Choose a past form according to how you present an event: as a whole, or from inside an activity that was under way. Work through a fictional message-writing scene, then write two lines of your own. This is an applied reading and rewriting activity rather than a complete past-tense conjugation table.
Read the afternoon scene
Χθες στις πέντε έγραφα ένα μήνυμα στην Άννα. Τότε χτύπησε το τηλέφωνο. Αργότερα έγραψα και έστειλα την απάντησή μου.
Yesterday at five I was writing a message to Anna. Then the phone rang. Later I wrote and sent my reply. The scene first places us inside an activity, then reports later events. It does not tell us who called or how long the call lasted.
Compare the two views
| έγραφα | I was writing / I used to write, depending on context: the imperfect, παρατατικός. |
| έγραψα | I wrote: the aorist, αόριστος, presenting the event as a whole. |
In this scene, έγραφα describes what was happening at five. Έγραψα presents the later writing as an event in the sequence. The imperfect does not mean that the writer never finished. The aorist does not mean that writing took only a moment.
Duration is not a mechanical rule
Έγραψα για δύο ώρες.
I wrote for two hours. This can present a bounded period of writing as a whole. A long duration does not automatically require έγραφα. Equally, the word χθες does not decide between the two forms: both can describe yesterday, with different ways of viewing the activity.
Check what the scene actually says
- What was the narrator doing at five?
- Which event happened next: the phone rang, or Anna arrived?
- Does έγραφα prove that the message was never finished?
- Which form does the last sentence use to present the later writing as a whole?
Answers with reasons
1. Writing a message to Anna: έγραφα ένα μήνυμα στην Άννα. 2. The phone rang: χτύπησε το τηλέφωνο. Anna’s arrival is not mentioned. 3. No. The form presents the activity from inside; it does not settle whether it was eventually finished. 4. Έγραψα. The sentence also explicitly says the reply was sent: έστειλα.
Change the viewpoint, not just the ending
Choose the form that best fits each requested viewpoint. A: say what was in progress when the phone rang: Όταν χτύπησε το τηλέφωνο, ___ ένα μήνυμα. B: list what you did afterwards as whole events: Μετά ___ ένα μήνυμα και το έστειλα. Use έγραφα and έγραψα once each.
Suggested choices
Α. Όταν χτύπησε το τηλέφωνο, έγραφα ένα μήνυμα. Β. Μετά έγραψα ένα μήνυμα και το έστειλα.
A uses έγραφα because the task asks for an activity in progress. B uses έγραψα because the task asks for a sequence of events. These choices follow the stated viewpoint; they are not a claim that every sentence containing όταν or μετά must use one particular tense.
Tell your own two-line story
First say what you were doing when something happened. Then say what you did afterwards. You can reuse writing and the phone call while changing the recipient. Underline the verb that describes the background activity and circle the verb that presents the next event. Check your meaning before checking the endings.