LingoflyVerbs in Greek
20 words in Greek on the topic “verbs”: θέλω (thélo) — I want, πηγαίνω (piyéno) — go, τρώω (tróo) — eat, πίνω (píno) — drink. 20 words can be played from recordings.
20 words on the topic
- θέλωthéloI wantthe th is the th of 'think' — tongue between the teeth. The polite version is tha íthela — I would like
- πηγαίνωpiyénogoone verb for any motion away — on foot, by car, by plane. The short casual form is páo
- τρώωtróoeatthe two ω letters do not merge: tro-o. Don't confuse with 'there is' — that is ipárchei, a different verb
- πίνωpínodrinkone verb for water, coffee and wine alike
- διαβάζωdiavázoreadboth 'read' and 'study for an exam': a schoolkid says diavázo about schoolwork in general. The β is v, the ζ is z
- μιλάωmiláospeaksecond conjugation, stress on the ending: miláo, milás, milái. To say is a different verb, léo
- δουλεύωdulévoworkabout people and about things alike: den dulévi to asansér — the lift does not work
- μένωménoliveliterally 'I stay': it is this verb that speaks of where you live, while zó means to be alive
- αγαπώagapólovethe very agápi — love as acceptance, not passion. Second conjugation, with the stressed ending -ó
- έχωékhohaveliterally 'I have': no 'at my place' needed, the person sits in the ending. Negation: den écho
- υπάρχειipárkhithere isabout existence, not ownership: ipárchei neró? — is there water? In speech people usually just say échei
- μαθαίνωmathénolearnboth 'learn' and 'hear the news'. The root of 'mathematics' — literally 'the things one learns'
- βλέπωvléposeeit also 'watches' TV and 'sees' people: ta léme — see you; vlepómaste — we'll be seeing each other
- ακούωakúohearboth hear and listen. The root of acoustics
- κοιμάμαιkimámeto sleepmiddle voice: it conjugates on -me, like érkhome. The root of coma
- κουβαλάωkuvaláocarryabout heavy loads and effort. Simply carrying along is férno
- βάζωvázoplacesetting, putting and putting on at once: vázo to paltó — I put on the coat
- σπάωspáobreakthe root of spasménos, broken. About machines khaláo is more common
- χτίζωkhtízobuildthe bookish spelling ktízo. To ktírio, the building, shares the root
- ζεσταίνωzesténoheatfrom zestós, warm. Zesténome — I am warm
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How it sounds in a sentence
A word list is a blank. Conversation is made of sentences, and these are the ones the words fit into most often.
What is worth knowing about these words
θέλω (thélo) — I want. The th is the th of 'think' — tongue between the teeth. The polite version is tha íthela — I would like.
πηγαίνω (piyéno) — go. One verb for any motion away — on foot, by car, by plane. The short casual form is páo.
τρώω (tróo) — eat. The two ω letters do not merge: tro-o. Don't confuse with 'there is' — that is ipárchei, a different verb.
πίνω (píno) — drink. One verb for water, coffee and wine alike.
Test yourself
First by ear — the way you will meet the word in conversation. Click the speaker and pick the translation.
Now the other way around: recall the spelling from the meaning. That is harder, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “I want” in Greek?
the th is the th of 'think' — tongue between the teeth. The polite version is tha íthela — I would like
- How do you say “live” in Greek?
literally 'I stay': it is this verb that speaks of where you live, while zó means to be alive
- How do you say “to sleep” in Greek?
middle voice: it conjugates on -me, like érkhome. The root of coma
- How do you say “go” in Greek?
one verb for any motion away — on foot, by car, by plane. The short casual form is páo
- How do you say “love” in Greek?
the very agápi — love as acceptance, not passion. Second conjugation, with the stressed ending -ó
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
I want, I can, I am going, I know. The verb holds a sentence together: a few of the most frequent ones cover more everyday talk than a long list of nouns.
A list is read in a minute and forgotten in a day. What works: hide the translation, try to recall, get it wrong — and come back to the same words tomorrow.
- Recalling beats re-reading. Covering the translation and trying to remember it does more than reading it ten more times.checked many timesAdesope, Trevisan & Sundararajan, 2017, Review of Educational Research 87(3) · 188 experiments, 272 comparisons. g = 0.61; against plain re-reading 0.51, against passive review 0.93.
- Study spread over days wins not only in experiments but in ordinary classrooms, with real students.checked many timesMawson & Kang, 2025, Behavioral Sciences 15(6):771 · 22 studies, d = 0.54 (confidence interval 0.31–0.77). The authors warn that individual studies disagree widely.
Frequently asked
How do you say “I want” in Greek?
«θέλω» (thélo), read “thélo”. The th is the th of 'think' — tongue between the teeth. The polite version is tha íthela — I would like. It is one of 20 words in the set “verbs” — the rest are in the table above.
How many verbs do you need to start?
The whole set on this page is 20 words, but there is no need to start with all of it: the words you will need in the next few days are enough. Take them a few at a time — five to seven new ones per session.
Is there audio?
Yes, 20 words on this page can be played — click the speaker next to the word. The sound works on any phone, and nothing needs to be installed.