In short

English glues two verbs together with an infinitive: “I want to go”. Modern Greek cannot do this, because it lost the infinitive centuries ago. Instead it uses the little word να plus a second verb that is fully conjugated, exactly like the first one: θέλω να πάω — literally “I want that I go”. Both verbs carry a person ending, and both endings have to be right.

Everything you learnt about the two stems in the θα lesson applies unchanged here: να διαβάσω is one act of reading, να διαβάζω is reading as a habit or an ongoing activity. The only new mechanics are the negator — after να it is μη(ν), never δε(ν) — and the fact that να can stand alone at the head of a sentence to make a suggestion or an offer: Να πάμε; “Shall we go?”

The rule

1. Two verbs, two endings. After να the verb is a normal finite form. It agrees with whoever performs that second action, which in the simplest case is the same person as the first verb: θέλω να φύγω, θέλεις να φύγεις, θέλουμε να φύγουμε. There is no fixed “dictionary form” you can drop in — θέλω φεύγω and θέλω να φεύγει (meaning “I want to leave”) are both broken.

2. The subject can switch. Because the second verb has its own ending, Greek can say in one clause what English needs an object plus an infinitive for. Θέλω να φύγεις is “I want you to leave”; Θέλεις να φύγω; is “Do you want me to leave?” Nothing else changes — you simply put a different ending after να.

3. Aspect still applies. να takes both stems. Choose the simple (perfective) stem for one bounded event, the continuous (imperfective) stem for a habit, a repeated action or an activity seen as going on: Θέλω να διαβάσω αυτό το βιβλίο (finish this one book) against Θέλω να διαβάζω κάθε βράδυ (make a habit of reading). Verbs that describe an ongoing state by nature — ξέρω, μαθαίνω with a skill — usually pull the continuous stem after να: ξέρω να μαγειρεύω, μαθαίνω να οδηγώ.

4. Negation is μη(ν). δε(ν) belongs to the indicative (δε φεύγω “I am not leaving”). Inside a να clause the negator is μη(ν), and it goes between να and the verb: να μη φύγω, να μην αργήσεις. The order is fixed: να — μη(ν) — (weak pronoun) — verb.

5. να can open a sentence on its own. With no verb in front of it, να + subjunctive is a suggestion, an offer or a request for instructions, and it is normally a question: Να πάμε; “Shall we go?”, Να σου φέρω νερό; “Shall I bring you some water?” The related particle ας makes a flat “let’s”: Ας πάμε με τα πόδια.

Forms & patterns

The basic frame: same subject. Both verbs move together through all six persons.

A second-conjugation verb in the same frame: μπορώ “can, be able”.

Different subjects. The first verb keeps its own ending, the verb after να takes the ending of whoever does the second action.

Six verbs that take να. These are the most useful ones at this level.

The two stems under να. Same pairs as with θα; only the particle has changed.

Negation: να μη(ν).

Independent να and ας.

Examples

Common mistakes

• θέλω πηγαίνω -> θέλω να πάω — Greek has no infinitive, so the second verb needs να in front of it.
• θέλω να πηγαίνει (for one trip) -> θέλω να πάω — the ending after να must match the person who goes, and one journey takes the simple stem.
• απόψε θέλω να διαβάζω το κεφάλαιο -> απόψε θέλω να διαβάσω το κεφάλαιο — a single finished act is να διαβάσω; να διαβάζω is a habit or an ongoing activity.
• μπορείς να με βοηθήσω -> μπορείς να με βοηθήσεις — the verb after να agrees with the person who does that action, here εσύ.
• να δεν πας -> να μην πας — δε(ν) negates the indicative; inside a να clause the negator is μη(ν), placed right after να.
• θέλουμε να έρθει εσύ -> θέλουμε να έρθεις — do not copy the English “object + to” pattern; the switch of subject is carried by the ending alone.
• Να πάμε? -> Να πάμε; — a Greek question ends with the ερωτηματικό, which looks like a semicolon.

Tips

• Translate να in your head as “that I / that you …”: θέλω να φύγεις = “I want that you leave”. That one habit removes most infinitive errors.
• να itself never changes, and it takes no accent. All the information lives in the ending of the verb after it.
• The forms after να are exactly the forms you already met after θα. If you can say θα γράψω / θα γράφω, you can say να γράψω / να γράφω.
• Before you choose the stem, ask “once, or as a rule?” Once → να γράψω. As a rule, or going on right now → να γράφω.
• After να the negator is μη(ν), and nothing may come between it and the verb except a weak pronoun: να μη σε ενοχλήσω.
• μη(ν) drops its -ν exactly like δε(ν): the -ν stays before a vowel and before κ, π, τ, ξ, ψ, μπ, ντ, γκ, τσ, τζ (να μην πας, να μην αργήσεις) and goes before any other consonant (να μη φύγω, να μη σε ενοχλήσω). In exactly those positions the -ν would not be heard anyway, so you will also meet μην written everywhere in informal texts.
• A να question on its own is the polite way to offer help or propose a plan: Να σας βοηθήσω; Να καθίσουμε εδώ; Use ας when you are not really asking: Ας ξεκινήσουμε.
• Watch the extra accent when a weak pronoun follows a word stressed three syllables from the end: το αυτοκίνητό του, το μάθημά μας.