Lesson 03. Ω-verbs - Pres Act Ind, Pres Act Inf, Pres Act Imp Flashcards
Consonants: Nasals
- μ
- ν
Consonants: Liquids
- λ
- ρ
Consonants: Stops
These are:
- The P sounds: π, β, φ
- The T sounds: τ, δ, θ,
- The K sounds: κ, γ, χ
Consonants pronounced together
If one stop (π, β, φ, τ, δ, θ, κ, γ, χ) is followed by a different stop or by a liquid (λ, ρ) or a nasal (μ, ν), they are usually pronounced together (e.g., φθ, βδ, κτ, θλ, χρ, γμ, πν).
Consonants pronounced separately
- one liquid or nasal is followed by a different liquid or nasal or by a stop (e.g., ρ|ν, λ|θ, μ|π; μν is an exception).
- Repeated consonants (e.g., λ|λ, π|π, ρ|ρ, σ|σ, τ|τ), as well as the two sounds in a double consonant (ζ, ξ, ψ).
- When a sigma is followed by a different consonant, the pronunciation is ambiguous, so the two may be regarded either as being pronounced together or as being pronounced separately.
Syllable long by position
A syllable is long by position when its vowel or diphthong is followed by two consonants separately pronounced or by a double consonant (e.g., ἀρ-χή, ἧτ-τον, λεί-ψω, φύ-λαξ).
The 8 parts of speech in Greek
Greek has eight parts of speech: nouns, pronouns, adjectives, verbs, adverbs, conjunctions, prepositions, and particles.
The mood of a verb - what does it do, how many kinds are there and what are their names?
A Greek verb has one of four possible moods: indicative, imperative, subjunctive, or optative.
The mood of a verb reflects the speaker’s estimate of how real the action is.
Short syllable
A syllable is short when:
- it contains a naturally short vowel followed by no consonant (e.g., θε-ός) or by a single consonant (e.g., θύ-ρᾱ), OR
- when it contains a naturally short vowel followed by two or more consonants pronounced together (e.g., ἄ-κρον).
First General Principle of Accenting
[Assume that the accent wants to be on the antepenult.]
The acute can stay on the antepenult only if the ultima is short (i.e., if it has a short vowel not followed by a double consonant, or if it ends in -αι or -οι; e.g., διδάσκαλος, διδάσκαλοι).
If the ultima is long by nature or position, the acute must move to the penult, i.e., one syllable to the right (e.g., διδασκάλου, διδασκάλοις).
Second General Principle of Accenting
[Assume that the accent wants to be on the penult.]
If the penult is naturally long and the ultima has a short vowel or ends in -αι or -οι, the accent on the penult will be a circumflex (e.g., δῶρον, κῆρυξ, παῦε, ἐκεῖναι).
If the penult is not naturally long, or the ultima does not have a short vowel or end in -αι or -οι, the accent on the penult will be an acute (e.g., τότε, ἵπποι, παύεις, ἐκείνᾱς).
The number of tenses in Greek depends on ….
The number of possible tenses in Greek depends on the mood of
the verb.
Syllable long by nature
A syllable is long by nature when it contains a naturally long vowel (e.g., χώ-ρᾱ) or a diphthong (e.g., μοί-ρᾱͅ).
One important exception: the proper diphthongs αι and οι are regarded as short when they are the very last letters in a word.
Recessive accent for finite verb forms
The accent of most finite forms is recessive, i.e., it wants to move as far to the left in the word as possible.
- If the word has only two syllables, the accent will recede to the penult (and be either a circumflex or an acute, according to general principle #2 in §15 of Lesson 2).
- If the word has three or more syllables, the accent will recede to the antepenult and stay there unless it is forced back to the penult by general principle #1 (e.g., the acute recedes to the antepenult in παιδεύοµεν, but the long ultima draws it back to the penult in παιδεύω).
The present tense of the indicative mood denotes …
… an action happening in the present time.
It may be an action happening now and only now, or it may be one that goes on all the time, including now.
Most often it is viewed as a continuing, repeated, or habitual process; if so, the verb has imperfective aspect.
