είμαι
eímai/ˈi.me/
είμαι (eímai) is the Greek way to say "I am".
είμαι is the first-person singular present tense of the verb "to be".
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb είμαι already conveys that the subject is "I", so the pronoun εγώ (I) is frequently omitted. To negate the phrase to say "I am not", place the particle δεν before the verb, resulting in δεν είμαι.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /ˈi.me/. It has two syllables, and the stress is on the first syllable.
Did you know?
- While είμαι means 'I am', Greek has a completely different verb υπάρχω to express the general concept of 'to exist'.
- The Ancient Greek form είμί was used in the famous 'I am that I am' biblical passage, establishing a philosophical link between the verb and the nature of divinity.
- The root of είμαι is a direct ancestor of the English word 'am'. Both derive from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₁ésmi, making them distant linguistic siblings.
Examples in context
- Δεν είμαι ιατρός!I am not a doctor!This sentence shows how to negate the verb using είμαι.Tatoeba #12076291 by Niki_Pechlivanidi, translation #12076292 by Niki_Pechlivanidi
- Είμαι από τη Ρωσία.I am from Russia.This sentence uses είμαι to express origin from Russia.Tatoeba #3098526 by Zeus, translation #436345 by lukaszpp
- Είμαι από την Ίσπανία.I am from Spain.This sentence uses είμαι to express origin from Spain.Tatoeba #10679339 by amoeba, translation #1879772 by Asma
- Είμαι ο κ. Παπαδόπουλος.I am Mr. Papadopoulos.
- Είμαι η Μαρία.I am Maria.
- Είμαι γιατρός.I am a doctor.
- Είμαι Έλληνας.I am Greek.
- Είμαι εδώ.I am here.
- Είμαι γιʼ αυτό δυσαρεστημένος.I am unhappy about that.
- 186 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Kyriaki and Dimitris meet for the first time at a party.
- Κυριακή KyriakiΓεια σου, είμαι η Κυριακή.Geia sou, eimai i Kyriaki.Hello, I am Kyriaki.
- Δημήτρης DimitrisΧαίρομαι, είμαι ο Δημήτρης.Charomai, eimai o Dimitris.Nice to meet you, I am Dimitris.
- Κυριακή KyriakiΕίμαι φίλη της Μαρίας.Eimai fili tis Marias.I am Maria's friend.
- Δημήτρης DimitrisΚι εγώ είμαι φίλος της.Ki ego eimai filos tis.I am her friend too.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry είμαι, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries είμαι, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
