Passive Voice Verbs in Greek: -ομαι & -άμαι

In Modern Greek, many verbs appear in the passive (middle) voice and end in -ομαι or -άμαι. These verbs are extremely common in everyday speech and often describe states, feelings, posture, movement, or mental processes rather than direct actions.

In this article, you will learn:

• What passive/middle voice verbs are

• How verbs in -ομαι and -άμαι are conjugated

• Present, past, and simple future forms

• Clear, simple examples with common verbs

1. What are passive / middle voice verbs?

Although they are called passive, many -ομαι / -άμαι verbs are not truly passive in meaning. Instead, they often describe something that:

• happens to the subject

• reflects the subject’s emotional or physical state

• involves no clear object

Example:

• κάθομαι = I am sitting (not I am being sat)

• ντρέπομαι = I am ashamed

2. Verb group: -ομαι (Present Tense)

Example verb: έρχομαι (to come)

Example sentence:

• Έρχομαι στο μάθημα κάθε Δευτέρα.
  (I come to class every Monday.)

3. Verb group: -άμαι (Present Tense)

Example verb: κοιμάμαι (to sleep)

Example sentence:

• Κοιμάμαι νωρίς τις καθημερινές.
  (I sleep early on weekdays.)

4. Simple Past (Αόριστος)

In the simple past, these verbs change form and usually take -θηκα / -στηκα endings.

Examples:

• ήρθα – I came (from έρχομαι)

• κάθισα – I sat (from κάθομαι)

• ντράπηκα – I was ashamed

• κοιμήθηκα – I slept

• φοβήθηκα – I was afraid

• λυπήθηκα – I felt sorry

• θυμήθηκα – I remembered

Example sentences:

• Χθες κάθισα στο σπίτι.
  (Yesterday I stayed/sat at home.)

• Θυμήθηκα το όνομά του.
  (I remembered his name.)

Note: Many of these verbs have irregular past forms, so they are best learned through usage.

5. Simple Future (Μέλλοντας Απλός)

⚠️ Important note about the future tense

For many verbs in -ομαι / -άμαι, the simple future is NOT formed with:

❌ θα + present form

Instead, most of these verbs have irregular future forms. This means:

• the verb often changes its stem

• you cannot always predict the form

• the future tense must be learned through practice and memorisation

Common irregular future forms:

• έρχομαι → θα έρθω

• κάθομαι → θα καθίσω

• ντρέπομαι → θα ντραπώ

• κοιμάμαι → θα κοιμηθώ

• φοβάμαι → θα φοβηθώ

• λυπάμαι → θα λυπηθώ

• θυμάμαι → θα θυμηθώ

Key tip:
Do not try to build the future tense logically. Treat these forms as new vocabulary.

✔️ Listen to them in context
✔️ Repeat them aloud
✔️ Use them in simple sentences

With time and exposure, these irregular future forms will become natural.

6. Common Passive Voice Verbs You Should Know

7. Final tip ✨

Many -ομαι / -άμαι verbs are part of everyday Greek. Don’t worry too much about the grammar label (passive / middle). Focus instead on:

• meaning

• context

• natural usage

The more you hear and use them, the more natural they will feel.

Want to practice these verbs in real conversation? Join our Greek courses at MATHENO ELLINIKA and start speaking with confidence!


Short Practice Paragraph

Greek:
Κάθομαι στο σπίτι το απόγευμα και θυμάμαι την προηγούμενη εβδομάδα. Ντρέπομαι λίγο για τα λάθη μου, αλλά κοιμάμαι νωρίς και προσπαθώ να μην φοβάμαι. Λυπάμαι για όσα δεν έγιναν όπως ήθελα, αλλά ξέρω ότι θα έρθουν καλύτερα πράγματα στο μέλλον.

English:
I sit at home in the afternoon and remember the previous week. I feel a little ashamed of my mistakes, but I sleep early and try not to be afraid. I feel sorry for what didn’t happen as I wanted, but I know that better things will come in the future.