Language/Modern-greek-1453/Grammar/Past-Tense
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Welcome to our lesson! Today, we will explore the intricacies of the past tense in the Modern Greek. By the end of this lesson, you will have a solid understanding of how to use this tense in various contexts.
After mastering the past tense, you can further enhance your Greek grammar skills by exploring other related topics such as Comparative and Superlative Adjectives, Homonyms and Homophones, and Participle Spelling. Enjoy your journey into the fascinating world of Modern-greek-1453 grammar! 📚✏️
Past tenses[edit | edit source]
Verbs are words that state something about the subject of the sentence
and may express action, event,or condition. The Greek verb can take many different forms which may indicate properties: person, number, voice, tense and mood.
Tenses are forms of the verb which show whether the action, the event or condition expressed by the verb is placed in the past, the present or the future.
Past continuous - Παρατατικός[edit | edit source]
The verbs in “Παρατατικός ” it is used in order to describe an action that was being repeated in the past or that had a duration.
Is the tense of narrations and descriptions.
Eg : Κάθε μέρα έπινα γάλα. (kathe mera epina gala).Every day i used to drink milk.
The Past Continuous of the verbs έχω (eho: to have) and είμαι (imai: to be)
| was having | was being |
|---|---|
| είχα (iha) | ήμουν (imoun) |
| είχες (ihes) | ήσουν (issoun) |
| είχε (ihe) | ήταν (itan) |
| είχαμε (ihame) | ήμασταν (imastan) |
| είχατε (ihate) | ήσασταν (issastan) |
| είχαν (ihan) | ήταν (itan) |
Notes[edit | edit source]
- The accent is over the ante-penultimate syllable (the third syllable counting from right to left).
- The prefix ε– or –η is added to two-syllable verbs in order to form the singular and the third plural person.
Κάνω (kano)= to do (present)
Past Continuous
- έκανα (ekana)= I was doing / I used to do
Verbs in the indicative of historical tenses (Past continuous, Simple past, and Past perfect) at the beginning and before the subject take an augmentation. This increase can be:
- A. Syllabic: when the verb begins with a consonant, then we put -ε- (ex. λύνω-έλυνα : solve, τρέχω-έτρεχα : run )
- B. Chronicle: when the verb begins with a vowel, then the conversions take place: α, ε => η
Simple past / Αόριστος[edit | edit source]
The simple past / Αόριστος is used to describe an action, an event or condition that occurred in the past. The action or the event described was completed at some point.
| Χθες πήγα στο πάρκο. | I went to the park yesterday. |
| Χθες είδα τη Μαρία. | I saw Maria yesterday. |
Formation of the simple past[edit | edit source]
The personal endings of the “Αόριστος” of the active voice are: -α, -ες, -ε, -αμε, -ατε, -αν.
The letters σ, ξ (κ+σ), ψ (π+σ) before the endings are typical letters of the “Αόριστος”. However, are verbs that form the “Αόριστος” without these letters.
In the “Αόριστος” the verbs are in principle stressed on the third-to-last syllable. Two-syllable verbs take in the “Αόριστος” the augment “έ-” with the stress mark on it.
If the preposition ends in a vowel, then this vowel disappears. Notice that the vowel in the preposition “περί” remains and that the preposition “εκ” changes into “εξ”, when a vowel is followed.
For example:
εισπράττω (collect) - εισέπραξα
ενδίδω (give way) - ενέδωσα
Present perfect / Παρακείμενος[edit | edit source]
The present perfect expresses an action completed some time in the past with consequences that reach the present.
It shows something finished in the timewe speak.
- The Present perfect It is formed in the active voice by the auxiliary verb έχω (have) + the infinitive of the verb
Example:
- Εχω γράψει το γράμμα και θα το ταχυδρομήσω. / I have written the letter and I will to post it.
- Έχω έρθει πολλές φορές στο σπίτι σας, αλλά δεν ήσασταν εκεί./ I have come many times to your house but you were not there.
