Lesson 12. εἰμί, Enclitics

Question 0

Deponent verb

Answer 0

Many Greek verbs are deponent in at least one tense; i.e., in that particular tense they are always active in meaning but middle or passive in appearance.

The verbs εἰμί, ἀκούω and φεύγω are deponent in the future tense: ἔσομαι = “I shall be”; ἀκούσομαι = “I shall hear”; φεύξομαι = “I shall flee.”

Question 1

ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ λόγος

Answer 1

In the beginning was the Word —John 1:1

Question 2

What is the basic stem of εἰμί?

Answer 2

The basic stem of εἰμί is εσ-

Question 3

εἰµί, ἔσοµαι

Answer 3

be, exist; (third-pers. sg. + acc. & infin.) it is possible (to)

Question 4

Modal interpretation of third person singular forms of εἰμί

Answer 4

The third-person singular of εἰμί (in any tense) may show possibility.

If so, the subject is usually an infinitive, and the person for whom the action is/was/will be possible appears in the accusative case;

• οὐκ ἦν τὴν κόρην φεύγειν = “it was not possible for the girl to escape” or “the girl could not escape.”

When it is being used in this sense, the third person singular present indicative active takes an acute accent on its penult: ἔστι(ν).

Question 5

Accent throughout the conjugation of εἰμί

Answer 5

In the present indicative:

• the second-person singular εἶ has a circumflex because it is a contraction of ἐσσί (both sigmas dropped out).
• The other five forms are enclitics.

Recessive in the future and imperfect indicative and the present imperative.

Persistent in its two infinitives (remaining on the penult in εἶναι, on the antepenult in ἔσεσθαι)

Question 6

Paradigm for εἰμί in Present active indicative

Answer 6

Singular  
	1st		εἰμί	I am  
	2nd     εἶ		You are  
	3rd     ἐστί(ν)	He/she/it is     		  
	Plural  
	1st     ἐσμέν	We are  
	2nd     ἐστέ	Youse are  
	3rd     εἰσί(ν)	They are

Question 7

εἰμί - Paradigm for future middle indicative

Answer 7

Singular  
	1st		ἔσομαι		I shall be    
	2nd     ἔσῃ/ἔσει	You will be  
	3rd     ἔσται		He/she/it will be  
	Plural  
	1st     ἐσόμεθα		We shall be  
	2nd     ἔσεσθε		Youse will be  
	3rd     ἔσονται 	They will be

Question 8

εἰμί - paradigm for imperfect active indicative

Answer 8

Singular  
	1st		ἦ/ἦν		I was    
	2nd     ἦσθα		You were  
	3rd     ἦν			He/she/it was  
	Plural  
	1st     ἦμεν		We were  
	2nd     ἦτε/ἢστε	Youse were   
	3rd     ἦσαν		They were

Question 9

εἰμί - present Active Imperative

Answer 9

Singular
	1st  	-  
	2nd		ἴσθι  (“be!”)  
	3rd		ἔστω (“let him/her/it be!”) 
	Plural  
	1st		-  
	2nd		ἔστε (“be!”)  
	3rd		ἔστων (“let them be!”)

Question 10

εἰμί - Present Active Infinitive

Answer 10

εἶναι (“to be”)

Question 11

εἰμί - Future Middle Infinitive

Answer 11

ἔσεσθαι (“to be going to be”)

Question 12

Stem and endings of εἰμί to form the present indicative, future indicative and imperfect indicative

Answer 12

The basic stem of εἰμί is εσ-, to which are added:

• primary active endings to form the present indicative
• primary middle endings to form the future indicative
• secondary active endings (with εσ- augmented to ησ-) to form the imperfect indicative

Remember the Ultimate Guide to Verb Endings!

Question 13

Where are thematic vowels used in the conjugation of εἰμί?

Answer 13

Thematic vowels (ε/ο) are used in the future forms (except ἔσται) but not in the present and imperfect forms.

Question 14

Sigma in the conjugation of εἰμί

Answer 14

• The σ of the stem usually drops out before μ, ν, or another σ (ἐσμέν is an exception)
• ε is lengthened to ει to compensate for the loss of the sigma (compensatory lengthening); e.g., εἰμί (from ἐσ-μι), εἶναι (from ἐσ-ναι).

Question 15

Compensatory lengthening

Answer 15

The lengthening of a vowel sound that happens upon the loss of a following consonant, usually in the syllable coda, or of a vowel in an adjacent syllable.

Compensatory lengthening is very common in Ancient Greek.

• Notable in forms where n or nt comes together with s, y (= ι̯), or i.
• ε is lengthened to ει to compensate for the loss of the sigma in the conjugation of the verb ἐιμί.

