11α The Aorist Past Tense

Question 1

Past Tense: The Aorist

The term aorist (=ἀ-, without +ὁ ὅρος, boundary) means without boundaries, without limits, and is used to describe forms of verbs that express simple action, in contrast, for example, with the present tense, which expresses progressive, ongoing action.

Answer 1

In the indicative mood, aorist forms usually express simple action in past time, e.g., ἦλθον, I came or I went = the simple past tense in English.

Question 2

Past Tense: The Aorist

There are two ways of forming the aorist in Greek, corresponding to two ways of forming the simple past tense in English:

Answer 2

1. A suffix is added to the verb stem: Present: λύ-ω, I loosen
   Sigmatic 1st aorist: ἔ-λῡ-σα, I loosened
2. The verb stem is changed:
   Present: λείπ-ω, I leave
   Thematic 2nd aorist: ἔ-λιπ-ο-ν, I left

Question 3

Past Tense: The Aorist

In the aorist indicative an ἐ is placed before the stem of verbs that begin with consonants. This is called an augment, and it indicates past time.

Answer 3

If the stem of the verb begins with a vowel or diphthong, the stem is augmented by lengthening the initial vowel, e.g., the aorist stem of ἄγω, namely ἀγαγ-, is augmented to ἠγαγ-

Note in the forms that the augment is not present in the forms of the imperative, infinitive, and participle.

Question 4

Verb Forms: The Thematic 2nd Aorist

Thematic 2nd aorists have ο or ε (thematic vowels) between the stem and the ending in the indicative. The personal endings for the thematic 2nd aorist indicative active are slightly different from those for the present indicative.

Answer 4

The present endings are called primary, and the thematic 2nd aorist endings are called secondary. The latter, the endings for the 2nd aorist in the active, should be memorized as follows:
Secondary: -ν, -ς, —, -μεν, -τε, -ν

Question 5

The Thematic 2nd Aorist, Imper., Infin., Praticiple

The endings for the active and middle thematic 2nd aorist imperative, infinitive, and participle are similar to those you have learned for the present tense.

Answer 5

The aorist middle indicative has secondary endings, four of which are dif- ferent from the primary ones you have learned for the present middle indicative. Memorize both the primary and the secondary middle endings as follows:

Primary: -μαι, -σαι, -ται, -μεθα, -σθε, -νται

Secondary: -μην, -σο, -το, -μεθα, -σθε, -ντο

Question 6

The Thematic 2nd Aorist, Active

Present: λείπω, I leave;
Aorist Stem: λιπ-

Answer 6

Question 7

The Thematic 2nd Aorist, Middle

Present: γίγνομαι, I become; Aorist Stem: γεν-

Answer 7

Question 8

Note:

(1.) Thematic vowels come between the stems and the endings in many of these forms, just as in the present middle forms (see Chapter 6, Grammar 3, pp. 90–91).

Answer 8

(2.) The accent of the singular aorist middle imperative is irregular: γενοῦ
(3.) Note that thematic 2nd aorist middle infinitives are always accented on the next to the last syllable, e.g., γενέσθαι. Compare the present and future middle infinitives, λύεσθαι and λύσεσθαι

Question 9

Aspect