Έχω (To Have) in Greek

In Brief

Greek έχω means “to have.” Its present-tense forms are έχω, έχεις, έχει, έχουμε, έχετε, έχουν. Greek does not use an extra verb like English do in questions or negatives: Έχεις χρόνο; is “Do you have time?” and Δεν έχω χρόνο is “I do not have time.”

Overview

Έχω is one of the first Greek verbs to learn at A1. It expresses possession, relationships, availability, and many everyday states: Έχω ένα σκύλο (“I have a dog”), Έχει δύο αδελφές (“He/She has two sisters”), and Έχουμε πρόβλημα (“We have a problem”). It is irregular enough to deserve its own paradigm, but its six present forms are short and easy to reuse.

A verb agrees with its subject (the person or thing doing or experiencing what the verb expresses). Greek verb endings normally identify the subject, so personal pronouns are often unnecessary. Έχω χρόνο already means “I have time.” Adding εγώ makes a contrast: Εγώ έχω χρόνο, αλλά η Μαρία δεν έχει (“I have time, but Maria doesn’t”).

For an English-speaking learner, the central meaning is familiar, but English have and Greek έχω do not always match. Greek says έχω δίκιο, literally “I have right,” where natural English says “I am right.” Conversely, Greek usually uses other verbs for “have breakfast,” “have a shower,” “be hungry,” and age. Treat common expressions as complete phrases rather than translating have word by word.

How It Works

Present-tense conjugation

The present tense describes what is true now, what someone possesses, or a recurring situation. The accent in every form of έχω is written and pronounced on the first syllable.

Person	Pronoun	Form	Basic meaning
first-person singular	εγώ	έχω	I have
second-person singular	εσύ	έχεις	you have (one person, informal)
third-person singular	αυτός / αυτή / αυτό	έχει	he / she / it has
first-person plural	εμείς	έχουμε	we have
second-person plural	εσείς	έχετε	you have (more than one person, or polite singular)
third-person plural	αυτοί / αυτές / αυτά	έχουν	they have

Greek has no separate present form corresponding to English “am having” in the possession sense. Έχω αυτοκίνητο can describe your current possession without any progressive construction.

Subject pronouns are usually optional

Because έχω and έχεις already show who the subject is, Greek normally says:

• Έχω μια ερώτηση. — I have a question.
• Έχεις παιδιά; — Do you have children?
• Έχουμε λίγο χρόνο. — We have a little time.

Use a pronoun when you need emphasis or contrast:

• Εγώ έχω τα κλειδιά. — I have the keys.
• Εμείς έχουμε αυτοκίνητο· αυτοί δεν έχουν. — We have a car; they do not.

The third-person form έχει can mean “he has,” “she has,” or “it has.” Context, a name, or an explicit pronoun supplies the missing information: Η Άννα έχει χρόνο (“Anna has time”).

What comes after έχω

The thing possessed is the direct object (the person or thing directly affected by the verb). In Greek it normally appears in the accusative case, the form used for a direct object. Articles and some nouns change form in this position:

Dictionary-style subject phrase	After έχω	Meaning
ο σκύλος	Έχω έναν σκύλο.	I have a dog.
η γάτα	Έχω μια γάτα.	I have a cat.
το βιβλίο	Έχω το βιβλίο.	I have the book.
οι φίλοι	Έχω πολλούς φίλους.	I have many friends.

The context example Έχω ένα σκύλο is also commonly heard. In careful standard usage, έναν is traditionally used before a masculine noun beginning with a vowel or certain consonants, so έναν σκύλο is a useful form to learn.

Possession, availability, and relationships

Έχω covers more than legal ownership. It can indicate that something is available, that a person has a relationship or characteristic, or that a situation exists for someone:

• Έχω μετρητά. — I have cash.
• Έχει μια κόρη. — He/She has a daughter.
• Το σπίτι έχει δύο μπάνια. — The house has two bathrooms.
• Έχουμε μάθημα στις έξι. — We have class at six.
• Δεν έχω ίντερνετ. — I do not have internet access.

With an indefinite singular count noun, use έναν / μια / ένα (“a/an”) as appropriate. With substances and abstract ideas, Greek often uses no article: έχω νερό, έχω χρόνο, έχω υπομονή.

Negation with δεν

Place δεν immediately before the verb. There is no equivalent of English do/does:

Affirmative	Negative
Έχω χρόνο.	Δεν έχω χρόνο.
Έχει αυτοκίνητο.	Δεν έχει αυτοκίνητο.
Έχουν παιδιά.	Δεν έχουν παιδιά.

