Greek grammar: Verbs

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Contents

Principal Parts

There are three stems for each verb:

  • Present stem: used to from the present (active and passive), imperfect (active and passive), future continuous (active and passive), conditional, present subjunctive (active and passive) and (continuous) imperative.
  • Aorist stem: used to form the active aorist, the active future simple, the active aorist subjunctive and the (aorist) imperative.
  • Passive aorist stem: used to form the passive aorist, the passive definite future and the passive aorist subjunctive.

The past participle is the fourth and last principal part.

Obtaining the principal parts:

PresentAoristPass. aoristPass. part.
1st conjugation
-τ- -θ- -ζ-(most)-σ--στ--σμένος
-κ- -γ(γ)- -χ(ν)- -σσ- -ττ- -ζ-(some)-ξ--χτ--γμένος
-π(τ)- -β- -φ(τ)- -ευ- -αυ--ψ--φτ--μμένος
-ν--σ--θ-, -σκ-(some)-μένος
Some verbsNo change-θ--μένος
2nd conjugation
Most verbsAdd -ησ-Add -ηθ--ημένος
Some verbsAdd -ασ-Add -αστ--ασμένος
Some verbsAdd -εσ-Add -εθ--εμένος
Some verbsAdd -ηξ-Add -ηχτ-?
Some verbsAdd -αξ-Add -αχτ-?


Endings

Present endings

1st conjugation:

πιάνωπιάνουμε
πιάνειςπιάνετε
πιάνειπιάνουν

2nd conjugation A:

αγαπώ (αγαπάω)αγαπούμε (αγαπάμε)
αγαπάς αγαπάτε
αγαπάαγαπούν(ε) (αγαπάν(ε))

2nd conjugation B:

μπορώμπορούμε
μπορείςμπορείτε
μπορείμπορούν(ε)

Past endings

έπιασαπιάσαμε
έπιασεςπιάσατε
έπιασεέπιασαν or πιάσανε

Passive present endings

1st conjugation:

πιάνομαιπιανόμαστε
πιάνεσαιπιάνεστε (πιανόσαστε)
πιάνεταιπιάνονται

2nd conjugation:

αγαπιέμαιαγαπιόμαστε
αγαπιέσαιαγαπιέστε(αγαπιόσαστε
αγαπιέταιαγαπιούνται

Passive imperfect endings

1st conjugation:

πιανόμουνπιανόμασταν
πιανόσουνπιανόσασταν
πιανότανπιάνονταν (πιανόντουσαν)

2nd conjugation:

αγαπιόμουναγαπιόμασταν
αγαπιόσουναγαπιόσασταν
αγαπιόταναγαπιόνταν (αγαπιόντουσαν)


Tenses

Simple Tenses

Present (ενεστώτας)

Active: present stem+present endings
Passive: present stem+passive present endings

Imperfect (παρατατικός)

Active 1st: (ε)+present stem+past endings
Active 2nd: present stem+ούσ+past endings
Passive: present stem+passive imperfect endings

Aorist (αόριστος)

Active 1st: (ε)+aorist stem+past endings
Active 2nd: aorist stem+past endings
Passive: passive aorist stem+ηκ+past endings

Future continuous (εξακολουθητικός μέλλοντας)

Active: θα + subjunctive present
Passive: θα + subjuntive present passive

Future simple (στιγμιαίος μέλλοντας)

Active: θα + subjunctive aorist
Passive: θα + subjuntive aorist passive

Conditional:

Active: θα + imperfect
Passive: θα + imperfect passive

Subjunctive present


Active: equal to present
Passive: equal to present passive

Subjunctive aorist

Active: aorist stem+present endings (except for a few irregular verbs)
Passive: passive aorist stem+present endings; accent goes on the ending

Compound Tenses

Present perfect (παρακείμενος)

Active: έχω(conjugated) + subjunctive aorist 3rd pers. sing
Passive: έχω(conjugated) + subjunctive aorist passive 3rd pers. sing

Past perfect (υπερσυντέλικος)

Active: είχα(conjugated) + subjunctive aorist 3rd pers. sing
Passive: είχα(conjugated) + subjunctive aorist passive 3rd pers. sing

Future perfect (συντελεσμένος μέλλοντας)

Active: θα + present perfect
Passive: θα + present perfect passive

Imperative

Present

1st2nd
2nd singularpres. stem+-εpres. stem+-α
2nd pluralpres. stem+-ετεpres. stem+-άτε
1st2nd
2nd singularπιάνεαγάπα
2nd pluralπιάνετεαγαπάτε

Aorist

1st2nd
2nd singularaor. stem+-εaor. stem+-ε
2nd pluralaor. stem+-(ε)τεaor. stem+-τε
1st2nd
2nd singularπιάσεαγάπησε
2nd pluralπιάσ(ε)τεαγαπήστε

Passive

This is an aorist verb form, but there is no corresponding present form, so it is used for both aspects.

1st and 2nd
2nd singularaor. stem+-ου
2nd pluralpass. aor. stem+-είτε
1st2nd
2nd singularπιάσουαγαπήσου
2nd pluralπιαστείτεαγαπηθείτε


Participles

Present participle

First conjugation: -οντας
Second conjugation: -ώντας

These are never conjugated.

Past participle

Ends is -μένος and is conjugated like adjectives. See table of principal parts to see how it is constructed.


Deponent Verbs

Deponent verbs are active in meaning but have a passive form. There are deponent verbs of the first and second conjugation, which have endings like normal passive verbs. They should be treated as if they were passive, so the aorist is formed with the passive aorist stem, for example.

In the second conjugation, there are two aditional sub-groups containing only deponent verbs:

2nd conjugation C:

κοιμάμαι (κοιμούμαι)κοιμόμαστε (κοιμούμαστε)
κοιμάσαικοιμάστε (κοιμόσαστε)
κοιμάταικοιμούνται


2nd conjugation D:

μιμούμαιμιμούμαστε
μιμείσαιμιμείστε
μιμείταιμιμούνται

The imperfect is formed with the passive imperfect endings, as if the verb were a normal passive. Verbs of class 2C use the endings of the first conjugation; verbs of 2D use the endings of the second conjugation, but with the -ιο- replaced with -ου-.

The aorist is formed by deriving a passive aorist root from what would be the present root of the verbs if it existed, ie, the form in the present without the endings. Then -ηκ- and the normal past endings are added.


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