The topic of infinitive verbs in Greek is one of the most confusing ones for native and non-native Greek speakers. If you translate the word “infinitive” from English to Greek, the result will be “ฯฮฟ ฮฑฯฮฑฯฮญฮผฯฮฑฯฮฟ”. However, the use and purpose of “ฯฮฟ ฮฑฯฮฑฯฮญฮผฯฮฑฯฮฟ” in Modern Greek is not the same as of the use and purpose of the “infinitive” in English.
ฮคฮฟ ฮฯฮฑฯฮญฮผฯฮฑฯฮฟ | The “Official” Infinitive Form
The Greek infinitive verbs are rarely used on their own. Greek speakers use them in combination to particles (ฮฝฮฑ/ ฮธฮฑ) or the helping verb “ฮญฯฯ” (to have) to form different tenses and moods. For example, “ฮตฮณฯ ฯฯฯฯ” means “I eat”. In the future simple, the sentence transforms into “ฮธฮฑ ฯฮฌฯ” (I will eat). “ฮฆฮฌฯ” is the infinitive form of “ฯฯฯฯ”.
Unfortunately, you have to memorize the infinitive form of each verb. Sometimes the infinitive form is exactly the same as the first person singular of the ฮฮฝฮตฯฯฯฯฮฑฯ (Present Tense), other times, these two forms of the verb have nothing in common. Here are some of the most common Greek verbs in the first person singular in ฮฮฝฮตฯฯฯฯฮฑฯ (Present Tense) and in their infinitive form.
Greek Verbs in the Infinitive Form
- ฯฯฯฯ โ ฯฮฌฯ (eat โ to eat)
- ฮบฮฌฮฝฯ โ ฮบฮฌฮฝฯ (do โ to do)
- ฮณฯฮฌฯฯ โ ฮณฯฮฌฯฯ (write โ to write)
- ฯฮฟฯ ฮปฮฌฯ โ ฯฮฟฯ ฮปฮฎฯฯ (sell โ to sell)
- ฮฑฮณฮฟฯฮฌฮถฯ โ ฮฑฮณฮฟฯฮฌฯฯ (buy โ to buy)
- ฮบฯฮฑฯฮฌฯ โ ฮบฯฮฑฯฮฎฯฯ (hold โ to hold)
- ฮผฮฟฮนฯฮฌฮถฯ โ ฮผฮฟฮนฯฮฌฯฯ (share โ to share)
- ฮฒฮณฮฑฮฏฮฝฯ โ ฮฒฮณฯ (go out โ to go out)
- ฮปฮฑฮผฮฒฮฌฮฝฯ โ ฮปฮฌฮฒฯ (receive โ to receive)
- ฮฒฮฌฯฯ โ ฮฒฮฌฯฯ (paint โ to paint)
- ฯฮฟฮฝฮฌฯ โ ฯฮฟฮฝฮญฯฯ (hurt โ to hurt)
- ฮฑฮณฮฑฯฮฌฯ โ ฮฑฮณฮฑฯฮฎฯฯ (love โ to love)
- ฯฮตฯฯฮฑฯฮฌฯ โ ฯฮตฯฯฮฑฯฮฎฯฯ (walk โ to walk)
- ฯฮทฮณฮฑฮฏฮฝฯ โ ฯฮฌฯ (go โ to go)
- ฯฮฏฮฝฯ โ ฯฮนฯ (drink โ to drink)
Ancient Greek Infinitive Verbs
In Ancient Greece, they used the infinitive as a non-finite verb form. It is a non declinable nominal verb form equivalent to a noun, similar to the gerund in English. Sometimes, modern Greek speakers still use ancient Greek infinitive verbs, so it is important to know how to recognize them. The ancient Greek infinitive verbs end with “ฮตฮนฮฝ”, for example: “ฯฮฟ ฯฮนฮปฮฟฯฮฟฯฮตแฟฮฝ” (to “philosophize”, to pursue knowledge).

Marialena Perpiraki is a journalist and writer from Athens, Greece. In 2020, she founded Helinika as a cross-media platform.
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