Dependent Clauses with να in Greek

In Brief

Modern Greek commonly uses να + a conjugated verb where English uses to + verb or an -ing form: Θέλω να φύγω means “I want to leave,” while Μου αρέσει να διαβάζω means “I like reading.” Because the second verb is conjugated, it can have the same subject as the main verb or a different one: Θέλω να έρθεις means “I want you to come.”

Overview

A dependent clause is a group of words with its own verb that completes or depends on another part of the sentence. In Σε παρακαλώ να μιλήσεις (“I ask you to speak”), να μιλήσεις tells us what the request is. These clauses are essential in Greek after verbs expressing wishes, requests, commands, permission, preference, effort, and emotional reactions.

The pattern matters especially to English-speaking learners because Modern Greek has no productive infinitive—an unchanged verb form like English to speak. Greek instead uses να followed by a personal verb form: να μιλήσω (“for me to speak”), να μιλήσεις (“for you to speak”), να μιλήσουν (“for them to speak”). This construction is traditionally called the subjunctive (a verb pattern used for intended, wished-for, possible, or otherwise non-asserted actions).

At B1, the main task is not simply remembering να. You need to choose the right person, decide whether the dependent action is ongoing or bounded, put object pronouns in the right place, and distinguish a desired or possible event from a fact introduced by που or ότι.

How It Works

The basic structure

The usual pattern is:

main expression + να + dependent verb

• Θέλω να φύγω. — I want to leave.
• Ελπίζω να έρθει. — I hope he/she comes.
• Προσπαθούμε να καταλάβουμε. — We are trying to understand.

The verb after να is not a dictionary form. It agrees with its subject (the person or thing performing the action).

Greek	English	Note
Θέλω να φύγω.	I want to leave.	Both verbs have the subject “I.”
Θέλω να φύγεις.	I want you to leave.	The ending -εις marks “you.”
Θέλω να φύγουν.	I want them to leave.	The ending -ουν marks “they.”

English often signals a changed subject with an object form—I want him to leave. Greek can rely on the ending of the dependent verb: Θέλω να φύγει. When the main verb itself takes an object, that person is normally also stated: Τον παρακάλεσα να φύγει (“I asked him to leave”).

Common expressions followed by να

A complement is a word or clause needed to complete an expression’s meaning. A να-clause frequently serves as the complement after:

Meaning	Common Greek expressions	Example
wishes and preferences	θέλω, προτιμώ, θα ήθελα	Προτιμώ να μείνω εδώ.
requests and commands	ζητώ, παρακαλώ, λέω, διατάζω	Του είπα να περιμένει.
permission and prevention	αφήνω, επιτρέπω, εμποδίζω	Την άφησαν να μπει.
effort and achievement	προσπαθώ, καταφέρνω, αποφεύγω	Κατάφερε να τελειώσει.
enjoyment and habit	μου αρέσει, συνηθίζω	Μου αρέσει να περπατάω.
hope and expectation	ελπίζω, περιμένω	Ελπίζουμε να πάνε όλα καλά.
emotional reaction	χαίρομαι, λυπάμαι, φοβάμαι	Χαίρομαι να σε βλέπω.

These are useful groups, not a rule that every near-synonym must take να. Learn frequent verbs together with the clause pattern they select.

Choosing aspect: ongoing or bounded

After να, Greek often contrasts two aspects—two ways of viewing an action. The present stem presents an activity as ongoing, repeated, or habitual. The perfective stem presents it as a single whole, with a boundary or expected result. The perfective forms often resemble the simple future after θα, but here they follow να.

Greek	English	View of the action
Μου αρέσει να διαβάζω.	I like reading.	general or habitual
Θέλω να διαβάσω αυτό το βιβλίο.	I want to read this book.	one bounded task
Της είπα να γράφει κάθε μέρα.	I told her to write every day.	repeated
Της είπα να γράψει το μήνυμα.	I told her to write the message.	one completed result
Προσπάθησε να κοιμάται περισσότερο.	He/She tried to sleep more.	ongoing habit
Προσπάθησε να κοιμηθεί.	He/She tried to fall asleep.	one attempt/event

This is not simply “present versus past.” να γράψει does not by itself mean “wrote”; it presents writing as one bounded event. Time normally comes from the main verb and the wider context: Θέλω να γράψει σήμερα (“I want him/her to write today”) versus Ήθελα να γράψει χθες (“I wanted him/her to write yesterday”).

