Begin, keep on, give up: αρχίζω να, σταματάω να
The verbs of beginning and ending attach the next action through να, and the aspect after να works exactly as you already know: αρχίζω να διαβάζω (I take up reading, as a stretch of activity). "Αρχίζω να διαβάσω" is not said — a beginning demands the ongoing aspect. For example: “Μόλις ξεκίνησα τη δουλειά” — I just got down to work. A rule from the Greek course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
The verbs of beginning and ending attach the next action through να (na), and the aspect after να works exactly as you already know: αρχίζω να διαβάζω (I take up reading, as a stretch of activity). "Αρχίζω να διαβάσω (arkhízo na diaváso)" is not said — a beginning demands the ongoing aspect.
The row: αρχίζω να (to begin), ξαναρχίζω να (to resume), συνεχίζω να (to continue), σταματάω να (to stop), and τελειώνω (to finish — without να, with a plain object).
Apart stand three adverbs that carry the same work and occur in speech more often than the verbs themselves:
μόλις (mólis) — "just" or "as soon as": Μόλις τελείωσα (mólis telíosa). ακόμα (akóma) — "still": Ακόμα δουλεύω (akóma dulévo). πια (pia) — "no longer" in a negation and "by now" in a statement: Δεν δουλεύω πια (den dulévo pia) — I no longer work. English "no longer" translates exactly this way, and not through περισσότερο (perisótero).
And two turns from living speech: βάζω χέρι (vázo khéri) — to set one's hand to a task, τα παρατάω (ta paratáo) — to give up on it. Both go without να, because a noun or nothing follows them.
Table
| the turn | what it means | example |
|---|---|---|
| αρχίζω να | to begin | άρχισε να βρέχει |
| συνεχίζω να | to continue | συνεχίζω να δουλεύω |
| σταματάω να | to stop | σταμάτησε να μιλάει |
| μόλις | just, as soon as | μόλις ήρθα |
| ακόμα | still | ακόμα περιμένω |
| δεν … πια | no longer | δεν δουλεύω πια |
By example
- Μόλις ξεκίνησα τη δουλειάmólis ksekínisa ti duliáI just got down to work
- Σταμάτησε να καπνίζει πέρυσιstamátise na kapnízi périsiHe gave up smoking last year
- Δεν προσπαθώ πια, τα παράτησαden prospathó pia, ta parátisaI'm not trying anymore; I gave up on it
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
Begin, keep on, give up: how does it work in Greek?
The verbs of beginning and ending attach the next action through να, and the aspect after να works exactly as you already know: αρχίζω να διαβάζω (I take up reading, as a stretch of activity). "Αρχίζω να διαβάσω" is not said — a beginning demands the ongoing aspect.
What does it look like in an example sentence Greek?
“Μόλις ξεκίνησα τη δουλειά” (mólis ksekínisa ti duliá) — I just got down to work. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.