Common Irregular Aorists
The most frequent verbs have SUPPLETIVE aorists - stems you cannot derive from the present and simply must learn: βλέπω → είδα (saw), λέω → είπα (said), τρώω → έφαγα (ate), πηγαίνω → πήγα (went), έρχομαι → ήρθα (came). Because the everyday verbs are exactly these irregular ones, guessing an aorist from the present is the classic A2 trap.
The rule
The most frequent verbs have suppletive aorists - stems you cannot derive from the present and simply must memorise: βλέπω → είδα (“saw”), λέω → είπα (“said”), τρώω → έφαγα (“ate”), πηγαίνω → πήγα (“went”), έρχομαι → ήρθα (“came”). Because the everyday verbs are these irregular ones, guessing an aorist from the present is the classic A2 trap.
Paradigm
| Person | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | είδα† | είδαμε† |
| 2nd | είδες† | είδατε† |
| 3rd | είδε† | είδαν† |
- Suppletive aorist stem (είδ-/δ-), unrelated to the present βλέπ-.