# Passive voice with έχω



## grandcanyonaz

I didn't think there was a "have been" conjugation in Greek. My first sentence is been as been somewhere. The second sentence I'm not sure if this is correct. I guess I don't understand the passive voice with have as I don't run into it very often.

έχω πάει στην Ελλάδα = I have been to Greece
έχουν συμφωνηθεί = They have been agreed
έχουν συμφωνεί = They have agreed


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## διαφορετικός

I find your example with "agree" rather difficult with respect to its meaning. Other examples:
Έχω ιδωθεί = I have been seen
Έχει παρθεί από τον άνεμο = It has been taken away by the wind



grandcanyonaz said:


> I have been to Greece


This is not passive voice.


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## dmtrs

grandcanyonaz said:


> έχουν συμφωνεί = They have agreed



This should be _έχουν συμφωνήσει_ and it's active voice.



grandcanyonaz said:


> έχουν συμφωνηθεί = They have been agreed



This is correct (and it's passive voice).



grandcanyonaz said:


> έχω πάει στην Ελλάδα = I have been to Greece



Correct use and meaning, but it's active voice.


_Έχω/είχα_ (+infinitive of active voice) are used as _have/had_ in present perfect and past perfect in active voice.
_Έχω/είχα_ (+infinitive of passive voice) are used as _have/had_ in present perfect and past perfect in passive voice, but the ending of the passive voice infinitive (which is usually -_θεἰ, _but also_ -χτεί, -φτεί_) is the passive voice indicator instead of _been._

I have covered -> Έχω καλύψει
I have been covered -> Έχω καλυφθεί (-φτεί) (meaning also: I've covered myself)
I have thrown -> Έχω ρίξει
I have been thrown -> Έχω ριχτεί (<ριχθεί) (meaning also: I've thrown myself)
I have hidden -> Έχω κρύψει
I have been hidden -> Έχω κρυφτεί (<κρυφθεί) (meaning also: I've hidden myself)

Some verbs might be tricky, though:
I have slept -> Έχω κοιμηθεί (κοιμάμαι=sleep is in passive voice in Greek)


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## velisarius

1 "Been" in the sense of "having been somewhere" can be considered as a past participle of _go_.  In this sense, for the present perfect, Greek has only one form: _έχω πάει _(for both a and b).

_a I *have been* to the park today.
b My son* has gone* to the park (and is still there). 
c I went to the park yesterday.


2 Ούτε μπορεί να αμφισβητείται η σημασία που δίνεται για την τήρηση της* προθεσμίας που έχει συμφωνηθεί..., *

...the importance of adhering to the *deadline that* *has been agreed on *(by the parties involved)._  Passive clause. The agent (the person(s) or body doing the agreeing) is not mentioned but understood.

3 _*(Οι φίλοι μου) *έχουν συμφωνήσει_  - In an active clause, the *subject* is the agent of the verb (the subject is the person or persons doing the agreeing).


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## eno2

Thanks dmtrs for the explanation.




dmtrs said:


> Some verbs might be tricky, though:
> I have slept -> Έχω κοιμηθεί (κοιμάμαι=sleep is in passive voice in Greek)


 Tricky yes...
It's passive voice yes but not in it's meaning
You can't 'have been slept'.
I have been slept

I have slept -> Έχω κοιμηθεί=> _ I have been sleeping. (?)_


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## dmtrs

You are welcome, eno2.



eno2 said:


> I have slept -> Έχω κοιμηθεί=> _ I have been sleeping. (?)_



_I have been sleeping_ is Present Perfect continuous, a tense that does not exist in Greek.
So _He has been sleeping_ _since 9_ / _He has been sleeping for 8 hours _would be expressed by Ενεστώτας (the one and only Present in Greek, Simple and Continuous): _Κοιμάται από τις 9 / Κοιμάται 8 ώρες_.



eno2 said:


> It's passive voice yes but not in it's meaning



In Greek there's passive voice, which has to do with the form of the verb (ends in -μαι, while active ends in -ω) and passive mode, which has to do with the meaning of the verb. A verb can be in passive _voice _but in active or neutral _mode _(like κοιμάμαι, χαίρομαι, εργάζομαι, περιποιούμαι...); these verbs cannot have a passive syntax (with agent and all).


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## eno2

dmtrs said:


> In Greek there's passive voice, which has to do with the form of the verb (ends in -μαι, while active ends in -ω) and passive mode, which has to do with the meaning of the verb. A verb can be in passive _voice _but in active or neutral _mode _(like κοιμάμαι, χαίρομαι, εργάζομαι, περιποιούμαι...); these verbs cannot have a passive syntax (with agent and all).


  Form and mode differ yes, that's what I meant. 

_



			I have been sleeping
		
Click to expand...

_


> is
> _I have been sleeping_ is Present Perfect continuous, a tense that does not exist in Greek.
> So _He has been sleeping_ _since 9_ / _He has been sleeping for 8 hours _would be expressed by Ενεστώτας (the one and only Present in Greek, Simple and Continuous): _Κοιμάται από τις 9 / Κοιμάται 8 ώρες_.
> a tense that does not exist in Greek.
> So _He has been sleeping_ _since 9_ / _He has been sleeping for 8 hours _would be expressed by Ενεστώτας (the one and only Present in Greek, Simple and Continuous): _Κοιμάται από τις 9 / Κοιμάται 8 ώρες_.


Amazing, that use of the Ενεστώτας. I'll try to check a few traslations of phrazes with Present Perfect continuous,.


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## Helleno File

We English native speakers find it very difficult to switch to the Greek use of the present continuous to express an action which started possibly in the distant past but which is continuing now.  The Greek syntax does of course make complete sense. I would imagine the fearful English compound tenses - "he has/had/will have been sleeping" - are far more difficult for foreigners to switch to. 

If you are a native third language speaker learning Greek partly through English (like @eno2) - God help you!


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## Αγγελος

Notice that there are quite a few verbs ('deponent verbs') in Greek which only have passive voice forms but are usually active in meaning:
έρχομαι, δέχομαι, φοβάμαι, κοιμάμαι, θυμάμαι, εργάζομαι, επεξεργάζομαι... Except for έρχομαι, whose past and perfect tenses are active in form (ήρθα -- έχω έρθει), deponent verbs  form their aorist and perfect like regular passive verbs: δέχτηκα/έχω δεχτεί, φοβήθηκα/έχω φοβηθεί, εργάστηκα/έχω εργαστεί etc.


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