Sometimes it is viewed as a one-time occurrence; if so, the verb has aoristic aspect.
There is no difference in appearance between these two aspects of a present-tense verb, but the context generally makes clear which aspect the author of the sentence had in mind.
Paradigm for παιδεύω (Active, Present, Indicative)
Singular
1st παιδεύω I teach/am teaching
2nd παιδεύεις you teach/are teaching
3rd παιδεύει he/she/it teaches/is teaching
Plural
1st παιδεύομεν we teach/are teaching
2nd παιδεύετε y’all teach/are teaching
3rd παιδεύουσι(ν) they teach/are teaching
Infinitive
παιδεύειν to teachΩ - Verb endings (Present, Indicative, Active)
Singular, Active, Present, Indicative 1st -ω I 2nd -είς you 3rd -ει he/she/it Plural, Active, Present, Indicative 1st -ο-μεν we 2nd -ε-τε y'all 3rd -ουσι(ν) they Inf -ειν to
Thematic vowels in Ω - Verb endings (Pres, Indic, Act)
Each ending is actually a combination of a thematic vowel (a mark of the present tense — usually ε, but ο is used before µ or ν) and a personal ending:
- ω = ο + lengthening,
- εις = ε + σι (σ dropped out) + ς
- ει = ε + σι (σ dropped out)
- ομεν = ο + µεν
- ετε = ε + τε
- ουσι = ο + νσι (ν dropped out; ο lengthened to ου).
Finite form of a verb
Verb forms that have personal endings are referred to as “finite” because the action is confined to a specific person—first, second, or third—and to a specific number—singular or plural.
Finite forms do not need to be supplemented with personal pronouns (“I,” “we, “you,” “he,” “she,” “it,” “they”) to clarify who is doing the action; the endings already make that clear. Personal pronouns are added only for emphasis.
Most finite verbs have a recessive accent.
Infinitive form of a verb
An infinitive is a special form that in English always appears as the word “to” followed by a verb (e.g., “to write”).
In both English and Greek, it has the ability to function in either of two ways: as a verb, complementing the main verb in the sentence (e.g., “I wish to write”), or as a noun (e.g., “to write is difficult”; in this example the infinitive is the subject of the sentence).
Ω-verb endings (Present, Imperative, Active)
Sg 1st none 2nd -ε 3rd -ετω Pl 1st none 2nd -ετε 3rd -οντων
Built on present stem. Accent is recessive.
Present stem of Ω-verb
To form the present tense, you must first find the present stem.
When you look up a Greek verb in a lexicon, you will be confronted with six principal parts. The first of these will be the first-person singular present active indicative; if it ends in -ω (e.g., παιδεύω), the verb must belong to the ω-conjugation.
Dropping the -ω from the first principal part will give you the present stem.
Aspect of a verb - definition and types
Aspect is the type or quality of the action, as perceived by the speaker.
A Greek verb has one of three possible aspects:
- imperfective
- aoristic
- perfective.
Imperfective aspect
Imperfective aspect: the speaker perceives the action as a process continuing or repeated over time.
Aoristic aspect
Aoristic aspect: the speaker perceives the action as a one-time occurrence, neither continuing nor completed.
Perfective aspect
Perfective aspect: the speaker perceives the action as completed and having an enduring result.
Possible tenses of a Greek verb
The number of possible tenses in Greek depends on the mood of the verb:
- A Greek verb in the imperative, subjunctive, or optative mood has one of three possible tenses: present, aorist, or perfect.
- A Greek verb in the indicative mood has one of seven possible tenses: present, imperfect, future, aorist, perfect, pluperfect, or future perfect.
Tense and aspect for verbs in the imperative, subjunctive, and optative moods
In the imperative, subjunctive, and optative moods each tense matches one of the three aspects:
- present tense: imperfective aspect
- aorist tense: aoristic aspect
- perfect tense: perfective aspect
Primary tenses of a verb in the indicative mood
The primary tenses are the four tenses of the indicative mood that denote present or future time:
- present
- future
- perfect
- future perfect
Secondary tenses of a verb in the indicative mood
The three tenses of the indicative mood that denote past time (imperfect, aorist, pluperfect) are called secondary (or historical) tenses.
