A Short Grammar of Classical Greek: Inflection of the Verb (Conjugation)

1. The Greek verb appears to some advantage when contrasted with the Latin verb, because it has

• an additional number: the dual (see 96);
• an additional voice: the middle;
• an additional tense: the aorist;
• an additional mood: the optative;
• and two verbal adjectives.

1. The middle voice has indeed an active meaning, but involves a reference of the action to the agent; παιδεύω, for instance, means I educate, παιδεύομαι I educate for my own sake or benefit (mihi, dat.), or I educate myself (me ipsum, acc.). See 165.

1. The middle and the passive voices are the same in form, except in the future and aorist.

Note. — Deponents with the aorist in the middle form are called middle deponents (D.M.); deponents with the aorist in the passive form are called passive deponents (D.P.).

1. The indicative of the aorist has its proper place in narrative. It corresponds to the historical perfect in Latin.

1. The optative is used in wishes: παιδεύοιμι may I educate, I wish I were educating. However, this is not the only purpose it serves; see 174, 2; 176, 4.

1. There are six tenses in Greek, which are divided

• principal tenses: present, future, perfect,
• historical tenses: imperfect, aorist (ind.), pluperfect.

The historical tenses are also called preterit or augmented tenses.

The verb stem and the present stem: all forms of the verb grow out of the verb stem, which almost always appears enlarged or strengthened in the present tense.

For the manner of enlarging the verb stem, see 77 and 107–111.

There are two forms of conjugation in Greek:

• verbs in ‑ω, with a thematic vowel; e.g. τιμά‑ο‑μεν, τιμά‑ε‑τε;
• verbs in ‑μι, without a thematic vowel; e.g. ἵστα‑μεν, ἵστα‑τε.

The mood suffixes are not the same for all the moods:

a) The subjunctive lengthens the thematic vowels ‑ο‑ and ‑ε‑.

For example:

indic. παιδεύ‑ο‑μεν, παιδεύ‑ε‑τε, subj. παιδεύ‑ω‑μεν, παιδεύ‑η‑τε.

b) The optative adds a suffix of its own: ‑ι‑ or ‑ιη‑ (‑ιε‑).

For example:

indic. παιδεύ‑ο‑μεν, ἵστα‑τε, opt. παιδεύ‑οι‑μεν, ἱστα‑ίη‑τε.

The personal endings are of two kinds: principal and historical:

• principal: for the indicative of the principal tenses and for the subjunctive;
• historical: for the indicative of the historical tenses and for the optative;

in other words, for all augmented forms and optatives.

In all forms of the verb, the accent is thrown back as far as possible (the verb has recessive accent). Still it can never recede beyond the augment. Hence εἴσαγε, but εἰσῆγε. ‑αι and ‑οι are counted as short, except in the optative.

a) Contracted forms retain the accent on the contracted syllable, if either of the contracted vowels was accented:

ἐποιούμεθα (from ἐποιε‑όμεθα), βαλοῦ (from βαλέ‑ο), παιδευθῶ (from παιδευθέ‑ω), διδῶ (from διδό‑ω).

b) Optatives of passive aorists and of verbs in ‑μι have the accent, if possible, on that syllable which contains the mood suffix ‑ι‑:

παιδευθεῖμεν, παιδευθεῖεν — τιθεῖμεν, ἱεῖτε, διδοῖεν, ἱσταῖντο.

c) Infinitives, participles and verbal adjectives, which are in reality verbal nouns or adjectives, do not fall under the above rule; participles retain the accent, if possible, upon the syllable which is accented in the nom. sing. masc. (25, 5).

d) Exceptions to the above rule for the verbal accent are consequently only such forms of second aorists act. and mid. as have the thematic vowel accented (see 86, 1 with note); hence the 2 ps. sg. of the aor. imp. mid.: βαλοῦ (from βαλέ‑ο, see a), and a few active imperatives, as: εἰπέ (but ἄπειπε, ἔξειπε).

1. The augment (augmentum, increase) is the sign of the past (historical, 72, 6) tenses. It is only used in the indicative of these tenses (imperfect, aorist, pluperfect), and never in any other moods or forms of the verb.

There is a syllabic and a temporal augment.

1. Verbs beginning with a consonant take the syllabic augment. It consists of the prefix ἐ; thus:

παιδεύω → ἐ‑παίδευον, ἐπαιδευσάμην.

Initial ρ is doubled after ἐ: ἔρριπτον I threw (22).

1. Verbs beginning with a vowel or diphthong take the temporal augment. It consists in the lengthening of the initial vowel. The breathing, however, is not changed. Thus:

• α → η: ἄγω lead, impf. ἦγον,
• ε → η: ἐλπίζω hope, impf. ἤλπιζον,
• ο → ω: ὁπλίζω arm, impf. ὥπλιζον,
• ι → ῑ: ἱδρύω erect, impf. ἵδρυον,
• υ → ῡ: ὑβρίζω am insolent, impf. ὕβριζον,
• αι → η: αἰσχύνω put to shame, impf. ᾔσχυνον,
• ᾳ → η: ᾄδω sing, impf. ᾔδον,
• αυ → ηυ: αὐξάνω increase, impf. ηὔξανον,
• οι → ῳ: οἰκτίρω pity, impf. ᾤκτιρον.

1. Verbs beginning with a long ῑ, ῡ, ω or ου, and sometimes those beginning with ει or ευ, are not augmented; e.g.

οὐτάζω wound, impf. οὔταζον, εἰκάζω conjecture, impf. ᾔκαζον (εἴκαζον), εὔχομαι pray, vow, impf. ηὐχόμην (εὐχόμην).

The reduplication enters into the perfect stem, and consequently appears in the perfect, pluperfect and future perfect.

Reduplication takes place as follows:

1. Verbs beginning with one simple consonant (except ρ) repeat the same with ε, a rough mute being replaced by its corresponding smooth:

παιδεύω educate → perf. πε‑παίδευκα, χορεύω dance → κε‑χόρευκα, φυτεύω plant → πε‑φύτευκα, θηρεύω hunt → τε‑θήρευκα.

1. Verbs beginning with a mute followed by a liquid (λ, μ, ν, ρ) repeat only the mute with ε:

κλείω shut → perf. κέ‑κλεικα, δράω do → δέ‑δρακα.

1. In all other cases the reduplication is the same as the augment:

ἄγω lead → impf. ἦγον, perf. ἦχα, ὁπλίζω arm → impf. ὥπλιζον, perf. ὥπλικα, κτίζω found → impf. ἔκτιζον, perf. ἔκτικα, στρατεύω take the field → impf. ἐστράτευον, perf. ἐστράτευκα, ζητέω look for → aor. ἐζήτησα, perf. ἐζήτηκα, ψαύω touch → aor. ἔψαυσα, perf. ἔψαυκα, ῥίπτω throw → aor. ἔρριψα, perf. ἔρριφα,

only κτάομαι acquire has usually perf. κέ‑κτημαι.