Wanting a coffee and wanting to drink a coffee are closely related, but they use different sentence patterns. This activity helps you express an action with θέλω να and follow a conversation about a possible Saturday plan. A wish is not yet a confirmed arrangement: listen for what each person actually says.
Read the possible plan
Άννα: Το Σάββατο θέλω να πάω στο μουσείο.
Νίκος: Το πρωί θέλω να μείνω στο σπίτι, αλλά το απόγευμα θέλω να βγω.
Άννα: Θέλεις να πάμε για καφέ στις πέντε;
Νίκος: Ναι, θέλω!
Anna wants to go to the museum on Saturday. Nikos says he wants to stay at home in the morning, but he wants to go out in the afternoon. Anna asks whether he wants to go for a coffee at five. Nikos says yes. They have agreed on coffee, not on visiting the museum together.
An object or an action?
Θέλω έναν καφέ means I want a coffee. Θέλω να πιω έναν καφέ means I want to drink a coffee. In the second sentence, να introduces the action, and πιω is a verb form. Do not insert να directly before the object: Θέλω να έναν καφέ is not the pattern you need.
Keep track of who wants to act
Θέλω να πάω means I want to go. Θέλεις να πας; asks whether you want to go. Θέλουμε να πάμε means we want to go. In these examples the same person or group wants and performs the action, so both verbs change accordingly. Learn these as complete pairs; the verb after να is conjugated, not an unchanging English-style infinitive.
Choose the meaning or form
- Say I want a coffee, without a second verb: Θέλω ___ καφέ. Choose έναν or να.
- Say I want to drink a coffee: Θέλω ___ πιω έναν καφέ.
- Ask one person informally: Θέλεις να ___; Choose πάω or πας.
- Have Anna and Nikos agreed to visit the museum together, or to go for a coffee?
Show the answers
1. έναν. 2. να. 3. πας: the question addresses one person. 4. Coffee. Anna’s initial museum wish is not accepted in the dialogue.
Suggest your own plan
Practise Θέλω να πάω στο μουσείο and Θέλω να μείνω στο σπίτι. Then ask a partner Θέλεις να πάμε για καφέ; Here you ask what the other person wants, while πάμε proposes an action together. The people referred to by the two verbs do not always have to be identical.
Review να and other Greek particles, then practise inviting someone for coffee.