The table below shows some common verbs in their first and second person. We should note at this point that the verb ending changes to indicate which person is performing the verb.
| Μένεις …………; | Ναι, μένω … | ||||
| Ξέρεις …………; | Ναι, ξέρω … | ||||
| Θέλεις …………; |
εις |
Οχι, δεν θέλω … |
ω |
||
| Περιμένεις ……; | Ναι, περιμένω … | ||||
| Καταλαβαίνεις ..; | Ναι, καταλαβαίνω … | ||||
| Εχεις ……………; | Οχι, δεν έχω … |
It is also worth noting at this stage that, unlike many other languages, Greek verbs do not have an infinitive. They are known by their first person, singular. So, the verb ‘to stay’ is called μένω (I stay). Another thing to note is that the Greek verbs do not require a personal pronoun (I, you, he, she, it, etc). The verbs shown in the table above were:
- μένω (I stay)
- ξέρω (I know)
- θέλω (I want)
- περιμένω (I wait)
- καταλαβαίνω (I understand)
- έχω (I have)
The Verb είμαι (to be)
Although the verb είμαι is irregular, it is very important and so must be discussed at this point. We have already come across some examples of the use of είμαι. Πώς είσαι; (How are you?) Από που είσαι; (Where are you from?) Είμαι καλά (I am well). Είμαι από την Σκωτία (I am from Scotland). The table below shows the parts of the verb:
| singular | plural | |||
| είμαι | I am | είμαστε | we are | |
| είσαι | you are | είσαστε/είστε | you are | |
| είναι | he, she, it is | είναι | they are |