When the object is obvious, it may be omitted: Έχεις αυτοκίνητο; — Όχι, δεν έχω. (“Do you have a car? — No, I don’t.”) Greek keeps έχω rather than replacing it with a separate helper like English do.

Questions

A yes/no question can use the same word order as a statement. In speech, intonation marks the question; in writing, the Greek question mark is ;, which looks like an English semicolon:

• Έχεις χρόνο; — Do you have time?
• Έχετε κράτηση; — Do you have a reservation?
• Η Ελένη έχει τα εισιτήρια; — Does Eleni have the tickets?

Question words come before the verb or phrase they introduce:

• Τι έχεις; — What do you have? / What is wrong?
• Πόσα αδέλφια έχεις; — How many siblings do you have?
• Ποιος έχει το κλειδί; — Who has the key?

Notice that Τι έχεις; is context-sensitive. It may ask what someone possesses, but when said to a person who seems upset or unwell, it means “What’s wrong?”

Polite “you”

Use singular έχεις with εσύ, the informal “you” used with friends, relatives, children, and people addressed casually. Use plural έχετε with εσείς for more than one person and also for one person addressed politely:

• Έχεις ένα λεπτό; — Do you have a minute? (informal singular)
• Έχετε ένα λεπτό; — Do you have a minute? (polite singular or plural)

Unlike English, Greek therefore reveals whether “you” is informal singular or plural/polite through the verb ending.

Examples in Context

Greek	English	Note
Έχω ένα σκύλο.	I have a dog.	Basic possession; the given concept example
Έχεις χρόνο;	Do you have time?	Question without a helper verb
Έχουμε πρόβλημα.	We have a problem.	No article before πρόβλημα here
Έχει δίκιο.	He/She is right.	Natural English uses “be,” not “have”
Δεν έχω μετρητά.	I do not have cash.	Negation with δεν
Έχετε κράτηση;	Do you have a reservation?	Polite singular or plural “you”
Η Σοφία έχει δύο αδέλφια.	Sofia has two siblings.	Family relationship
Το διαμέρισμα έχει μεγάλο μπαλκόνι.	The apartment has a large balcony.	An object or place can be the subject
Έχουμε μάθημα αύριο το πρωί.	We have class tomorrow morning.	Scheduled event
Ποιος έχει τα εισιτήρια;	Who has the tickets?	Question word as subject
Έχω πονοκέφαλο από το πρωί.	I have had a headache since this morning.	Present Greek can cover a continuing state
Δεν έχουν ίντερνετ στο σπίτι.	They do not have internet at home.	Third-person plural
Εγώ έχω καφέ, αλλά ο Νίκος έχει τσάι.	I have coffee, but Nikos has tea.	Pronoun adds contrast
Τι έχεις; Είσαι καλά;	What’s wrong? Are you all right?	Idiomatic question
Έχω γράψει ήδη το μήνυμα.	I have already written the message.	Advanced: έχω as a perfect auxiliary

Common Mistakes

Adding an English-style helper verb

• Wrong: Κάνεις έχεις χρόνο;
• Right: Έχεις χρόνο;
• Why: Greek does not add a verb equivalent to English do to form this question. The conjugated form έχεις is enough.

Keeping the subject form of a masculine noun

• Wrong: Έχω ένας σκύλος.
• Right: Έχω έναν σκύλο.
• Why: The dog is the direct object, so the article and noun take accusative forms: έναν σκύλο, not subject forms ένας σκύλος.

Using έχει for every subject

• Wrong: Εμείς έχει πρόβλημα.
• Right: Εμείς έχουμε πρόβλημα.
• Why: The verb must agree with its subject. Εμείς takes έχουμε; έχει is only third-person singular.

Using έχω to state age

• Wrong: Έχω τριάντα χρόνια. for “I am thirty years old.”
• Right: Είμαι τριάντα χρονών.
• Why: English uses be for age, and standard Greek does too: είμαι … χρονών. Έχω τριάντα χρόνια refers to having thirty years of something only when further context supplies that meaning, such as experience.

Translating every English “have” literally

• Wrong: Έχω πρωινό στις οκτώ. when you mean “I eat breakfast at eight.”
• Right: Τρώω πρωινό στις οκτώ.
• Why: Greek often chooses a more specific verb. Compare κάνω ντους (“have/take a shower”), πεινάω (“be hungry”), and διψάω (“be thirsty”). Learn the Greek phrase, not an English template.

Confusing informal and polite address

• Wrong: Έχεις κράτηση; to a customer in a formal service setting.
• Right: Έχετε κράτηση;
• Why: Έχετε addresses several people or one person politely. Έχεις is informal singular.

