The Greek Past Tense for Beginners: Aorist and Imperfect
How Greek forms its two main past tenses, the aorist for single completed events and the imperfect for habits and background, with common irregular verbs.
Greek has two everyday past tenses, and the difference between them is about the shape of the action, not just when it happened.
The two tenses
- Aorist (αόριστος): a single, completed action. Χθες έγραψα ένα γράμμα. — Yesterday I wrote a letter.
- Imperfect (παρατατικός): an ongoing, repeated or habitual action, or background. Έγραφα κάθε μέρα. — I used to write every day. Έγραφα όταν χτύπησε το τηλέφωνο. — I was writing when the phone rang.
The aorist
Take the verb γράφω (I write). The aorist stem is γράψ-, with a past marker έ- (the augment) when the stress is at the start:
| Person | Aorist |
|---|---|
| εγώ | έγραψα |
| εσύ | έγραψες |
| αυτός | έγραψε |
| εμείς | γράψαμε |
| εσείς | γράψατε |
| αυτοί | έγραψαν |
Notice the έ- disappears in εμείς and εσείς forms, where the stress moves.
The imperfect
The imperfect uses the present stem:
| Person | Imperfect |
|---|---|
| εγώ | έγραφα |
| εσύ | έγραφες |
| αυτός | έγραφε |
| εμείς | γράφαμε |
| εσείς | γράφατε |
| αυτοί | έγραφαν |
Regular verbs ending in -άω
- μιλάω → aorist μίλησα, imperfect μιλούσα
- αγαπάω → αγάπησα, αγαπούσα
Common irregular aorists
These are worth learning as individual words:
| Present | Aorist (I did) | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| είμαι | ήμουν | I was |
| έχω | είχα | I had |
| πηγαίνω / πάω | πήγα | I went |
| έρχομαι | ήρθα | I came |
| βλέπω | είδα | I saw |
| τρώω | έφαγα | I ate |
| πίνω | ήπια | I drank |
| λέω | είπα | I said |
| κάνω | έκανα | I did, made |
| παίρνω | πήρα | I took |
| δίνω | έδωσα | I gave |
| βρίσκω | βρήκα | I found |
| ξέρω | ήξερα | I knew |
| μένω | έμεινα | I stayed |
Present perfect
To say "I have done", use έχω plus a special non-changing form: Έχω γράψει. — I've written. Έχουμε φάει. — We've eaten.
Time words
- χθες / χτες — yesterday
- προχθές — the day before yesterday
- πριν από μια εβδομάδα — a week ago
- την περασμένη εβδομάδα — last week
- τότε — then
Which to choose?
- Single event, finished: aorist. Πήγα στην Αθήνα. — I went to Athens.
- Repeated or continuous: imperfect. Πήγαινα κάθε καλοκαίρι. — I used to go every summer.
- Setting a scene: imperfect. Έβρεχε. — It was raining.
- Interrupting event: aorist. Έβρεχε όταν έφυγα. — It was raining when I left.
Learning strategy
- Learn the endings (-α, -ες, -ε, -αμε, -ατε, -αν).
- Learn 15 irregular aorists.
- Practise by telling what you did yesterday.
- Contrast the two tenses with pairs of sentences.
Common mistakes
- Using the present for past events.
- Forgetting the augment (έ-).
- Using the imperfect for a single completed event.
English Greek Dictionary
Offline English–Greek dictionary with meanings in proper Greek script
More about English Greek Dictionary
Asking Questions in Greek, and the Greek Question Mark
How Greek forms questions with intonation, the key question words, the semicolon-shaped question mark, and useful questions for travellers and learners.
Read article →Είμαι and Έχω: To Be and To Have in Greek
The present-tense forms and everyday uses of είμαι and έχω, including age, origin, 'there is', and how Greek expresses hunger, thirst and cold with verbs.
Read article →Greek Negation: Δεν, Μην and Why Double Negatives Are Correct
When to use δεν and μην, the negative words ποτέ, τίποτα and κανείς, why Greek requires double negatives, and how to answer with ναι and όχι.
Read article →The Greek Future: Θα and the Little Word Να
How to form the Greek future with θα, the difference between one-off and continuous future, and other uses of θα and να such as guesses, offers and suggestions.
Read article →