How to say “I do” in Greek and other useful sentences with this verb?
One of the most important verbs that you need to memorize when starting learning Greek is the verb “κάνω” = I do or I make
It is an easy verb that we use in many everyday phrases. Below you will find some important expressions and some useful tips on how to use this verb. Let’s have a look!
The verb κάνω – I do/I make
Let’s see some examples:
Τι κάνεις; = How are you?
Η Ελένη κάνει βόλτα. = Eleni goes for a walk.
Εγώ κάνω μάθημα. = I teach/ do a lesson.
Τι δουλειά κάνεις; = What is your job?
Τι κάνεις σήμερα; – Δεν κάνω τίποτα. = – What are you doing today? –I am not doing anything.
Τι κάνουν τα παιδιά; – Παίζουν. = What are the children doing? –They are playing.
Πόσο κάνει αυτό; = How much is it?
Some Greek grammar
This verb belongs to the first group of verbs you learn to conjugate at your first lessons in Greek, which is type A, like ‘μένω’ (to stay), or δουλεύω (to work)
The verb is conjugated in the present tense by adding the endings -ω, -εις, -ει, -ουμε, -ετε, ουν(ε) to the stem κάν-.
Τhe simple future is easy: you just put the word “θα” in front of the verb! The simple past tense follows the regular rules, as you can see below.
| Present | Future Simple | Past Simple | |
| εγώ | κάνω | θα κάνω | έκανα |
| εσύ | κάνεις | θα κάνεις | έκανες |
| αυτός, αυτή, αυτό | κάνει | θα κάνει | έκανε |
| εμείς | κάνουμε | θα κάνουμε | κάναμε |
| εσείς | κάνετε | θα κάνετε | κάνατε |
| αυτοί, αυτές, αυτά | κάνουν(ε) | θα κάνουν(ε) | έκαναν / κάνανε |
Click here to take a look at the video with teacher Marina
and listen to the correct pronunciation of the conjugation in the present tense.
For the more advanced learners in Greek:
Let’s have a look at some examples that will help you understand the range of use of this verb.
Some idiomatic expressions with the verb ‘κάνω’ follow.
Examples:
Κάνω ποδήλατο. = I ride a bike
Κάνω μία σαλάτα. = I make a salad
Κάνω μία χάρη. = I do a favor ( frequently used as; θα μου κάνεις μία χάρη; = can you do me a favor?)
Κάνω υπομονή. = I am patient (frequently used as ; Κάνε υπομονή! = be patient!)
Κάνω ησυχία. = I am quiet (frequently used as ; κάνε ησυχία = be quiet!)
Κάνω λάθος. = I am wrong, I make a mistake (frequently used as ; έκανα λάθος = I was wrong )
Expressions with ‘κάνω’
Κάνω στην άκρη. = I step aside, I pull over
Παρακαλώ κάντε στην άκρη για να περάσει η έγκυος. = Please step aside to let the pregnant pass.
Κάνω τα στραβά μάτια. = I turn a blind eye
Η δασκάλα ήξερε ότι οι μαθητές αντιγράφουν, αλλά έκανε τα στραβά μάτια. = The teacher knew that the students were cheating, but she turned a blind eye.
Κάνω την πάπια. = I play dumb
Ο Πέτρος έκανε την πάπια, όταν ο πατέρας του ρώτησε, ποιος έσπασε το παράθυρο = Petros played dump, when his father asked who broke the window.
Κάνω οικονομία. = I save money
Προσπαθώ να κάνω οιονομία για να μπορέσω να ταξιδέψω στην Ελλάδα το καλοκαίρι. =I try to save some money so I can travel to Greece this summer.
Note: most students will use the verb κάνω mainly in the present and past tense, but more advanced students can also have a look at the other tenses.
| Present | κάνω |
| Past Continuous | έκανα |
| Past Simple | έκανα |
| Future Simple | θα κάνω |
| Future Continuous | θα κάνω |
| Present Perfect | έχω κάνει |
| Past Perfect | είχα κάνει |
| Future Perfect | θα έχω κάνει |
Hope you liked this Greek language lesson.
If you want to learn more Greek verbs and tenses, then
click here to learn the verbs “to drink” and “to be hungry”.
click here to learn the verb ‚to understand‘
click here to learn the verb ‚to speak‘
