The Greek verb πατάω

The Greek verb πατάω

Today we will learn how to conjugate it in Present, Past and Future tenses the verb πατάω/πατώ,  how to use it and some important phrases you should know.

The verb πατώ belongs to the first group of the second conjugation, so in first singular person in Present tense ends either in –άω (πατάω) or in a stressed omega (πατώ). Let’s start with its conjugation.

Ενεστώτας/present tense

εγώ πατάω /πατώ

εσύ πατάς

αυτός/ αυτή/ αυτό πατάει/ πατά

εμείς πατάμε

εσείς πατάτε

αυτοί / αυτές / αυτά πατάνε / πατούν

 

The verb πατάω-πατώ is a regular verb and in Simple Past ends in –ησα.

Αόριστος / Simple Past

εγώ πάτησα

εσύ πάτησες

αυτός / αυτή / αυτό πάτησε

εμείς πατήσαμε

εσείς πατήσατε

αυτοί / αυτές / αυτά πάτησαν / πατήσανε

 

To form the Future Simple we take the Simple Past’s first singular person, we remove the Simple Past’s personal ending, so the –α, and we add the future Simple’s personal endings which are, as we said, identical to the first conjugation’s endings in Present Tense. Of course before the verb we use the small word θα/will.

Μέλλοντας Στιγμιαίος/future simple

εγώ θα πατήσω

εσύ θα πατήσεις

αυτός / αυτή / αυτό θα πατήσει

εμείς θα πατήσουμε

εσείς θα πατήσετε

αυτοί / αυτές / αυτά θα πατήσουν / πατήσουνε

 

Let’s see the Future Continuous. We use the small word θα and we conjugate the verb the same way we did in Present tense.

Μέλλοντας Εξακολουθητικός / Συνεχής Μέλλοντας

εγώ θα πατάω / πατώ

εσύ θα πατάς

αυτός / αυτή / αυτό θα πατάει / πατά

εμείς θα πατάμε

εσείς θα πατάτε

αυτοί / αυτές / αυτά θα πατάνε / πατούν

 

The verb’s basic meaning is “to place or to press the foot on, to step on”.

Μην πατάς εκεί. Μόλις σφουγγάρισα. Don’t step on/don’t walk there. I just mopped.

We usually use the verb with its literal meaning in the following phrases.

Πατάω στις μύτες των ποδιών μου. /I am walking on my toes/ I step on  tiptoes.

I try to make as little noise as possible when I walk.

Πατάω γερά στη γη/I press sturdy on earth/I keep feet on the ground. When we use it metaphorically it means “to be very practical and to see things as they really are”.

Όσο πατάει η γάτα. We use this phrase to say λίγο/little or “cautiously”, in the same way a cat walks.

 

We use the verb πατώ instead of the verbs έρχομαι or πηγαίνω but usually with negative meaning.

Από τη μέρα που παντρεύτηκε δεν πάτησε στην καφετέρια./ From the day he or she got married/ since he or she got married he didn’t come to the café.

Δεν πατάει στην εκκλησία./ He or she doesn’t go to the church.

Από το πρωί δεν πάτησε πελάτης στο μαγαζί. / Since the morning no customer came to the shop.

The same meaning has the phrase πατάω το πόδι μου κάπου.

Έχω δύο μήνες να πατήσω το πόδι μου στο πανεπιστήμιο. /since two months I didn’t set foot to the university.

But the phrase πατάω πόδι without the definite article and the possessive has a different meaning. It means απαιτώ με επιμονή/I insist, επιβάλλω την άποψή μου/I impose my opinion, διαμαρτύρομαι/I protest.

Να πατήσεις πόδι και να ζητήσεις υψηλότερο μισθό. / Stamp your feet and demand a higher salary.

 

We use the verb πατώ instead of the verb σιδερώνω/I iron.

Πάτησέ μου λίγο το πουκάμισο μέχρι να ετοιμάσω την τσάντα μου. / Iron my shirt a little  until I prepare my bag.

Πάτησέ μου  το παντελόνι./ Iron my pants.

 

We use the verb πατώ to say “I press something with my hands”.

Πατάω το κουδούνι. /I press the bell/ I ring the bell

Πατάω το enter/i press the enter.

 

And to say that “i press something with my foot”.

Πατάω γκάζι/ I step on the gas/ I drive faster/I speed up

We often use the verb in imperative.

Πάτα το αλλιώς θα φτάσουμε αύριο./ Speed up otherwise we will arrive tomorrow.

Πατάω φρένο. /I tap on the brakes/I put on the brakes.

 

We use the verb πατώ instead of the verb παραβαίνω/I violate, I break in the phrases:

Πατάω τον όρκο μου: I break my oath

Πατάω τον λόγο μου : I break my word

I don’t keep a promise.

 

We use the verb πατώ with vehicles to say “I run over”, I injure or kill someone with a car.

Τον πάτησε αυτοκίνητο./ Ηe was hit by a car/a car run over him.

 

We use the verb πατώ to say that I put my legs on someone or something.

Πάτησα κατά λάθος την ουρά της γάτας./ I accidentally stepped on the cat’s tail.

Συγγνώμη, σας πάτησα;/excuse me, did I step on you?

 

We use the verb πατώ to talk about age.

Μόλις πάτησε τα τριάντα, αποφάσισε να παντρευτεί. We mean μόλις μπήκε στα τριάντα.

When he turned to 30 he decided to get married.

 

Let’s see now some phrases we often use in daily life.

The most common one I think is “την πάτησα”. It literally means “ I stepped on her”, but we use it metaphorically too to say εξαπατήθηκα/I was deceived.

Toν εμπιστεύτηκα και τελικά την πάτησα./ I trusted him and I was finally deceived. Of course we can use it in other persons as well. In this case we will only change the verb’s personal ending.

Ο Γιώργος την πάτησε./George was deceived. And in other tenses :

Κάθε φορά την πατάω./I am every time deceived.

We also use the same phrase to say that someone fell in love.

Την έχω πατήσει άσχημα μαζί σου./I am so in love with you.

 

Another phrase is γίνομαι χαλί να με πατήσεις/I become a carpet to press me or in simple past έγινα χαλί να με πατήσεις. It is a phrase we use when we want to say “I will do or I did everything you want”.

Έγινε χαλί να τον πατήσει, αλλά εκείνη προτίμησε άλλον. /He did everything but she chose another man.

Next one: δεν ξέρω πού πατάω και πού πηγαίνω/ I don’t know where I step on and where I go. A phrase we use when when we are drunk or when we got lost.

A similar phrase is αλλού πατάω και αλλού βρίσκομαι/ I step on here and I am somewhere else. A phrase we use when we feel dizzy.

 

Πατάω επί πτωμάτων./ I walk over dead bodies. I step on somebody. Of course it has a negative meaning. We use it about people who are ruthless and they can do anything bad in order to achieve their goal.

 

Also we use the phrases πατάω κάτι κλάματα and

Πατάω κάτι γέλια when we suddenly start crying or laughing.