When you put να in front of the imperfective stem — the same stem you use for the present tense — you present a subordinated action from the inside or as an open habit. This is the "keep doing / do regularly / be engaged in doing" side of the subjunctive. It can also look inside one real-world event; imperfective does not itself mean “many times.”
How it is built
There is almost nothing to memorise here, and that is the good news: the να-present is just να plus the ordinary present-tense forms. You already know the endings from the present of conjugation-A verbs; you simply add να.
| Person | Present indicative | να-present (subjunctive) |
|---|---|---|
| 1sg | γράφω | να γράφω |
| 2sg | γράφεις | να γράφεις |
| 3sg | γράφει | να γράφει |
| 1pl | γράφουμε | να γράφουμε |
| 2pl | γράφετε | να γράφετε |
| 3pl | γράφουν(ε) | να γράφουν(ε) |
The endings are identical to the indicative present; the only difference is the particle να in front, which strips away the "this is a fact" reading and leaves the bare imperfective action for the subjunctive to use. The same holds for conjugation-B verbs (να μιλάω / να μιλώ, να αγαπάω / να αγαπώ) — take the present, prefix να.
What it means: ongoing, habitual, general
The imperfective looks at an action from the inside, as something spread out in time rather than wrapped up in a single point. After να that comes out as three closely related flavours.
Habitual / repeated — something done again and again, often with a frequency word like κάθε μέρα or συχνά:
Προσπαθώ να τρώω πιο σωστά τελευταία.
prospathó na tróo pio sostá teleftéa
I've been trying to eat more properly lately.
Πρέπει να πίνεις περισσότερο νερό μέσα στη μέρα.
prépi na pínis perisótero neró mésa sti méra
You should drink more water during the day.
Ongoing / in progress — an activity seen as unfolding, without packaging it as a bounded whole:
Δεν μπορώ να δουλεύω με τόση φασαρία γύρω μου.
dhen boró na dhulévo me tósi fasaría yíro mu
I can't work with so much noise around me.
General / characterising — a standing state of affairs, a skill, a way of being:
Θέλω να μιλάω ελληνικά με άνεση κάποια μέρα.
thélo na miláo eliniká me ánesi kápia méra
I want to speak Greek comfortably one day.
In all three, any endpoint stays outside the current view: the speaker presents a process, an open routine, or a general characteristic internally. The real-world event may still have an endpoint; imperfective simply does not foreground it.
"Keep doing" and "don't stop doing" force the imperfective
Some contexts are inherently imperfective: when the main verb itself means continue, keep, or not stop, the subordinated action is by definition ongoing, so it must be imperfective.
Συνέχισε να προσπαθείς, θα τα καταφέρεις.
sinéchise na prospathís, tha ta kataféris
Keep trying, you'll make it.
Μη σταματάς να ονειρεύεσαι.
mi stamatás na onirévese
Don't stop dreaming.
You cannot say "keep to-do-it-once" — the idea of continuing contradicts a single bounded act — so verbs like συνεχίζω (continue), σταματάω (stop), and εξακολουθώ (go on) always pull an imperfective να-verb.
Where the clitic goes: between να and the verb
When the να-verb has a weak object pronoun (a clitic like το, με, σε, μου), it slots in between να and the verb, never after it. English puts the object after the verb ("to see you"), so this order takes getting used to.
Θέλω να σε βλέπω πιο συχνά, μου λείπεις.
thélo na se vlépo pio sichná, mu lípis
I want to see you more often, I miss you.
Μου αρέσει να το ακούω αυτό το τραγούδι ξανά και ξανά.
mu arési na to akúo aftó to traghúdhi ksaná ke ksaná
I love listening to this song again and again.
The full rules for pronoun position are on clitic placement; the short version is: να + clitic + verb.
One verb, two stems
Because the choice rides on the stem, the same main verb produces two different sentences depending on which stem the να-verb takes. Compare:
Θέλω να μαθαίνω καινούριες λέξεις συνέχεια.
thélo na mathéno kenúries léksis sinéchia
I want to keep learning new words all the time. (ongoing → imperfective)
Θέλω να μάθω αυτή τη λέξη πριν το τεστ.
thélo na mátho aftí ti léksi prin to test
I want to learn this word before the test. (single goal → perfective)
Both are correct Greek; they simply say different things. The first presents an open learning process, while the second packages one learning goal as bounded — and the stem carries that viewpoint contrast.
Common Mistakes
1. Treating activity words as mechanical stem selectors. A general driving routine favours imperfective, while a particular listening goal can be packaged perfectively.
Μου αρέσει να ακούω μουσική όταν οδηγώ.
mu arési na akúo musikí ótan odhighó
I like listening to music when I drive. (open habit → imperfective)
Θα ήθελα να ακούσω αυτό το άλμπουμ απόψε.
tha íthela na akúso aftó to álbum apópse
I'd like to listen to this album tonight. (bounded goal → perfective)
2. Perfective after "keep / continue". συνεχίζω means the action goes on, so its να-verb must be imperfective.
❌ Συνέχισε να προσπαθήσεις.
Incorrect — continuing is ongoing: συνέχισε να προσπαθείς.
✅ Συνέχισε να προσπαθείς μέχρι το τέλος.
sinéchise na prospathís méchri to télos
Keep trying until the end.
3. Putting the clitic after the verb. The pronoun goes between να and the verb, not after it.
❌ Θέλω να βλέπω σε πιο συχνά.
Incorrect — the clitic precedes the verb: να σε βλέπω.
✅ Θέλω να σε βλέπω πιο συχνά.
thélo na se vlépo pio sichná
I want to see you more often.
4. Letting a frequency phrase choose aspect by itself. Open-ended medical advice favours imperfective; a finite amount distributed over several occasions can be perfective.
Ο γιατρός είπε να πίνω περισσότερο νερό από δω και πέρα.
o yatrós ípe na píno perisótero neró apó dho ke péra
The doctor said to drink more water from now on. (open advice → imperfective)
Ο γιατρός είπε να πιω τρία ποτήρια νερό μέχρι το βράδυ, ένα με κάθε γεύμα.
o yatrós ípe na pio tría potíria neró méchri to vrádhi, éna me káthe yévma
The doctor said to drink three glasses of water by evening, one with each meal. (finite amount → perfective)
Key Takeaways
- The να-present is να + the ordinary present forms — no new endings to learn (να γράφω, να διαβάζεις, να μιλάμε).
- It presents an internal process, open habit, or general characteristic and can look inside one real-world event.
- Verbs meaning continue / stop / keep force the imperfective (συνέχισε να προσπαθείς).
- Clitics sit between να and the verb: να σε βλέπω, να το ακούω.
- Perfective is often unmarked for a neutral telic task, but aspect remains a viewpoint choice; frequency words are cues rather than switches.
Related Topics
- Aorist Subjunctive (να + perfective)B1 — The dependent perfective forms να γράψω, να δω and να φύγω package an action or finite series as bounded and take no past augment; genuinely prior να-clauses with forms such as να πέρασες are a separate pattern.
- Aspect After ναB1 — A decision guide for να γράφω versus να γράψω: choose an internal process or open habit with the imperfective, and package one occurrence or a finite series as bounded with the perfective; time expressions are cues, not switches.
- Present Tense: Class Α (-ω)A1 — The full present of the big regular verb class — γράφω, παίζω, τρέχω, διαβάζω, μένω, θέλω — with its six stem-stressed endings, the -εις vs -ει spelling trap, and the fact that one Greek form covers both 'I write' and 'I am writing'.