No infinitive: the να construction
Greek lost the infinitive completely: a form meaning "to drink" or "to go" does not exist. Where English lines up two verbs, Greek puts να and conjugates the second verb as well. For example: “Θέλω να πιω νερό” — I want to drink some water. A rule from the Greek course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Greek lost the infinitive completely: a form meaning "to drink" or "to go" does not exist. Where English lines up two verbs, Greek puts να (na) and conjugates the second verb as well.
"I want to drink" comes out as "I want that I drink": θέλω να πιω (thélo na pio). "We want to drink" is θέλουμε να πιούμε — the second verb moves along with the first.
So the dictionary shape of a Greek verb is the one meaning "I do it": μιλάω (miláo) — I speak. Every Greek dictionary lists verbs that way, so the habit pays off at once.
By example
- Θέλω να πιω νερόthélo na pio neróI want to drink some water
- Μπορείτε να μιλάτε πιο αργά;boríte na miláte pio argá?Could you speak more slowly?
- Πάμε να φάμεpáme na fámeLet's go and eat
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
Why Greek has no infinitive?
Greek lost the infinitive completely: a form meaning "to drink" or "to go" does not exist. Where English lines up two verbs, Greek puts να and conjugates the second verb as well.
How to say I want to drink in Greek?
"I want to drink" comes out as "I want that I drink": θέλω να πιω. "We want to drink" is θέλουμε να πιούμε — the second verb moves along with the first.
What να is in Greek?
So the dictionary shape of a Greek verb is the one meaning "I do it": μιλάω — I speak. Every Greek dictionary lists verbs that way, so the habit pays off at once.
Why both verbs are conjugated in θέλω να πιω?
So the dictionary shape of a Greek verb is the one meaning "I do it": μιλάω — I speak. Every Greek dictionary lists verbs that way, so the habit pays off at once.
What does it look like in an example sentence Greek?
“Θέλω να πιω νερό” (thélo na pio neró) — I want to drink some water. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.