The passive voice: ο λογαριασμός πληρώθηκε
Paper Greek — banking, tax, bureaucratic — stands on the passive voice. You already know its present: these are the same -ομαι endings as in χαίρομαι. Ο λογαριασμός πληρώνεται κάθε μήνα — the bill is paid every month. For example: “Ο λογαριασμός πληρώθηκε χθες” — The bill was paid yesterday. A rule from the Greek course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Paper Greek — banking, tax, bureaucratic — stands on the passive voice. You already know its present: these are the same -ομαι endings as in χαίρομαι (khérome). Ο λογαριασμός πληρώνεται κάθε μήνα (o logariazmós plirónete káthe mína) — the bill is paid every month.
The new thing is the past. It is formed not through -ομαι but with its own set in -θηκα: πληρώθηκα, πληρώθηκες, πληρώθηκε (pliróthike). In part of the verbs -θηκα comes out as -στηκα, -φτηκα or -χτηκα (ετοιμάστηκε, γράφτηκε (gráftike), ανοίχτηκε) — not different rules, just one suffix worn to fit the neighboring consonant.
The third form is the participle in -μένος, and it already declines like an adjective: πληρωμένος λογαριασμός, πληρωμένη δόση, πληρωμένο τέλος. The contrast with the past is exactly the English one: "the bill was paid" against "a paid bill".
Who did it is introduced by από (apó): Το δάνειο ξοφλήθηκε από τον πατέρα μου (to dánio ksoflíthike apó ton patéra mu). But in paperwork the doer is more often not named at all — and that is the whole point of the voice: Η αίτηση απορρίφθηκε — the application was rejected, and by whom is none of your business.
Table
| action | passive present | passive past | participle |
|---|---|---|---|
| πληρώνω | πληρώνεται | πληρώθηκε | πληρωμένος |
| γράφω | γράφεται | γράφτηκε | γραμμένος |
| ετοιμάζω | ετοιμάζεται | ετοιμάστηκε | ετοιμασμένος |
| χτίζω | χτίζεται | χτίστηκε | χτισμένος |
By example
- Ο λογαριασμός πληρώθηκε χθεςo logariazmós pliróthike khthesThe bill was paid yesterday
- Η αίτηση υποβλήθηκε διαδικτυακάi étisi ipovlíthike diadiktiakáThe application was filed online
- Το δάνειο ξοφλήθηκε από τον πατέρα μουto dánio ksoflíthike apó ton patéra muMy father paid off the loan
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
The passive voice: how does it work in Greek?
Paper Greek — banking, tax, bureaucratic — stands on the passive voice. You already know its present: these are the same -ομαι endings as in χαίρομαι. Ο λογαριασμός πληρώνεται κάθε μήνα — the bill is paid every month.
What does it look like in an example sentence Greek?
“Ο λογαριασμός πληρώθηκε χθες” (o logariazmós pliróthike khthes) — The bill was paid yesterday. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.