Γεια σας φιλαράκια μου!
After seeing how warmly you welcomed my article on the “i” sound in Greek, I thought it would be very helpful to talk about another tricky sound: o vs ω in Greek.
When do we use ο and when ω? Let’s solve this mystery today with some easy rules to remember.
The good news:
In Modern Greek, there’s no difference in pronunciation. The “o” sound is always pronounced the same.
The bad news:
Do we Greeks have clear rules for every “o” sound? I’m afraid not.
Some words simply need to be memorized. But we do have strong patterns and general rules. Those rules are going to discuss today and by the end of this article, even if you don’t know how every ‘o’ sound is written, you’ll get a grasp of how most of them work. And trust me, this is a big win!
But let’s get started with the easy ones first.
ο vs ω in Greek. Basic Rules
Verb endings -ω
The verb endings of the first person singular always takes -ω.
In other words, we use ω when εγώ (I) is used or implied.
εγώ μιλάω (egó miláo) – I speak
εγώ αγαπάω (egó agapáo) – I love
εγώ διαβάζω (egó diavázo) – I read
εγώ πονάω (egó ponáo) – I hurt
εγώ ακούω (egó akoúo) – I listen / I hear
o with masculine & neuter singular nouns/adjectives
We always use ο in the endings of singular masculine and neuter nouns and adjectives.
In practice, this means we use o when the articles ο and το appear.
ο καλός (o kalós) – the good (man)
ο καιρός (o kerós) – the weather
ο άνθρωπος (o ánthropos) – the person / human
το παράθυρο (to paráthiro) – the window
το μήλο (to mílo) – the apple
το ποδήλατο (to podílatο) – the bicycle
ω in the genitive plural
We use ω in the endings of plural nouns and adjectives in the genitive case.
In other words, when we see the article των, the word will end in ων regardless of gender.
των καλών (ton kalón) – of the good (ones)
των κοριτσιών (ton koritsión) – of the girls
των παιδιών (ton pedión) – of the children
Easy tip to remember:
o for singular
ω for plural (with των)
What else have you spotted so far?
Very often, the article or pronoun next to a word, gives you the answer.
If you hear εγώ, expect ω.
If you hear o or το, expect ο
εγώ παίζω (egó pézo) – I play
εγώ γράφω (egó gráfo) – I write
ο φίλος (o fílos) – the friend
ο χορός ( o chorós) – the dance
το βιβλίο (to vivlío) – the book
το σχολείο (to scholío) – the school
These are the most important and common rules for the o sound. But let’s dig a little deeper and see if we can find some more patterns.
ο vs ω in Greek. Common Patterns
Verbs in -ώνω
Every Greek Verb that ends in -ώνω is always written with ω.
τελειώνω (telióno) – I finish
κρυώνω (krióno) – I feel cold
απλώνω (aplóno) – I spread / I extend
Participles in -οντας and -ώντας
We write -οντας when the o does not take an accent.
βλέποντας (vlépontas) – while seeing
παίζοντας (pézontas) – while playing
μαθαίνοντας (mathénontas) – while learning
We write -ώντας when the o is stressed.
περπατώντας (perpatóntas) – while walking
γελώντας (yelóntas) – while laughing
κρατώντας (kratóntas) – while holding
Female names ending in -ω
Many female Greek names end in -ω, and these are always written with ω.
Αργυρώ (Argyró)
Ηρώ (Irό)
Ιώ (Ió)
Δέσπω (Théspo)
Wrapping up
The “o” sound in Greek can feel annoying at first. Two letters, same sound and no
universal rule? Yes, I feel you, it’s not ideal.
But once you start noticing patterns, Greek spelling stops feeling so random.
Verb endings, articles, stress marks and common suffixes do a lot of the work for you.
You won’t get every word right immediately and that’s perfectly normal!
Even Greeks make mistakes. The most important thing is to start learning where to
look for clues and magically everything will start to make sense.
Keep practicing and don’t worry about mistakes. This is how you actually learn!
Καλή συνέχεια 🙂
