Verbs in -ομαι: χαίρομαι, φοβάμαι, βαριέμαι
A Greek verb has two sets of endings. One is familiar: -ω, -εις, -ει. The other ends in -ομαι, and it covers three different jobs. For example: “Χαίρομαι πολύ που σε βλέπω” — I am very glad to see you. A rule from the Greek course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
A Greek verb has two sets of endings. One is familiar: -ω, -εις, -ει. The other ends in -ομαι, and it covers three different jobs.
First, something is done to a thing, not by it: Το φαγητό ετοιμάζεται — the food is being made. Second, you do it to yourself: πλένομαι (plénome) — I wash, ντύνομαι (dínome) — I dress.
Third, and by far the most common: verbs with no other shape at all. χαίρομαι (I'm glad), φοβάμαι (I'm afraid), βαριέμαι (I'm bored), έρχομαι (I come). Nothing is being done to anybody there. That is simply how the word looks.
Inside the set there are two patterns: the plain χαίρομαι and the end-stressed φοβάμαι, κοιμάμαι (kimáme), λυπάμαι (lipáme). The second holds the commonest words, the way irregular things do.
Table
| χαίρομαι | φοβάμαι | |
|---|---|---|
| I | χαίρομαι | φοβάμαι |
| you | χαίρεσαι | φοβάσαι |
| he, she | χαίρεται | φοβάται |
| we | χαιρόμαστε | φοβόμαστε |
| they | χαίρονται | φοβούνται |
By example
- Χαίρομαι πολύ που σε βλέπωkhérome polí pu se vlépoI am very glad to see you
- Φοβάμαι τα φίδιαfováme ta fídiaI am afraid of snakes
- Βαριέμαι, δεν έχω τι να κάνωvariéme, den ékho ti na kánoI'm bored, there's nothing to do
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
Verbs in -ομαι: how does it work in Greek?
A Greek verb has two sets of endings. One is familiar: -ω, -εις, -ει. The other ends in -ομαι, and it covers three different jobs.
What does it look like in an example sentence Greek?
“Χαίρομαι πολύ που σε βλέπω” (khérome polí pu se vlépo) — I am very glad to see you. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.