The subjunctive with “να”

Greek has no infinitive

Where English says “I want to learn”, Greek says literally “I want that I learn”: να followed by a conjugated verb. Both verbs agree in the same person — that is the one truly obligatory rule.

• Θέλω να μάθω ελληνικά.I want to learn Greek.
• Θέλει να μάθει ελληνικά.He wants to learn — both verbs in the 3rd person.

Once, or repeatedly?

This is the real difficulty of να. After να you choose between two forms of the same verb: one for a single action, one for a repeated or ongoing one. The choice is not optional — it changes the meaning.

• Θέλω να σε δω.I want to see you (once).
• Θέλω να σε βλέπω.I want to see you (regularly).

What triggers να

A handful of verbs and function words are followed by να. Learn them as a block: once one appears, what follows is automatic.

Negation: να μην

After να the negative is never δεν but μην, and it sits between the two: θέλω να μην αργήσεις. This is a very common mistake, and it is heard immediately.

• Θέλω να μην αργήσεις.I want you not to be late.