Some verbs have an irregular perfective stem, so learn useful pairs: βλέπω → δω, πηγαίνω → πάω, έρχομαι → έρθω, τρώω → φάω, λέω → πω.

Object pronouns go after να

A weak object pronoun—a short form such as με (“me”), τον (“him/it”), or μου (“to me”)—stands between να and the verb:

• Θέλω να τον δω. — I want to see him.
• Πες της να μου τηλεφωνήσει. — Tell her to call me.
• Τον άφησε να φύγει. — She let him leave.

In the last example, τον belongs to άφησε: she allowed him. In να τον δω, by contrast, τον belongs to δω: to see him. Position makes the relationship clear.

Negation uses μη(ν)

A negative να-clause normally uses μη or μην, not δεν:

• Του είπα να μην αργήσει. — I told him not to be late.
• Προσπαθώ να μη γελάσω. — I am trying not to laugh.
• Φοβάται να μην πέσει. — He/She is afraid of falling.

Both spellings occur according to the following sound and normal usage; μην is especially common before a vowel or certain consonants. For learning purposes, remember the fixed contrast: δεν negates an ordinary stated fact, while μη(ν) negates a clause governed by να.

Same subject and different subject

When both actions have the same subject, English and Greek line up fairly neatly:

• Θέλω να φύγω. — I want to leave.
• Αποφεύγει να οδηγεί τη νύχτα. — He/She avoids driving at night.

With different subjects, do not copy the English infinitive. Conjugate the Greek dependent verb for the person who performs it:

• Θέλω να φύγεις. — I want you to leave.
• Περιμένουμε να απαντήσουν. — We expect them to answer.
• Η μητέρα άφησε τα παιδιά να παίξουν. — The mother let the children play.

Examples in Context

Greek	English	Note
Σε παρακαλώ να μιλήσεις πιο αργά.	I’m asking you to speak more slowly.	Request; different subjects
Μου αρέσει να διαβάζω πριν κοιμηθώ.	I like reading before I go to sleep.	Habitual activity
Τον άφησε να φύγει νωρίς.	She let him leave early.	Permission
Θέλουμε να κλείσουμε ένα τραπέζι.	We want to book a table.	Same subject; one result
Η γιατρός μού είπε να ξεκουράζομαι.	The doctor told me to rest regularly.	Advice with ongoing aspect
Η γιατρός μού είπε να πάρω αυτό το χάπι.	The doctor told me to take this pill.	One bounded action
Δεν τους επιτρέπουν να μπουν μέσα.	They do not allow them to go inside.	Negative main clause
Προσπάθησε να μην κάνει θόρυβο.	He/She tried not to make noise.	Negative dependent clause
Ελπίζω να βρεις σύντομα δουλειά.	I hope you find a job soon.	Hope; different subject
Περιμένω να μου στείλεις τη διεύθυνση.	I expect you to send me the address.	Pronoun between να and verb
Χαίρομαι να σε γνωρίζω.	I’m pleased to meet you.	Reaction to the present encounter
Χαίρομαι που ήρθες.	I’m glad you came.	που presents the arrival as fact
Φοβάται να ταξιδεύει μόνος του.	He is afraid to travel alone.	General activity
Κατάφεραν να λύσουν το πρόβλημα.	They managed to solve the problem.	Successful bounded result

Common Mistakes

Using an English-style infinitive

• Wrong: Θέλω φύγω.
• Right: Θέλω να φύγω.
• Why: Greek requires να before the dependent personal verb; it has no productive equivalent of English to leave.

Keeping the dependent verb in the wrong person

• Wrong: Θέλω να φύγω for “I want you to leave.”
• Right: Θέλω να φύγεις.
• Why: The person leaving is “you,” so the dependent verb needs the second-person singular ending.

Negating with δεν

• Wrong: Του είπα να δεν φύγει.
• Right: Του είπα να μη φύγει.
• Why: Use μη(ν), not δεν, to negate a να-clause.

Putting a weak pronoun before να

• Wrong: Θέλω τον να δω.
• Right: Θέλω να τον δω.
• Why: A weak pronoun belonging to the dependent verb goes after να and before that verb.

