Conjugating the Verb to Be in Greek in the Present Tense

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In any language, the verb “to be” is one of the most common. In the English language, it is used in nearly ever conversation in some form. In Greek, the verb is just as important as it is in English. In order to use it, you need to be able to conjugate it into its various forms. Here’s a look at how to conjugate it in Greek:

What is the Present Tense?

The present tense represents the state of existing in the current moment. The past represents things that have already happened, and the future represents things that are to come. Here’s a look at the definition of the present tense, according to Webster’s Dictionary:

: the tense of a verb that expresses action or state in the present time and is used of what occurs or is true at the time of speaking and of what is habitual or characteristic or is always or necessarily true, that is sometimes used to refer to action in the past, and that is sometimes used for future events.

How to Conjugate the Verb “to Be” in Greek

In order to understand how the conjugations wiHere are some examples of sentences in English that use this verb. The forms of “to be” are boldfaced in both Greek and English.

• I am a girl. Είμαι κορίτσι. Eimai koritsi.
• You are a boy. Είσαι αγόρι. Eisai agori.
• He is a brother. Είναι αδελφός. Eina athelfos.
• She is a mother. Είναι μητέρα. Einai mitera.
• It is a cat. Είναι μια γάτα. Einai mia gata.
• We are a family. Είμαστε μια οικογένεια. Eimaste Mia ikoyenia.
• You are students. Είστε μαθητές. Eiste mathites.
• They are fathers. Είναι πατέρες. Einai pateras.

As you can see, this is an important verb in both Greek and English. It takes different forms according to the tense it’s in. In this article, we discussed the present tense. Make sure you are familiar with these conjugations because you’ll hear them on a regular basis.

The Learn Greek section on GreekBoston.com was written by Greeks to help people understand the conversational basics of the Greek language. This article is not a substitute for a professional Greek learning program, but a helpful resource for people wanting to learn simple communication in Greek.

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This post was written by Greek Boston