A Short Grammar of Classical Greek: Second Tenses, Second Aorist, and Second Perfect

1. Liquid verbs lack the future perfect.
2. For βάλλω, κλίνω, κρίνω, τείνω see 92, 4. 6. 7 with note.

4. SECOND TENSES.

I. Second Aorist Active and Middle (§ 86)

86. 1. Formative syllables are -ο, and -ε, to be added to the verb stem. Thus the endings of the indicative are the same as those of the imperfect, those of the other moods the same as those of the respective forms of the present. However, four forms have a different accent:

• in the active: the inf. and the part.: βαλεῖν, βαλών.
• in the middle: the 2. p. imper. and the inf.: βαλοῦ, βαλέσθαι.

Note. The compounds too have the accent on the thematic vowel in these forms: ἀποβαλεῖν, ἀποβαλών, ἀποβαλοῦ, ἀποβαλέσθαι.

Some have a peculiar formation; as:

Among the irregular verbs II aorists are very numerous.

II. Second Aorist and Second Future Passive (§ 87)

87. 1. The formative syllable is ‑η, before vowels or ντ ‑ε, to be added to the verb stem. These tenses are inflected like the I aor. and fut. pass. (79, 8), except that in the 2d person sing. of the imper. the ending ‑θι remains unchanged: στάλη‑θι.

1. Several II aor. have an intransitive meaning.

In Attic prose, the following II aorists are almost exclusively used:

The stem-vowel ε is changed to ᾱ:

Note 1. To be distinguished:

• ἐφάνην appeared, of φαίνομαι appear,
• ἐφάνθην was shown, of φαίνω show.

Note 2. A II aor. pass. occurs in such verbs only as lack a II aor. act.; the verb τρέπω, however, has all the aorists possible:

• in the act.: ἔτρεψα and ἔτραπον turned,
• in the mid.: ἐτρεψάμην put to flight, and ἐτραπόμην took to flight,
• in the pass.: ἐτρέφθην was turned, and ἐτράπην was turned and turned myself.

III. Second Perfect and Second Pluperfect Active (§ 88–89)

88. 1. Formative syllables are ‑α and ‑ει, to be added directly to the reduplicated verb stem.

E.g. γράφω write, st. γρᾶφ‑, II pf. γέγρᾶφ‑α, II plupf. ἐ‑γεγράφ‑ειν.

Such II perfects and II plupf. active (without κ¹) are found only in mute verbs and in some few liquid verbs.

¹ In the present work, only such perfects as end in ‑κα are called I perfects, all others, including aspirated forms, are designated as II perfects.

These tenses are inflected throughout like the I tenses:

• pf. ind. γέγραφ‑α, ‑ας, ‑ε(ν), etc.
• plupf. ἐγεγράφ‑ειν, ‑εις, ‑ει, etc.
• subj. γεγράφ‑ω, ‑ῃς, ‑ῃ, etc.
• opt. γεγράφοιμι, ‑οις, ‑οι, etc.
• inf. γεγραφ‑έ‑ναι.
• part. γεγραφ‑ώς, ‑υῖα, ‑ός, ‑ότος, ‑υίας, ‑ότος.

2. Changes of the verb stem in II perfect

It may happen that the verb stem remains unchanged in the second perfect (3, a). But more frequently it is changed as follows:

• final gutturals and labials are altered to the corresponding rough mutes (3, b.);
• short vowels of the stem undergo certain changes (3, c.);
• or both aspiration and change of vowel take place (3, d.).

Several II perfects have an intransitive meaning.

3. Common II perfects of regular verbs

a) No change in the verb stem:

b) Final consonant becomes rough:

c) Stem vowel changed (see 11):

d) Both aspiration and ablaut (11, 2):

Note the difference between (see 87, 3. note 1):

• πέφηνα have appeared, of φαίνομαι appear,
• πέφαγκα have shown, of φαίνω show.