Choosing aspect by clock time alone

• Misleading: treating να γράφει as “present” and να γράψει as “past.”
• Better: Του είπα να γράφει κάθε μέρα for repeated writing, but Του είπα να γράψει ένα email for one bounded task.
• Why: The contrast is mainly how the action is viewed, not when it occurs.

Using να for an established fact in every emotional sentence

• Awkward for the intended meaning: Χαίρομαι να ήρθες.
• Right: Χαίρομαι που ήρθες.
• Why: An actual completed event is normally introduced by που here. να suits an activity or event considered as an experience, prospect, wish, or possibility: Χαίρομαι να σε βλέπω.

Usage Notes

English uses several different shapes where Greek uses να: want to go, ask him to go, enjoy going, and let him go. Do not search for one English translation of να. Its job is grammatical: it introduces the dependent verb pattern.

After verbs of speaking, the choice of connector changes the meaning. Του είπα να φύγει means “I told him to leave,” so the second clause gives an instruction. Του είπα ότι έφυγα means “I told him that I left,” so ότι introduces reported information. Similarly, περιμένω να έρθει may mean “I expect/am waiting for him to come,” whereas a clause with ότι reports a belief or fact rather than the awaited event.

With verbs of feeling, που commonly introduces the reason for a real reaction: Λυπάμαι που άργησα (“I’m sorry that I was late”). A να-clause can instead name an activity or prospective situation: Λυπάμαι να τον βλέπω έτσι (“It pains me to see him like this”). The exact choice depends on the governing expression and intended meaning, so notice whole phrases rather than replacing every English that or to mechanically.

In everyday speech, subject pronouns are often omitted because the verb ending identifies the subject. Add them for contrast or clarity: Θέλω εγώ να μιλήσω, όχι ο Νίκος (“I want to speak, not Nikos”).

Beyond the Basics

Completed action before another reference point

Greek can use να + έχω + perfect participle to present an action as already completed by a relevant point. A participle here is the fixed form after έχω, such as γράψει in έχω γράψει.

• Ελπίζω να έχει τελειώσει μέχρι το βράδυ. — I hope he/she has finished by the evening.
• Πρέπει να έχουν φύγει ήδη. — They must have left already.

This adds a prior-completion meaning that the simple να φύγουν does not necessarily carry.

Past main verbs do not trigger English-style backshifting

Greek does not mechanically move every dependent verb one tense further into the past just because the main verb is past. The dependent form is chosen for meaning and aspect:

• Ήθελα να φύγω. — I wanted to leave.
• Περίμενα να μου τηλεφωνήσεις. — I was waiting for you to call me.

Context establishes the time relationship. At more advanced levels, imperfect forms after να can also contribute habitual, unreal, or counterfactual meanings; these are best learned as part of complete constructions rather than as a single “past subjunctive” rule.

να can introduce more than complements

The same marker appears in wishes, suggestions, questions, and independent instructions: Να είσαι καλά! (“Be well!”), Να φύγουμε; (“Shall we leave?”), Να μην το ξεχάσεις! (“Don’t forget it!”). It also occurs in purpose and time clauses. Those uses share the same verb system, but this article’s core topic is the clause selected by a main verb or expression.

Practice Tips

1. Build three-person chains. Take one main verb and change the dependent subject: Θέλω να φύγω / να φύγεις / να φύγουν. This trains you to hear the second verb as fully conjugated rather than as an infinitive.
2. Learn aspect in pairs. Record practical contrasts such as να διαβάζω / να διαβάσω, να πηγαίνω / να πάω, and να βλέπω / να δω, then write one habitual and one bounded sentence for each pair.
3. Mark the pronoun’s verb. In sentences such as Του είπα να με πάρει, underline του with είπα and με with πάρει. This makes pronoun position and the two clause roles visible.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Subjunctive Mood — introduces the core να + verb pattern and its common forms.
• Next step: Impersonal Constructions — expressions such as αξίζει να... and χρειάζεται να... regularly take a να-clause.
• Next step: Causative Constructions — develops patterns such as βάζω κάποιον να..., κάνω κάποιον να..., and αφήνω κάποιον να....
• Advanced connection: Sequence of Tenses — explores time relationships in more complex dependent clauses.