Request and command: γράψε, γράψτε, μην γράφεις
An order has two floors here: one shape for a single person you know well, another for several people at once. The second doubles as the polite one — at an office, a doctor's, a shop. For example: “Συμπληρώστε την αίτηση, παρακαλώ” — Fill in the form, please. A rule from the Greek course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
An order has two floors here: one shape for a single person you know well, another for several people at once. The second doubles as the polite one — at an office, a doctor's, a shop.
The stem is the one the past-in-one-piece uses: γράψ-, δώσ-. Add -ε for one person and -τε for more: γράψε (grápse) — γράψτε (grápste), δώσε (dóse) — δώστε (dóste).
For something that is meant to last, take the present stem: Περίμενε (perímene) — Περιμένετε (wait a moment).
There is no shape for a ban. Greek uses μην (min) plus the ordinary verb: Μην αγγίζετε (min angízete) — don't touch. And παρακαλώ (parakaló) at the end softens the whole thing; without it a request comes out sharper than you meant.
Table
| to one person | to several, and polite | in English |
|---|---|---|
| γράψε | γράψτε | write! |
| πες μου | πείτε μου | tell me! |
| δώσε μου | δώστε μου | give me! |
| έλα | ελάτε | come here! |
| πάρε | πάρτε | take! |
By example
- Συμπληρώστε την αίτηση, παρακαλώsimbliróste tin étisi, parakalóFill in the form, please
- Περιμένετε λίγοperiménete lígoWait a minute
- Μην αγγίζετε τίποταmin angízete típotaDon't touch anything
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
Request and command: how does it work in Greek?
An order has two floors here: one shape for a single person you know well, another for several people at once. The second doubles as the polite one — at an office, a doctor's, a shop.
What does it look like in an example sentence Greek?
“Συμπληρώστε την αίτηση, παρακαλώ” (simbliróste tin étisi, parakaló) — Fill in the form, please. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.