να γράφω or να γράψω: the aspect after "να"
You know the να construction: it replaces the to-form Greek does not have. Now for the choice it demands every time. For example: “Θέλω να διαβάζω τις ειδήσεις κάθε πρωί” — I want to read the news every morning. A rule from the Greek course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
You know the να (na) construction: it replaces the to-form Greek does not have. Now for the choice it demands every time.
After να the verb stands in one of two aspects, and the difference is "was doing" against "did" — a stretch in progress against a finished whole. Θέλω να διαβάζω κάθε μέρα (thélo na diavázo káthe méra) — I want to read every day, the habit; Θέλω να διαβάσω αυτό το άρθρο (thélo na diaváso aftó to árthro) — I want to read this article, through to the end.
Both forms come from the two familiar stems: the present (να γράφω (na gráfo), να πίνω (na píno)) and the aorist (να γράψω (na grápso), να πιω (na pio)). The endings are the same for both — only the stem changes, exactly as between γράφω (gráfo) and έγραψα (égrapsa).
English has no such gear, so the test is to ask yourself: "I want to be reading" or "I want to read it to the end"?
The same choice runs after θα (tha): θα διαβάζω (I'll be reading) against θα διαβάσω (I'll read it). And after πρέπει (prépi), and after μπορώ (boró) — wherever να stands.
One caveat: the negation slips in between να and the verb — να μην πάω (na min páo), never "δεν να πάω (den na páo)".
Table
| in general, regularly | once, to the end | |
|---|---|---|
| to want | θέλω να γράφω | θέλω να γράψω |
| to be able | μπορώ να πίνω | μπορώ να πιω |
| to have to | πρέπει να πληρώνω | πρέπει να πληρώσω |
| the future | θα διαβάζω | θα διαβάσω |
By example
- Θέλω να διαβάζω τις ειδήσεις κάθε πρωίthélo na diavázo tis idísis káthe proíI want to read the news every morning
- Θέλω να διαβάσω αυτό το άρθροthélo na diaváso aftó to árthroI want to read this very article
- Προτιμώ να μην σχολιάσωprotimó na min skholiásoI would rather not comment
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
Which aspect after να in Greek?
You know the να construction: it replaces the to-form Greek does not have. Now for the choice it demands every time.
Να γράφω or να γράψω?
After να the verb stands in one of two aspects, and the difference is "was doing" against "did" — a stretch in progress against a finished whole. Θέλω να διαβάζω κάθε μέρα — I want to read every day, the habit; Θέλω να διαβάσω αυτό το άρθρο — I want to read this article, through to the end.
Θα διαβάζω vs θα διαβάσω?
Both forms come from the two familiar stems: the present (να γράφω, να πίνω) and the aorist (να γράψω, να πιω). The endings are the same for both — only the stem changes, exactly as between γράφω and έγραψα.
How to say I want to read it through in Greek?
English has no such gear, so the test is to ask yourself: "I want to be reading" or "I want to read it to the end"?
Where μην goes in the να construction?
The same choice runs after θα: θα διαβάζω (I'll be reading) against θα διαβάσω (I'll read it). And after πρέπει, and after μπορώ — wherever να stands.
What does it look like in an example sentence Greek?
“Θέλω να διαβάζω τις ειδήσεις κάθε πρωί” (thélo na diavázo tis idísis káthe proí) — I want to read the news every morning. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.