Usage Notes

Useful everyday expressions

Several high-frequency phrases use έχω even where idiomatic English chooses be or another expression:

Greek expression	Natural English
έχω δίκιο	I am right
έχω άδικο	I am wrong
έχω ανάγκη	I need / I have need of
έχω χρόνο	I have time
έχω δουλειά	I have work to do / I am busy
έχω πονοκέφαλο	I have a headache
έχω πυρετό	I have a fever
έχω καλή διάθεση	I am in a good mood

The noun may be expanded: Έχω ανάγκη από βοήθεια means “I need help,” literally “I have need of help.” With δίκιο and άδικο, do not add an article in the fixed expression.

Leaving the object unspoken

Greek can omit a repeated object just as English can, but the remaining verb still carries person and number:

• Έχεις φορτιστή; — Ναι, έχω. — Do you have a charger? — Yes, I do.
• Έχουν χρόνο; — Όχι, δεν έχουν. — Do they have time? — No, they don’t.

This is a useful listening pattern: English answers with do; Greek repeats the relevant form of έχω.

Present Greek and English “have had”

A state that began in the past and still continues is often expressed with the Greek present plus a time phrase:

• Έχω αυτό το αυτοκίνητο τρία χρόνια. — I have had this car for three years.
• Έχει πυρετό από χθες. — He/She has had a fever since yesterday.

English commonly uses the present perfect here, but Greek keeps the present because the state is still current. A word-for-word tense match would sound unnatural.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

You do not need to master the following forms at A1, but έχω appears throughout later Greek grammar.

Other simple forms of έχω

Function	Forms	Example
past, usually “had”	είχα, είχες, είχε, είχαμε, είχατε, είχαν	Είχα χρόνο χθες. — I had time yesterday.
future	θα έχω, θα έχεις, θα έχει…	Θα έχω νέα αύριο. — I will have news tomorrow.
after να	να έχω, να έχεις, να έχει…	Θέλω να έχω περισσότερο χρόνο. — I want to have more time.
conditional-style meaning	θα είχα…	Θα είχα περισσότερο χρόνο, αν… — I would have more time if…

The particle να introduces a subjunctive construction (a verb pattern commonly used after wanting, needing, possibility, and similar ideas). English often uses an infinitive—“to have”—where Modern Greek uses να plus a verb that changes for the subject: θέλω να έχω, θέλει να έχει.

Έχω as the perfect auxiliary

At B1, έχω also becomes an auxiliary verb (a helper verb used to build another tense). It combines with a fixed non-finite perfect form—one that does not change for person—to form the present perfect, called παρακείμενος:

• Έχω γράψει το γράμμα. — I have written the letter.
• Έχεις δει αυτή την ταινία; — Have you seen this film?
• Δεν έχουμε τελειώσει. — We have not finished.
• Έχουν φύγει. — They have left.

Only έχω changes for the subject; γράψει, δει, τελειώσει, φύγει stay unchanged in this construction. Although the result often resembles English have + past participle, the two languages do not use their perfect tenses in exactly the same situations. Learn the Greek perfect as its own later topic rather than assuming a one-to-one match.

Existential έχει and έχουν

In everyday Greek, έχει can also mean “there is,” and έχουν can mean “there are,” especially in ordinary speech:

• Έχει ένα φαρμακείο εδώ κοντά; — Is there a pharmacy nearby?
• Έχει πολύ κόσμο σήμερα. — There are a lot of people today.
• Δεν έχει λεωφορεία μετά τα μεσάνυχτα. — There are no buses after midnight.

Here έχει does not describe one named owner. The construction presents something as existing or available. You will also meet υπάρχει / υπάρχουν (“there is / there are”), which makes existence explicit and is common in both speech and writing.

Practice Tips

1. Learn the six forms in three pairs. Say έχω–έχεις–έχει, then έχουμε–έχετε–έχουν. Attach one useful noun phrase to each form instead of reciting endings alone.
2. Transform one sentence three ways. Start with Έχεις χρόνο., make it negative (Δεν έχεις χρόνο.), then make it a question (Έχεις χρόνο;). Repeat with every person.
3. Keep a phrase list, not a “have” list. Record έχω δίκιο, τρώω πρωινό, κάνω ντους, and είμαι … χρονών as separate chunks. This prevents English from deciding which Greek verb you use.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Personal Pronouns — helps you connect εγώ, εσύ, εμείς, εσείς and the third-person pronouns with the correct verb forms.
• Next step: Perfect Tense (Παρακείμενος) — develops the advanced use of έχω as an auxiliary in forms such as έχω γράψει.