Οδηγήσαμε δυτικά.

to drive

Breakdown of Οδηγήσαμε δυτικά.

• δυτικά: west; westward

Questions & Answers about Οδηγήσαμε δυτικά.

Why is there no separate word for we in this sentence?

Because Greek often leaves out subject pronouns when the verb already shows the person and number.

Οδηγήσαμε ends in -σαμε, which tells you it is first person plural: we.

So:

• Οδηγήσαμε δυτικά. = We drove west.
• Εμείς οδηγήσαμε δυτικά. also means We drove west, but εμείς adds emphasis, like we did.

What form is Οδηγήσαμε?

Οδηγήσαμε is the aorist form of οδηγώ.

In this sentence, it is:

• 1st person plural
• active
• aorist

So it means we drove.

The basic verb is οδηγώ, meaning to drive (and sometimes to lead/guide, depending on context). Here it is clearly the everyday to drive.

Why is Οδηγήσαμε used instead of οδηγούσαμε?

This is the difference between two past tenses:

• Οδηγήσαμε = we drove
  
  • a completed action
  • simple past
• Οδηγούσαμε = we were driving / we used to drive
  
  • ongoing, repeated, or background action in the past

So:

• Οδηγήσαμε δυτικά. = We drove west.
• Οδηγούσαμε δυτικά όταν άρχισε η βροχή. = We were driving west when it started raining.