Greek Past Tenses: Making Peace with Aoristos and Paratatikos
If you have been learning Greek for a while, you’ve probably reached that magical (and sometimes mysterious) moment when you want to talk about something that already happened.
That’s when two important Greek tenses appear: Aoristos and Paratatikos —> the most used Greek past tenses.
They sound fancy, but they are just your new storytelling friends. And once you get to know them, you’ll start sounding a lot more like a native Greek speaker
Meet Mr. Aoristos (Αόριστος) – The Simple Guy
Aoristos means Simple Past in Greek. He’s direct, efficient, and never overcomplicates things.
He is the tense for completed actions —> things that happened once and are now done.
✏️ Example:
Έφαγα ένα σουβλάκι. → I ate a souvlaki.
That’s it. You ate it. Finished. No drama. Aoristos tells you what happened, fast and clean, and then moves on.
He’s the Greek grammar equivalent of “mission accomplished.”
Meet Ms. Paratatikos (Παρατατικός) – The Storyteller
Paratatikos is the Past Continuous tense. She’s emotional, descriptive, and loves to talk.
She tells us what was happening —> the background, the atmosphere, the ongoing action.
✏️ Example:
Έτρωγα ένα σουβλάκι όταν άρχισε να βρέχει. → I was eating a souvlaki when it started to rain.
See the difference? Paratatikos sets the scene. She’s your “meanwhile, in Athens…” tense —> the one that gives life and motion to your story.
Why Greek Past Tenses Confuse Learners (and Why They Shouldn’t!)
Yes, distinguishing between Aoristos and Paratatikos can feel like choosing between moussaka and pastitsio. Both are delicious, but not quite the same.
The golden rule:
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Aoristos = What happened once.
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Paratatikos = What was happening over time.
Once you see it that way, Greek grammar starts to make sense, and even becomes fun!
The Solution: The Ultimate Greek Past Tenses eBook
To make your life easier (and your storytelling smoother), we’ve created a special Omilo eBook dedicated to mastering the Greek past tenses
Perfect for intermediate learners.
It’s practical, and includes many videos with verb explanations
Inside the eBook:
This eBook (Printable PDF file) is made for intermediate learners who want to master the past tenses in Greek:
the Aoristos (Simple Past) and the Paratatikos (Past Continuous).
We know these tenses can be tricky, so we’ve created this guide to explain the grammar clearly and make it fun to learn.
In this eBook, you will find:
• Easy-to-follow grammar explanations
• Tables with conjugations of 15+1 commonly used Greek verbs
• Example sentences in Greek with English translations
• Practice exercises and an answer key
• Bonus: Links to video lessons with native Greek teachers
This material is perfect for self-study, as a companion to your Greek lessons, or as a refresher if you’ve studied Greek before.
Some free Video lessons for you, to start with 🙂
Good luck and have fun with your Greek Language Journey!
NOTE! Are you still struggling with the Present Tense?
No worries ! Every Greek learner starts somewhere! If you’re not fully confident with the present tense yet, it’s best to begin with our A and B category eBooks, which focus on the Present Tense and everyday verbs. Once those feel easy, you’ll be ready to dive into the Greek past with Aoristos and Paratatikos!