Question 16

enclitics

Answer 16

Words that “lean upon” the preceding word so that they give up their accent to it and are left with no accent of their own.

Question 17

proclitics

Answer 17

Words which “lean forward” to the following word and have no accent of their own.

Question 18

Tenses and endings for εἰμί

Answer 18

The present and imperfect tenses of εἰμί never have middle/passive endings; the future tense of εἰμί, on the other hand, never has active endings.

Question 19

The three places the accent of an enclitic can end up when the enclitic is leaning on the previous word

Answer 19

The accent of an enclitic will either:

• vanish
• be given to the ultima of the preceding word; or
• appear on the ultima of the enclitic

Question 20

The accent of an enclitic will vanish when….

Answer 20

…the preceding word already has an accent (either circumflex or grave) on its ultima.

The preceding word will remain unchanged except that its accent, if grave, will become acute; e.g., ὑπὸ σκηνῇ εἰσι or μῑκρός γε.

_ _ ´ + _ _ / _  
_ _ ῀ + _ _ / _

Question 21

The accent of an enclitic will be given to the ultima of the preceding word when….

Answer 21

…the preceding word has an acute on its antepenult or a circumflex on its penult.
- the preceding word will receive a second accent (acute) on its ultima; e.g., ἄνθρωπός ἐστι or δῶρόν γε.

´ _ ´ + _ _ / _  

_ ῀ ´ + _ _ / _  

e _ ´ + _ _ / _  

e p ´ + _ _ / _

Question 22

The accent of an enclitic will appear on the ultima of the enclitic when….

Answer 22

…the enclitic has two syllables and the preceding word has an acute on its penult.

• the accent will be an acute if it is above a short vowel, a circumflex if it is above a long vowel or diphthong, (e.g., φίλη εἰμί or φίλων τινῶν).
• an acute on the enclitic’s ultima behaves predictably and becomes a grave if there is no punctuation between the enclitic and the next word

The accent of a one-syllable enclitic will vanish (e.g., φίλη γε).

_ ´ _ + _ ´sht 

_ ῀ _ + _ ῀lng

Question 23

Accent of an enclitic when the preceding word is elided

Answer 23

There is one other situation in which a two-syllable enclitic must be accented: if the preceding word is elided (e.g., δ’ ἐστί).

This rule theoretically applies to one-syllable enclitics as well, but there are no one-syllable enclitics that begin with a vowel except the indirect reflexive third-person singular pronouns οὗ, οἷ, ἕ, and they are not taught in this textbook.

Question 24

The present third-person singular ἐστί(ν) sometimes stops behaving like an enclitic when…

Answer 24

… for greater emphasis, it takes an acute accent on its penult: ἔστι(ν).
This happens:

• whenever it is the first word in a sentence, when it means “there exists” or “it is possible”
• when it is preceded by ἀλλ’, καί, μή, or οὐκ; e.g., οὐκ ἔστιν

Question 25

λύω, λύσω

Answer 25

[long υ] loosen, release, destroy [cf. analysis]

Question 26

ἀρχή

Answer 26

ἀρχή, -ῆς, ἡ beginning, power, rule, political office [cf. archetype, monarchy]

Question 27

εἰρήνη

Answer 27

εἰρήνη, -ης, ἡ peace [cf. Irene, irenic]

Question 28

λόγος

Answer 28

λόγος, -ου, ὁ word, speech, story, argument, reasoning [cf. logic]

Question 29

πόλεµος

Answer 29

πόλεµος, -ου, ὁ war [cf. polemic]

Question 30

ἐχθρός

Answer 30

ἐχθρός, -ά [long], -όν (+ dat.) hateful (to), hostile (to); (as a substantive) enemy (personal)

Question 31

πολέµιος

Answer 31

πολέµιος, -ᾱ, -ον (+ dat.) at war (with), hostile (to); (as a substantive, usually plural) enemy (in war)

Question 32

διά

Answer 32

διά (δι’) (prep. + gen.) through, throughout; (prep. + acc.) on account of (δι’ before a vowel) [cf. diagnosis, diameter]

Question 33

γε

Answer 33

γε (γ’) (enclitic particle) at least, at any rate (γ’ before a vowel).

Question 34

Meaning and use of γε

Answer 34

γε calls attention to a single word or clause and restricts the applicability of the statement to that word or clause:

• τήν γ’ εἰρήνην ἔχομεν = “we have peace at any rate [even if nothing else]”;
• ὁ βίος καλὸς ἐπεί γε τὴν εἰρήνην ἔχομεν = “life is beautiful, at least when we have peace”).

γε is generally put after the word that it emphasizes (but between an article and its noun).

If it affects a whole clause, it is put after the conjunction at the start of that clause. It often has an ironic nuance.