To be and to have: είμαι, έχω
The two most frequent verbs in Greek — irregular, and needed from your very first sentence.
είμαι — to be
The only Greek verb with an ending set all of its own. Note the shared form είναι for both “he is” and “they are” — context decides.
- Είμαι από την Ελβετία.I am from Switzerland.
| πρόσωπο | είμαι |
|---|---|
| εγώ | είμαι |
| εσύ | είσαι |
| αυτός/αυτή/αυτό | είναι |
| εμείς | είμαστε |
| εσείς | είστε |
| αυτοί/αυτές/αυτά | είναι |
έχω — to have
Regular in the present, with the normal 1st-conjugation endings. It also serves as the auxiliary of the compound tenses you will meet later (έχω φάει).
- Έχουμε ένα σπίτι στη θάλασσα.We have a house by the sea.
| πρόσωπο | έχω |
|---|---|
| εγώ | έχω |
| εσύ | έχεις |
| αυτός/αυτή | έχει |
| εμείς | έχουμε |
| εσείς | έχετε |
| αυτοί | έχουν |
What they express in Greek
είμαι: identity, origin, profession, age (είμαι είκοσι χρονών). έχω: possession, but also states: έχω δίκιο (I’m right), έχει ζέστη (it’s hot), τι έχεις; (what’s wrong?).
There is: υπάρχει, έχει
“There is / there are” is υπάρχει/υπάρχουν, or colloquially έχει: Έχει πολύ κόσμο σήμερα — there are a lot of people today.
Your turn
Choose the correct form.