100 essential Modern Greek verbs
The foundation to speak and understand daily life
Learning a language means learning the right words first. In Modern Greek, around one hundred verbs cover the vast majority of everyday conversations. This list, sorted by theme, gives you the present and aorist for each verb. Learn them gradually and you'll be able to hold a simple conversation in a few weeks.
How to use this list? Don't try to memorize everything at once. Work by theme (10 verbs per session), come back every day. ConjuGrec uses spaced repetition (SM-2) to automatically resurface verbs at the right moment.
1. Be, have, do — the 5 most used verbs
| Present | Aorist | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| είμαι | ήμουν | to be |
| έχω | είχα | to have |
| κάνω | έκανα | to do |
| μπορώ | μπόρεσα | can |
| θέλω | θέλησα | to want |
2. Communication and thought (15)
| Present | Aorist | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| λέω | είπα | to say |
| μιλώ | μίλησα | to speak |
| ρωτώ | ρώτησα | to ask |
| απαντώ | απάντησα | to answer |
| ξέρω | ήξερα | to know |
| καταλαβαίνω | κατάλαβα | to understand |
| σκέφτομαι | σκέφτηκα | to think |
| πιστεύω | πίστεψα | to believe |
| θυμάμαι | θυμήθηκα | to remember |
| ξεχνώ | ξέχασα | to forget |
| νομίζω | νόμισα | to think (opinion) |
| μαθαίνω | έμαθα | to learn |
| διδάσκω | δίδαξα | to teach |
| εξηγώ | εξήγησα | to explain |
| διαβάζω | διάβασα | to read |
3. Movement and travel (15)
| Present | Aorist | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| πάω / πηγαίνω | πήγα | to go |
| έρχομαι | ήρθα | to come |
| φεύγω | έφυγα | to leave |
| μπαίνω | μπήκα | to enter |
| βγαίνω | βγήκα | to exit |
| ανεβαίνω | ανέβηκα | to go up |
| κατεβαίνω | κατέβηκα | to go down |
| περπατώ | περπάτησα | to walk |
| τρέχω | έτρεξα | to run |
| οδηγώ | οδήγησα | to drive |
| ταξιδεύω | ταξίδεψα | to travel |
| γυρίζω | γύρισα | to return |
| φτάνω | έφτασα | to arrive |
| πέφτω | έπεσα | to fall |
| πετώ | πέταξα | to fly / throw |
4. Daily life — eat, drink, sleep (15)
| Present | Aorist | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| τρώω | έφαγα | to eat |
| πίνω | ήπια | to drink |
| κοιμάμαι | κοιμήθηκα | to sleep |
| ξυπνώ | ξύπνησα | to wake up |
| σηκώνομαι | σηκώθηκα | to get up |
| πλένω | έπλυνα | to wash |
| ντύνομαι | ντύθηκα | to get dressed |
| μαγειρεύω | μαγείρεψα | to cook |
| αγοράζω | αγόρασα | to buy |
| πληρώνω | πλήρωσα | to pay |
| δουλεύω | δούλεψα | to work |
| μένω | έμεινα | to stay / live |
| ζω | έζησα | to live |
| γεννιέμαι | γεννήθηκα | to be born |
| πεθαίνω | πέθανα | to die |
5. Perception and emotions (15)
| Present | Aorist | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| βλέπω | είδα | to see |
| ακούω | άκουσα | to hear / listen |
| νιώθω | ένιωσα | to feel |
| αγαπώ | αγάπησα | to love |
| μ' αρέσει | μ' άρεσε | I like (lit. it pleases me) |
| μισώ | μίσησα | to hate |
| φοβάμαι | φοβήθηκα | to be afraid |
| χαίρομαι | χάρηκα | to be glad |
| λυπάμαι | λυπήθηκα | to be sorry / sad |
| θυμώνω | θύμωσα | to get angry |
| γελάω | γέλασα | to laugh |
| κλαίω | έκλαψα | to cry |
| ελπίζω | έλπισα | to hope |
| θαυμάζω | θαύμασα | to admire |
| ευχαριστώ | ευχαρίστησα | to thank |
6. Action and creation (15)
| Present | Aorist | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| γράφω | έγραψα | to write |
| παίζω | έπαιξα | to play |
| τραγουδώ | τραγούδησα | to sing |
| χορεύω | χόρεψα | to dance |
| φτιάχνω | έφτιαξα | to make / fix |
| χτίζω | έχτισα | to build |
| δίνω | έδωσα | to give |
| παίρνω | πήρα | to take |
| φέρνω | έφερα | to bring |
| στέλνω | έστειλα | to send |
| ανοίγω | άνοιξα | to open |
| κλείνω | έκλεισα | to close |
| αρχίζω | άρχισα | to start |
| τελειώνω | τελείωσα | to finish |
| συνεχίζω | συνέχισα | to continue |
7. Social interactions (10)
| Present | Aorist | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| γνωρίζω | γνώρισα | to know / meet |
| συναντώ | συνάντησα | to meet |
| βοηθώ | βοήθησα | to help |
| δείχνω | έδειξα | to show |
| καλώ | κάλεσα | to call / invite |
| τηλεφωνώ | τηλεφώνησα | to phone |
| περιμένω | περίμενα | to wait |
| βρίσκω | βρήκα | to find |
| χάνω | έχασα | to lose |
| αλλάζω | άλλαξα | to change |
8. Misc useful verbs (10)
| Present | Aorist | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| γίνομαι | έγινα | to become / happen |
| υπάρχω | υπήρξα | to exist |
| χρειάζομαι | χρειάστηκα | to need |
| πρέπει | έπρεπε | must |
| αξίζω | άξιζα | to be worth |
| ζητώ | ζήτησα | to ask for |
| προσπαθώ | προσπάθησα | to try |
| κρατώ | κράτησα | to hold |
| βάζω | έβαλα | to put |
| βγάζω | έβγαλα | to take off / out |
9. Suggested memorization plan
Week 1: the 5 fundamentals + the 10 most common communication verbs.
Week 2: movement (15 verbs).
Week 3: daily life (15 verbs).
Week 4: perception and emotions (15 verbs).
Weeks 5-6: action and creation + social interactions (25 verbs).
Week 7: misc verbs and global review (10 + review).
After 2 months, you'll have internalized 100 verbs — enough to understand ~80% of a daily conversation.
Free Agora mode with these 100 essential verbs.
Helléniste mode: all 345 verbs + all 9 tenses.