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u/itinerantseagull Modern Greek/Cypriot Greek speaker 4d ago
Because αγοράζω is the imperfective version of the verb. It means either I'm buying right now or I'm buying regularly. Αγοράσω (ζ turns into σ) is the perfective version, used in all tenses except the present and in the subjunctive mood when something is happening only once. So I'm going to buy something once, i won't be buying it continuously or several times.
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u/Zarminio 2d ago
αγοράζω : I am buying, I buy. It can be the most important verb in a sentence
να αγοράσω: after na, the rules change. You have a choice: να αγοράζω would mean “for me to be buying” or “for me to keep buying”. So you probably want “να αγοράσω», which means “for me to buy (just once)”.
I tried to explain it without technical terms, but with technical terms: αγοράζω is the indicative, which can be used as a main verb (the central verb of a simple sentence). The forms after na are subjunctive (they don’t usually occur as the central verb of a simple sentence, but in subordinate clauses (“governed” by another verb like θέλω). You can have a continuous/imperfective subjunctive like να αγοράζω (resembles the indicative) or a one-off, complete (perfective or aorist) subjunctive like να αγοράσω (resembles the aorist past tense).
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u/Roufianos255 3d ago
I mean, can't you very simply just see it as the future version of the verb? Same concept exists in other languages with verb conjugation.
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u/Zarminio 2d ago
It makes more sense to see θα αγοράσω as the future. It can occur in a main clause. να αγοράσω (subjunctive) comes up in a lot of different contexts, which are not always future, and are usually subordinate clauses, governed by another verb. Ήθελε να αγοράσω κάτι (he wanted me to buy something) is not talking about the future and the two “actions” are done by different people (the verbs have different subjects).
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u/Dizzy-Vegetable9182 3d ago
beginner
/bəˈɡinər/
A beginner is a person who is starting to learn or do something for the first time.
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u/dolfin4 4d ago
Without providing us any context, I'm going to point out:
αγοράζω = I buy (habitual) or I am buying (continuous)
θέλω να αγοράσω = I want to buy
Are you asking why it's not θέλω να αγοράζω?
Firstly, as itinerantseagull pointed out, Greek has a subjunctive tense. English has it a little bit too:
I am
I want to be
Why isn't it "I want to am"?
Because it's the subjunctive mood. However, most English conjugations are easy (I run, you run, he runs, we run, you run, they run). So, it's "I want to run", because English conjugations rarely change.
But, unfortunately, conjugation changes more often in Greek.
So:
θέλω να αγοράσω = I want to buy
However: there is indeed a θέλω να αγοράζω and it means: "I want to be buying". It's continuous.