In the imperative, subjunctive, and optative moods each tense
matches one of the three aspects- which goes with which?
In the imperative, subjunctive, and optative moods each tense
matches one of the three aspects:
- present tense: imperfective aspect
- aorist tense: aoristic aspect
- perfect tense: perfective aspect
γράφω
write, draw
ἐθέλω
(+ infinitive) be willing (to), wish (to)
θύω
offer sacrifice, sacrifice, slay
κλέπτω
steal [cf. kleptomania]
παιδεύω
teach, educate
σπεύδω
(+ infinitive) hasten (to), strive (to), be eager (to)
φυλάττω
stand guard, guard, protect, preserve
µή
not/don’t (negative adverb used with imperative mood)
οὐ (οὐκ, οὐχ)
not (negative adverb used with indicative mood)
οὐ is unique in that it does receive an accent (acute) if it comes at the end of a clause (οὔ).
Before a word with smooth breathing, οὐ becomes οὐκ; before a word with rough breathing, οὐ becomes οὐχ. οὐκ and οὐχ are exceptions to the rule that a Greek word can end only in a vowel, ν, ρ, ς, ξ, or ψ.
καί
καὶ…καί
καί (conjunction) and; (adverb) also, even
καὶ…καί (correlative conjunctions) both…and
As a conjunction, καί (“and”) connects parallel words (e.g., two finite verbs, two infinitives, two nouns). If the sentence seems to have a super-fluous καί in it, καί is either an adverb, stressing the word that immedi-ately follows it, or a correlative conjunction paired with another καί.
Indicative mood …
Indicative mood suits statements of fact or discussions of reality and actual occurrences (e.g., a statement—“you are here”; a question—“are you here?”).
Imperative mood …
Imperative mood is appropriate for commands, i.e., requests to change reality (e.g., “be here!”).
Subjunctive and optative moods
Subjunctive and optative moods are associated with a variety of actions that are all only contemplated or imagined (e.g., a wish—“would that you were here!”; fear or doubt—“you may be here”; a possibility—“you might be here”).
Tenses of a greek verb in the imperative, subjunctive or optative moods.
A Greek verb in the imperative, subjunctive, or optative mood has
one of three possible tenses:
- present
- aorist, or
- perfect.
Tenses of a greek verb in the indicative mood
A Greek verb in the indicative mood has one of seven possible
tenses:
- aorist
- imperfect
- pluperfect
- present
- perfect
- future
- future perfect.
There is a logical explanation for the higher number of tenses in
the indicative: the imperative, subjunctive, and optative moods
use tense to show aspect, while the indicative mood uses tense to
show not only aspect but also time.
Time and aspect for verbs in the present tense (indicative mood)
- present tense: present time, imperfective or aoristic aspect
Secondary tenses of a verb in the indicative mood
The secondary (or historical) tenses are the three tenses of the indicative mood that denote past time:
- imperfect
- aorist
- pluperfect
Time and aspect for verbs in the imperfect tense (indicative mood)
- imperfect tense: past time, imperfective aspect
Time and aspect for verbs in the future tense (indicative mood)
- future tense: future time, imperfective or aoristic aspect
Time and aspect for verbs in the aorist tense (indicative mood)
- aorist tense: past time, aoristic aspect
Time and aspect for verbs in the perfect tense (indicative mood)
- perfect tense: present time, perfective aspect
Time and aspect for verbs in the pluperfect tense (indicative mood)
- pluperfect tense: past time, perfective aspect
Time and aspect for verbs in the future perfect tense (indicative mood)
- future perfect tense: future time, perfective aspect
Imperfective aspect of a verb
Imperfective aspect: the speaker perceives the action as a process
continuing or repeated over time.
Aoristic aspect of a verb
Aoristic aspect: the speaker perceives the action as a one-time
occurrence, neither continuing nor completed.
Perfective aspect of a verb
Perfective aspect: the speaker perceives the action as completed
and having an enduring result.
