LingoflyVerbs without a subject: βρέχει, χιονίζει, νυχτώνει
Greek talks about the weather with verbs that have nobody doing anything. Not "rain is falling" but simply βρέχει (vrékhi) — one word, and the sentence is finished. The same with χιονίζει (it snows), φυσάει (fisái) (it is windy), νυχτώνει (it gets dark). For example: “Χθες έβρεχε όλη μέρα (khthes évrekhe óli méra), σήμερα έχει ήλιο” (símera ékhi ílio) — Yesterday it rained all day; today it is sunny. A rule from the Greek course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a…
How it works
Greek talks about the weather with verbs that have nobody doing anything. Not "rain is falling" but simply βρέχει (vrékhi) — one word, and the sentence is finished. The same with χιονίζει (it snows), φυσάει (fisái) (it is windy), νυχτώνει (it gets dark).
Asking "who?" of such a verb is pointless: it has no other shape. English does the same with an empty "it" — it rains, it is getting dark.
A second track is κάνει (káni) plus a noun: κάνει κρύο (káni krío), κάνει ζέστη (káni zésti), word for word "it makes cold". A third is έχει (ékhi) about the sky: έχει ήλιο (ékhi ílio), έχει (ékhi) ομίχλη (omíkhli) (ékhi omíkhli), έχει (ékhi) συννεφιά.
In the past they behave like any verb: έβρεχε (évrekhe), έκανε (ékane) κρύο (krío) (ékane krío), είχε (íkhe) ομίχλη (omíkhli) (íkhe omíkhli). For the future θα (tha) steps in front: Αύριο (ávrio) θα (tha) βρέξει (vréksi) (ávrio tha vréksi).
Table
| how it is built | example | in English |
|---|---|---|
| one verb | βρέχει (vrékhi) | it is raining |
| one verb | χιονίζει | it is snowing |
| κάνει (káni) + a word | κάνει κρύο (káni krío) | it is cold |
| έχει (ékhi) + a word | έχει (ékhi) ομίχλη (omíkhli) | it is foggy |
| είναι (íne) + an adverb | είναι συννεφιασμένα (íne sinefiazména) | it is overcast |
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
Verbs without a subject: how does it work in Greek?
Greek talks about the weather with verbs that have nobody doing anything. Not "rain is falling" but simply βρέχει (vrékhi) — one word, and the sentence is finished. The same with χιονίζει (it snows), φυσάει (fisái) (it is windy), νυχτώνει (it gets dark).
What does it look like in a Greek example sentence?
“Χθες έβρεχε όλη μέρα (khthes évrekhe óli méra), σήμερα έχει ήλιο” (símera ékhi ílio) (khthes évrekhe óli méra, símera ékhi ílio) — Yesterday it rained all day; today it is sunny. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.