- Ο Κωνσταντίνος έχει σπουδάσει Ιατρική. / Konstantinos has studied Medicine.
Past perfect / Υπερσυντέλικος[edit | edit source]
The past perfect is used to describe an action or event that occurred in the past. The past perfect shows that the action described by the verb was completed before another past action or a certain point of time. The past perfect is formed by using the Past continuous - Παρατατικός- of the auxiliary verb έχω (have) (είχα, είχες, είχε, είχαμε, είχατε, είχαν) + the infinitive of the verb in both voices.
- Είχα ξυπνήσει πριν χτυπήσει το ρολόι. / I had been up before the clock struck.
- Είχα φάει πριν βγω έξω. / I had eaten before I went out.
- Η Μαρία είχε μαγειρέψει πριν τις έξι. Maria had cooked before six o’clock.
Examples[edit | edit source]
Past continuous / Παρατατικός[edit | edit source]
| Person | Verb Form | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| εγώ | έ-παιζ-α ( épeza ) | I was playing |
| εσύ | έ-παιζ-ες (épezes ) | You were playing |
| αυτός, - ή , -ό | έ-παι-ζε ( épeze | He/She/It was playing |
| εμείς | παί-ζα-με ( pézame | We were playing |
| εσείς | παί-ζα-τε (pézate ) | You were playing |
| αυτοί,-ές, -ά | έ-παιζ-αν ( épezan | hey were playing |
Simple past / Αόριστος[edit | edit source]
| Person | Verb Form | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| εγώ | έ-παι-ξα ( épexa ) | I played |
| εσύ | έ-παι-ξες ( épexes ) | You played |
| αυτός ,-ή ,-ό | έ-παι-ξε ( épexe ) | He/She/It played |
| εμείς | παί-ξα-με ( péxame ) | We played |
| εσείς | παί-ξα-τε (péxate ) | You played |
| αυτοί ,-ές ,-ά | έ-παι-ξαν (épexan ) | They played |
Present perfect / Παρακείμενος[edit | edit source]
| Person | Verb Form | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| εγώ | έχω παίξει ( echo péxi ) | I have played |
| εσύ | έχεις παίξει (echis péxi) | you have played |
| αυτός, -ή, -ό | έχει παίξει ( echi péxi) | he /she / it has played |
| εμείς | έχουμε παίξει (échoume péxi) | we have played |
| εσείς | έχετε παίξει ( échete péxi) | you have played |
| αυτοί, -ές, ά | έχουν παίξει (échoun péxi ) | they have played |
Past perfect / Υπερσυντέλικος[edit | edit source]
| Person | Verb Form | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| εγώ | είχα παίξει ( îcha péxi ) | I had played |
| εσύ | είχες παίξει (îches péxi ) | You had played |
| αυτός ,-ή ,ό | είχε παίξει ( îche péxi ) | He/She/It had played |
| εμείς | είχαμε παίξει ( îchame péxi ) | We had played |
| εσείς | είχατε παίξει îchate péxi ) | You had played |
| αυτοί ,-ές ,-ά | είχαν / είχανε παίξει | They had played |
Author[edit source]
- Ευγενική χορηγία που στοχεύει να βοηθήσει μαθητές ή μη, απανταχού της Γης, που επιδίδονται στην εκμάθηση της ελληνικής γλώσσας!
- Contribution bénévole visant à aider les personnes, partout dans le monde, qui sont engagées dans l'apprentissage de la langue grecque !
- Voluntary contribution aimed at helping people, all over the world, who are committed to learning the Greek language!
Other Lessons[edit | edit source]
- Irregular adjectives
- The combinations «αυ» and «ευ»
- Methods of Argument
- Imperative (Present)
- Word Accentuation
- Writing and spelling
- Basic spelling rules
- Verbes elliptiques, impersonnels et irréguliers
- Pronoms possessifs
- Syllabification
| ◀️ Present Tense — Previous Lesson | Next Lesson — Future Tense ▶️ |