LingoflyThe verb "to be": είμαι
Greek needs the linking verb where English can drop it. There is no "I tired" here — you say είμαι κουρασμένος (íme kurazménos), with the "am" put back in. For example: “Είμαι (íme) από (apó) τη (ti) Μόσχα” (Móskha) — I am from Moscow. A rule from the Greek course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Greek needs the linking verb where English can drop it. There is no "I tired" here — you say είμαι (íme) κουρασμένος (kurazménos) (íme kurazménos), with the "am" put back in.
The pronoun usually falls away: the ending already carries the person. Εγώ (egó) είμαι (íme) (egó íme) sounds like "as for ME", with a push.
One shape covers "he is" and "they are": είναι (íne) does both jobs. Which one is meant comes from the talk around it.
Table
| person | form | example |
|---|---|---|
| εγώ (egó) (I) | είμαι (íme) | Είμαι καλά (íme kalá) |
| εσύ (esí) (you, sing.) | είσαι (íse) | Είσαι (íse) καλά (kalá) |
| αυτός (aftós) (he) | είναι (íne) | Είναι (íne) καλά (kalá) |
| εμείς (emís) (we) | είμαστε (ímaste) | Είμαστε (ímaste) καλά (kalá) |
| εσείς (esís) (you, pl.) | είστε (íste) | Είστε (íste) καλά (kalá) |
| αυτοί (aftí) (they) | είναι (íne) | Είναι (íne) καλά (kalá) |
By example
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
The verb "to be": how does it work in Greek?
Greek needs the linking verb where English can drop it. There is no "I tired" here — you say είμαι κουρασμένος (íme kurazménos), with the "am" put back in.
What does it look like in a Greek example sentence?
“Είμαι (íme) από (apó) τη (ti) Μόσχα” (Móskha) (íme apó ti Móskha) — I am from Moscow. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.