The sequence of tenses
What happens to tenses after “he said that…”? Good news: in Greek, almost nothing shifts.
Greek keeps the original tense
Unlike English, there is no mechanical backshift: reported “Θα έρθω” gives Είπε ότι θα έρθει (he said he will/would come). Reported present stays present: Είπε ότι είναι κουρασμένος. You report the words as they were thought.
- Είπε ότι θα έρθει.He said he will come.
- Είπε ότι είναι κουρασμένη.She said she is tired.
- Μου είπε ότι δουλεύει ακόμη στην Αθήνα.He told me he still works in Athens.
ότι, πως, που — introducing the clause
ότι and πως are interchangeable (πως slightly more colloquial). After emotion verbs, που: Χαίρομαι που ήρθες (I’m glad you came). After verbs of will, always να: Θέλω να έρθεις.
- Νομίζω ότι έχεις δίκιο.I think you’re right.
- Μου είπε πως δεν φταίει.He told me it isn’t his fault.
- Χαίρομαι που ήρθες.I’m glad you came.
- Θέλω να έρθεις.I want you to come.
Reported questions and commands
Yes/no question → αν: Ρώτησε αν έρχομαι (he asked if I’m coming). Open question keeps its question word: Ρώτησε πού μένω. Command → να: “Έλα!” becomes Μου είπε να έρθω.
- Ρώτησε αν έρχομαι.He asked if I’m coming.
- Ρώτησε πού μένω.He asked where I live.
- Μου είπε να έρθω.He told me to come.
Your turn
Choose the correct form.
The same topic at other levels
Pyetjet e bëra shpesh
Do tenses shift after he said that… in Greek?
No: unlike English, there is no mechanical backshift. A reported «Θα έρθω» gives «Είπε ότι θα έρθει» (he said he would come), and a present stays present: «Είπε ότι είναι κουρασμένος». You report the words as they were thought.
What is the difference between «ότι», «πως» and «που» in Greek?
«Ότι» and «πως» are interchangeable, the second slightly more colloquial: «Νομίζω ότι έχεις δίκιο», «Μου είπε πως δεν φταίει». After a verb of emotion you use «που»: «Χαίρομαι που ήρθες» (I am glad you came). And after a verb of will, always «να»: «Θέλω να έρθεις».
How do you report a question or a command in Greek?
A yes/no question goes through «αν»: «Ρώτησε αν έρχομαι» (he asked whether I was coming). An open question keeps its question word: «Ρώτησε πού μένω». And a command becomes «να»: the original «Έλα!» gives «Μου είπε να έρθω» (he told me to come).