Functions of the Medio-Passive

Categories and examples from: 🔗 Wikipedia - Reflexive Verb

1. Properly Reflexive

Definition: The subject performs an action on itself.

Example: Peter washes himself.

Pedro se lava. (Spanish)

Pietro si lava. (Italian)

Pierre se lave. (French)

Petras prausiasi. (Lithuanian)

Petar se kupa. (Serbo-Croatian)

Ο Πέτρος πλένεται. (Greek)

Note: In Greek, you cannot say Ο Πέτρος πλένεται τα χέρια; instead, use Ο Πέτρος πλένει τα χέρια του.

2. Reciprocal

Definition: The subjects perform actions on each other.

Example: Peter and Mary kiss each other.

María y Pedro se besan. (Spanish)

Maria e Pietro si baciano. (Italian)

Marie et Pierre s'embrassent. (French)

Marija ir Petras bučiuojasi. (Lithuanian)

Marija i Petar se ljube. (Serbo-Croatian)

Ο Πέτρος και η Μαρία φιλιούνται. (Greek)

Note: In Greek, reciprocal verbs do not take an object. An exception is the verb παντρεύομαι (to marry), e.g., Ο Πέτρος παντρεύεται τη Μαρία, but not *Ο Πέτρος φιλιέται/αγαπιέται τη Μαρία. For these verbs, add με before the object for the phrase to make sense, e.g., Ο Πέτρος φιλιέται/αγαπιέται με τη Μαρία.

3. Autocausative

Definition: The subject is both the actor and the patient.

Example: Peter was offended.

Pedro se ofendió. (Spanish)

Pietro si offese. (Italian)

Petras įsižeidė. (Lithuanian)

Petar se uvrijedio. (Serbo-Croatian)

Ο Πέτρος προσβλήθηκε. (Greek)

Examples of autocausative verbs in Greek:

  • ταράζομαι (to become upset)
  • αγχώνομαι (to become stressed, to stress out)
  • προσβάλομαι (to get offended)

4. Anticausative

Definition: An inanimate subject undergoes an action or change of state.

Example: The door opened.

La puerta se abrió. (Spanish)

La porta si aprì. (Italian)

Durys atsidarė. (Lithuanian)

Vrata su se otvorila. (Serbo-Croatian)

Η πόρτα άνοιξε. (Greek)

Note: In Greek, anticausative verbs are expressed using the active voice with the inanimate subject.

  • Η πόρτα άνοιξε. (The door opened)
  • Το παράθυρο έκλεισε. (The window closed)
  • Το φαγητό κάηκε. (The food burned)
  • Η πόρτα κλείδωσε. (The door locked)

5. Intransitive/Impersonal

Definition: Used when no specific subject is performing the action.

Example: [People] work well here.

Aquí se trabaja bien. (Spanish)

Qui si lavora bene. (Italian)

Čia gerai darbuojasi. (Lithuanian)

Tu se radi dobro. (Serbo-Croatian)

In Greek, such phrases are ungrammatical, e.g., Εδώ δουλεύεται καλά. However, doxastic verbs such as λέγεται (it is said), πιστεύεται (it is believed), and φαίνεται (it seems) can be used.

Impersonal Verbs in Greek

  • λέγεται (it is said)
  • πιστεύεται (it is believed)
  • φαίνεται (it seems)
  • θεωρείται (it is considered)
  • ακούγεται (it is rumoured)

6. Inherently Reflexive/Pronominal Verbs

Definition: Verbs that lack a non-reflexive form.

Example: Peter repented.

Pedro se arrepintió. (Spanish)

Pietro si pentì. (Italian)

Petras atsiprašė. (Lithuanian)

Petar se pokajao. (Serbo-Croatian)

Inherently reflexive verbs in Spanish:

  • arrepentirse (to repent)
  • quejarse (to complain)
  • resentirse (to resent)
  • percatarse (to realize)
  • abstenerse (to refrain)
  • atreverse (to dare)
  • jactarse (to boast)
  • atenerse (to abide)
  • suicidarse (to commit suicide)

In Greek, this same group is usually called deponential verbs. Examples include:

  • (δια)πραγματεύομαι
  • Αισθάνομαι (to feel)
  • Ανέχομαι (to tolerate)
  • ανταγωνίζομαι
  • αντιλαμβάνομαι
  • αντιστρατεύομαι
  • απεχθάνομαι
  • Αρνούμαι (to deny)
  • αφουγκράζομαι
  • Βαριέμαι (not a deponential, see below)
  • γεύομαι
  • Δέχομαι (to accept)
  • διανοούμαι
  • Διηγούμαι (to narrate)
  • εγγυώμαι (to guarantee)
  • ειρωνεύομαι
  • εισηγούμαι
  • Εκδικούμαι (to take revenge)
  • Εκμεταλλεύομαι (to trust)
  • εμπιστεύομαι
  • επιβουλεύομαι
  • επικαλούμαι
  • Επισκέπτομαι (to visit)
  • Επωμίζομαι
  • Ερωτεύομαι (to fall in love)
  • ευαγγελίζομαι
  • εχθρεύομαι
  • Θυμάμαι (to remember)
  • καπηλεύομαι
  • καρπώνομαι
  • καταριέμαι
  • λιγουρεύομαι
  • Λυπάμαι (to be sad)
  • Μάχομαι (to fight)
  • μέμφομαι
  • μεταχειρίζομαι
  • μιμούμαι
  • νυμφεύομαι
  • Ονειρεύομαι (to dream)
  • οραματίζομαι
  • οσμίζομαι
  • περιποιούμαι
  • προασπίζομαι
  • προοιωνίζομαι
  • προφασίζομαι
  • σέβομαι (to respect)
  • σιχαίνομαι
  • σκαρφίζομαι
  • Σκέφτομαι (to think)
  • σπλαχνίζομαι
  • συλλογίζομαι
  • συμμερίζομαι
  • υπαινίσσομαι
  • υποκρίνομαι
  • υποπτεύομαι
  • υπόσχομαι
  • υποψιάζομαι
  • φοβάμαι
  • χειρίζομαι
  • Χρειάζομαι

Also some slang verbs: τσιγκουνεύομαι ‘I stint’, λιγουρεύομαι ‘I desire’, ψυλιάζομαι ‘I suspect’, καψουρεύομαι ‘I fall in love with’.

Note that for some of the most frequently used of these verbs there is an active voice equivalent in -ίζω: Κοιμάμαι (to fall asleep) κοιμίζω (to put someone else to sleep). Θυμάμαι (to remember) θυμίζω (to remind). Λυπάμαι λυπίζω (rare: to make someone else sad). Φοβάμαι (to be afraid) φοβίζω (to scare).

Functions Specific to Greek

For more detailed information on grammatical voice in Greek, refer to the 🔗 Wikipedia page on Modern Greek Grammar.

Passive

Definition: An action performed on the subject by another agent.

Example: The policeman was killed by Peter.

Ο Πέτρος σκοτώθηκε από τον αστυνομικό. (Greek)

Pedro fue matado por el policía. (Spanish)

In Greek, the passive form is often used with a passive participle. Examples:

  • Ο καφές φτιάχτηκε από τον πατέρα μου. (The coffee was made by my father.)
  • Η έκθεση γράφτηκε από τη Μαρία. (The report was written by Maria.)

Definition: Indicates the possibility of an action.

Τρώγεται - It can be eaten/It is edible.

Πίνεται - It can be drunk/It is drinkable.

Βλέπεται - It can be seen/It is visible.

Ακούγεται - It can be heard/It is audible.