The -οντας participle: μαθαίνοντας, διαβάζοντας
To say "doing something", Greek takes the present stem and adds -οντας: διαβάζω → διαβάζοντας, μαθαίνω → μαθαίνοντας, περπατώ → περπατώντας. One form for everybody — it changes by neither person, nor gender, nor number. English builds the same with its "-ing" tail: "while reading, ...". For example: “Μαθαίνοντας λέξεις κάθε μέρα, θα προχωρήσεις” — Studying a little every day, you will make progress. A rule from the…
How it works
To say "doing something", Greek takes the present stem and adds -οντας: διαβάζω (diavázo) → διαβάζοντας (diavázondas), μαθαίνω (mathéno) → μαθαίνοντας (mathénondas), περπατώ → περπατώντας (perpatóndas). One form for everybody — it changes by neither person, nor gender, nor number. English builds the same with its "-ing" tail: "while reading, ...".
Two limits keep it from being dropped in anywhere.
First: the doer must be shared. Διαβάζοντας το βιβλίο (diavázondas to vivlío), κατάλαβα το λάθος (katálava to láthos) — the one who read and the one who understood are the same person. If the doers differ, the form is impossible and a full clause with όταν (ótan) or ενώ (enó) is needed. English honors the same constraint — "walking down the street, my hat flew off" is the textbook joke about it.
Second: simultaneity only. -οντας describes what goes on together with the main action. For "having done, and then" another construction is needed: Αφού διάβασα (afú diávasa), κατάλαβα (katálava).
A past participle of this kind — "having read" — does not exist in the living language: the bookish διαβάσας stayed behind in katharevousa, and you will not hear it in speech.
Do not confuse -οντας with the participle in -μένος, which describes a state and declines: κουρασμένος (tired), γραμμένο (written).
Table
| the verb | the -οντας form | in English |
|---|---|---|
| διαβάζω | διαβάζοντας | while reading |
| μαθαίνω | μαθαίνοντας | while learning |
| περπατώ | περπατώντας | while walking |
| μιλάω | μιλώντας | while speaking |
| είμαι | όντας | while being |
By example
- Μαθαίνοντας λέξεις κάθε μέρα, θα προχωρήσειςmathénondas léksis káthe méra, tha prokhorísisStudying a little every day, you will make progress
- Περπατώντας στην παραλιακή, είδα το ουράνιο τόξοperpatóndas stin paraliakí, ída to uránio tóksoWalking along the embankment, I saw a rainbow
- Κατάλαβα το λάθος διαβάζοντας τις σημειώσεις μουkatálava to láthos diavázondas tis simiósis muI understood the mistake while rereading my notes
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 -οντας participle: how does it work in Greek?
To say "doing something", Greek takes the present stem and adds -οντας: διαβάζω → διαβάζοντας, μαθαίνω → μαθαίνοντας, περπατώ → περπατώντας. One form for everybody — it changes by neither person, nor gender, nor number. English builds the same with its "-ing" tail: "while reading, ...".
What does it look like in an example sentence Greek?
“Μαθαίνοντας λέξεις κάθε μέρα, θα προχωρήσεις” (mathénondas léksis káthe méra, tha prokhorísis) — Studying a little every day, you will make progress. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.