαθώ να μάθω — I'm trying to learn

Here they are at work in natural sentences. Add σκοπεύω να ("intend to", a shade more formal) to the list too:

Θέλω να μάθω κιθάρα φέτος, το είχα πάντα όνειρο.

thélo na mátho kithára fétos, to ícha pánda óniro

I want to learn guitar this year, it's always been a dream of mine.

Μπορείς να μου δανείσεις πέντε ευρώ μέχρι αύριο;

borís na mu dhanísis pénde evró méchri ávrio

Can you lend me five euros until tomorrow?

Πρέπει να προλάβω το τελευταίο λεωφορείο.

prépi na prolávo to teleftéo leoforío

I have to catch the last bus.

Προσπαθώ να κόψω το κάπνισμα εδώ και έναν μήνα.

prospathó na kópso to kápnizma edhó ke énan mína

I've been trying to quit smoking for a month now.

Σκοπεύω να ταξιδέψω στην Ιταλία το καλοκαίρι.

skopévo na taksidhépso stin Italía to kalokéri

I intend to travel to Italy this summer.

Both verbs conjugate — the key contrast

In English "We want to see the show", only want is inflected; see stays bare. In Greek, both verbs carry a person-and-number ending: θέλουμε ("we want") and δούμε ("we see"). The να-verb is a real, live verb, not a frozen "to"-form.

Θέλουμε να δούμε την παράσταση την Παρασκευή.

thélume na dhúme tin parástasi tin Paraskeví

We want to see the show on Friday.

Because the second verb has its own ending, it can also have its own subject. When the subjects match, both verbs take the same person; when they differ, only the second one changes — no extra pronoun needed, unlike English "I want you to…".

Μπορώ να το φτιάξω μόνος μου, μη σε νοιάζει.

boró na to ftiákso mónos mu, mi se niázi

I can fix it myself, don't worry.

Θέλω να μου το εξηγήσεις άλλη μια φορά.

thélo na mu to eksiyísis áli mia forá

I want you to explain it to me one more time.

In the second sentence the "you" lives entirely in the ending -εις of εξηγήσεις; there is no separate word for it. This same-subject / different-subject freedom is set out on the να overview.

ξέρω να — "know how to"

ξέρω να expresses a learned skill or ability, and it is not the same as μπορώ να. ξέρω να means you have the know-how; μπορώ να means you are able to in this instance. You can know how to drive yet not be able to drive tonight.

Ξέρω να οδηγώ, αλλά δεν μπορώ να οδηγήσω απόψε, ήπια.

kséro na odhighó, alá dhen boró na odhiyíso apópse, ípia

I know how to drive, but I can't drive tonight, I've been drinking.

Ξέρεις να μαγειρεύεις ή παραγγέλνεις πάντα;

kséris na mayirévis i parangélnis pánda

Do you know how to cook, or do you always order in?

Notice that a standing skill is usually imperfective (να οδηγώ, να μαγειρεύεις) — knowing how to do something is an ongoing ability, not a single act.

πάω να — two readings

πάω να has two everyday meanings. First, plain purpose: "go (somewhere) in order to". Second, and very common in speech, be about to / nearly — an action on the verge of happening.

Πάω να δω τι κάνει το μωρό, γύρισε αμέσως.

páo na dho ti káni to moró, yírise amésos

I'm going to check on the baby, I'll be right back.

Πήγε να πέσει στη σκάλα, αλλά κρατήθηκε.

píye na pési sti skála, alá kratíthike

He nearly fell on the stairs, but he caught himself.

πρέπει and μπορεί are impersonal

Two of these modals don't change for person at all. πρέπει ("must") and μπορεί ("may/might") are frozen in the 3rd person singular; the real subject sits on the second verb. "We must leave" is Πρέπει να φύγουμε — the "we" is in φύγουμε, and πρέπει just stands there unchanged.

Πρέπει να φύγουμε τώρα, είναι κιόλας αργά.

prépi na fíghume tóra, íne kiólas arghá

We have to leave now, it's already late.

This impersonal behaviour — and how πρέπει differs from the personal modals — is covered on impersonal πρέπει & μπορεί να.

Register notes

The seven modals above are all neutral, everyday Greek. A few register variants are worth recognising:

λέω να (informal) — "I'm thinking of / I reckon I'll", a soft, chatty way to announce a plan: Λέω να μείνω σπίτι.
οφείλω να (formal) and είμαι υποχρεωμένος να (formal) — heavier ways to say "must", used in official or written contexts rather than in conversation, where πρέπει να does the job.
είμαι σε θέση να (formal) — a formal equivalent of μπορώ να ("be in a position to").

Λέω να μείνω σπίτι απόψε, είμαι πτώμα.

léo na míno spíti apópse, íme ptóma

I think I'll stay home tonight, I'm exhausted.

💡

Whatever the modal, the machine is the same: [modal] + να + [second verb], and both verbs are conjugated. If you can say the modal, you can build the frame — just conjugate the second verb to whoever is doing the action, and pick its aspect (see aspect after να).

Common Mistakes

1. Dropping να. English "want to go" has one little word between the verbs; Greek needs the linker να.

❌ Θέλω πάω στην Αθήνα το σαββατοκύριακο.

Incorrect — the linking να is obligatory: θέλω να πάω.

✅ Θέλω να πάω στην Αθήνα το σαββατοκύριακο.

thélo na páo stin Athína to savatokíriako

I want to go to Athens this weekend.

2. Conjugating πρέπει. πρέπει is impersonal — there is no ×πρέπω, ×πρέπεις. It stays fixed and the person shows on the second verb.

❌ Πρέπω να φύγω πριν τις οκτώ.

Incorrect — πρέπει never changes for person: πρέπει να φύγω.

✅ Πρέπει να φύγω πριν τις οκτώ.

prépi na fígho prin tis októ

I have to leave before eight.

3. Negating with δεν after the modal. The negator inside a να-clause is μη(ν), not δεν.

❌ Προσπαθώ να δεν σκέφτομαι τη δουλειά το βράδυ.

Incorrect — a να-clause takes μην: να μην σκέφτομαι.

✅ Προσπαθώ να μην σκέφτομαι τη δουλειά το βράδυ.

prospathó na min skéftome ti dhuliá to vrádhi

I try not to think about work in the evening.

4. Second verb not matching the shared subject. When both actions have the same subject, both verbs take that person — don't freeze the second at 1st person.

❌ Θέλουμε να φύγω νωρίς για να αποφύγουμε την κίνηση.

Incorrect — 'we want to leave' needs both verbs in 1pl: θέλουμε να φύγουμε.

✅ Θέλουμε να φύγουμε νωρίς για να αποφύγουμε την κίνηση.

thélume na fíghume norís ya na apofíghume tin kínisi

We want to leave early to avoid the traffic.

Key Takeaways

The everyday frame is [modal + να + second verb], with both verbs fully conjugated — Greek has no bare infinitive.
Core modals: θέλω να, μπορώ να, πρέπει να, ξέρω να, πάω να, αρχίζω να, προσπαθώ να (and formal-ish σκοπεύω να).
ξέρω να = a learned skill (know how to); μπορώ να = able to right now — they are not interchangeable.
πρέπει and μπορεί are impersonal (fixed 3sg); the subject rides on the second verb: πρέπει να φύγουμε.
Inside the frame, negate with μην, and match the second verb's person to whoever performs the action.

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