LingoflyΠάω and έρχομαι: where the speaker stands
πάω (páo) and έρχομαι (érkhome) differ not by direction in general but by where the speaker stands. πάω (páo) is away from me, έρχομαι (érkhome) towards me. English splits "go" and "come" the same way, and the wrong one still slips out. For example: “Έρχομαι αμέσως (érkhome amésos), περίμενε” (perímene) — I'm coming, wait. A rule from the Greek course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
πάω (páo) and έρχομαι (érkhome) differ not by direction in general but by where the speaker stands. πάω (páo) is away from me, έρχομαι (érkhome) towards me. English splits "go" and "come" the same way, and the wrong one still slips out.
A quick test. Called over by somebody, English says "I'm coming", and Greek says Έρχομαι (érkhome), because the movement is towards them. Πάω (páo) would mean "I'm off", which is a different answer.
Table
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
where the speaker stands: how does it work in Greek?
πάω (páo) and έρχομαι (érkhome) differ not by direction in general but by where the speaker stands. πάω (páo) is away from me, έρχομαι (érkhome) towards me. English splits "go" and "come" the same way, and the wrong one still slips out.
What does it look like in a Greek example sentence?
“Έρχομαι αμέσως (érkhome amésos), περίμενε” (perímene) (érkhome amésos, perímene) — I'm coming, wait. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.