Verbs
Of course, in English, nouns and pronouns aren’t enough. The words in red below are verbs, and we need them to make a complete sentence:
These are the pencils.
Sally became a doctor.
Federico shops at the store.
Generally, a verb describes existence (the first sentence), a condition (the second sentence), or an action (the third sentence).
Let’s start our discussion of verbs with one of the most useful verbs in English -- to be. Yes, go ahead. Make the joke. “or not to be.” Ha ha. It is to laugh.
| to be | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Singular | Plural | ||||
| First Person | I am | we are | |||
| Second Person | you are | you are | |||
| Third Person |
|
they are | |||
When we combine the pronouns and verb forms, that’s called conjugating a verb. You’ll notice that the verb to be in English has several different forms. (Most other verbs, like walk or run, don't change as much.)
In Greek, the verb meaning to be also needs to be conjugated. Here it is:
| Singular | Plural | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Person | εγώ είμαι I am |
εμείς είμαστε we are | ||||||
| Second Person | εσύ είσαι you are |
εσείς είστε you are | ||||||
| Third Person |
|
|
This verb is irregular in Greek, as it is in English, and in almost every other language. You’ll just have to memorize its forms. Once you’ve done this, you’ll be in a position to make a complete Greek sentence...
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