How to say “I wash” or “I wash myself” in Greek.
Learn the active and passive form of this verb
THIS PART OF GRAMMAR MIGHT BE CONFUSING, AND NEEDS SOME PRACTICE.
But do not worry, siga-siga!
When you learn Greek, a difficult part in grammar is the use of active and passive verbs.
Most students get confused, since it is not something you learn in other European languages.
So here below, we will explain the verb “to wash” in its active form, as well as “to be washed” in the passive form.
If you prefer to watch and listen to the video first, then click here
THE ACTIVE FORM OF THE VERB “I wash”
- πλένω = I wash
The conjugation of the active form is exactly like other verbs, such as
πίνω – to drink,
μένω – to live,
δουλέυω – to work,
καταλαβαίνω – to understand Click here to learn the verb ‘to understand’
So now here below one more verb, the conjugation of “I wash”
Εγώ πλέν-ω (I wash)
Εσύ πλέν-εις (you wash)
Αυτός,ή πλέν-ει (he/she washes)
Εμείς πλέν-ουμε (we wash)
Εσείς πλέν-ετε (you (plural or polite form) wash)
Αυτοί,ές,ά πλέν-ουν (they wash)
for example
- Ο Νίκος πλένει το αυτοκίνητο (Nikos is washing the car).
- Η Ελένη πλένει τα ρούχα. (Eleni is washing the dishes clothes)
- Η Μαρία πλένει τον σκύλο. (Maria is washing the dog)
So we call this tense the ” active form” because Nick, Eleni and Maria DO THE ACTION…
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NOW WE CAN ACTUALLY MAKE THIS VERB ALSO PASSIVE, BY CHANGING THE CONJUGATION
Active voice –> Passive Voice
Πλέν-ω (I wash) –> πλέν-ομαι = TO BE WASHED
So you keep the same stem, but you change the ending/CONUGATION
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Εγώ πλέν-ομαι
Εσύ πλέν-εσαι
Αυτός,ή,ό πλέν-εται
Εμείς πλεν-όμαστε
Εσείς πλεν-όσαστε OR πλέν-εστε
Αυτοί,ές,ά πλέν-ονται
examples
1.
Active voice:
Ο Νίκος πλένει το αυτοκίνητο. (Nick is washing the car)
Passive voice:
Το αυτοκίνητο πλένεται από τον Νίκο. (the car is being washed by Nikos)
2.
Active voice:
Η Ελένη πλένει τα ρούχα. (Eleni is washing the clothes)
Passive voice:
Τα ρούχα πλένονται από την Ελένη. (The clothes are being washed by Eleni)
3.
Active voice:
Η Μαρία πλένει τον σκύλο. (Maria is washing the dog.)
Passive Voice:
Ο σκύλος πλένεται από τη Μαρία. (The dog is being washed by Maria)
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What happens when you want to say “I wash myself”?
It goes like this:
Πλένομαι = I am washing my self
Πλένεσαι = you wash yourself
Examples
1.
Active form
Ο μπαμπάς πλένει το παιδί. (The father is washing the child)
Passive form
Το παιδί πλένεται από τον μπαμπά. (The child is being washed by the father)
But also – reflexive verb
Το παιδί πλένεται (The child is washing itself)
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If you like to communicate in Greek, then, apart from grammar, you also need to learn the correct pronunciation in Greek 😉
Take a look at the video with teacher Eva and listen to the correct pronunciation of the conjugations and sentences.
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’
Click here to learn the verb “to come”
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