The Basics of Koine Greek Verbs

Parts that make up a verb

(Reduplication +) or (Augment +) Tense Stem + (Tense formative +) Connecting vowel (which may lengthen) + Personal ending (primary or secondary).

The participle requires a participle morpheme + case ending and imperative requies an imperative morpheme.

The Verb

Person:

Every verb has a person, therefore an expressed subject is not required.

First: ἐγὠ, εἰμί (I, we)

Second: συ, εἶ (you, thou)

Third: αὐτός, λόγος (he, she, it)

Number:

Singular (He reads)

Plural (They laugh)

Time:

Refers to the action of the verb: these are past, present or future.

Tense:

Refers to the form of the verb — it carries two notions: (1) form of the word and (2) time of action. It is best to speak of tense in terms of the form of the verb, not the time.

Imperfect: only in indicative mood expressing linear action in past time — an action that use to occur in the past

Present: action in present time, or ongoing action

Future: action that will occur in the future

Aorist: indefinite stating the fact of an action with no duration, 1) inceptive, 2) constative, 3) cuminative

Perfect Active: an action that has been fully completed. In the indicative it describes and action that has been brought to a completion and whose effect is still being felt.

Perfect Middle: The action in some ways affects the subject (c.f. active — subject does the action; passive — subject receives the action)

Aorist Passive: Future event time undefined ("I will be graded")

Pluperfect: An action that was completed and whose effects are felt at a time after the completion but before the time of the speaker.

Future perfect: An action about to be completed.

Aspect:

The type of action the verb describes, so is related to, but not the same as tense; it is how the speaker views the action (in the most). When teaching English this characteristic is usually not discussed as such. English aspects are: simple, continuous (sometimes called progressive), perfect and perfect continuous. Initially in Greek we learn: undefined or simple (an event - it may or may not still be in progress - He played) and continuous (an ongoing process) - He is playing. Wallace suggests the following aspects Internal (progressive), Eternal (summary) and (Perfect-Stative ie completed). Another view is shown below:

 
present
past
future
Completed
I walk
I walked
I will walk
Continuous
I am walking
I was walking
I will be walking
       

Voice: deals with who does the action

Active: the subject does the action

Passive: the subject receives the action

Middle: the action in some ways affects the subject

Mood: relates the verb to reality

Indicative: (bounded) describes something that is rather than might be i.e. the mood of reality, it therefore has no time significance — only aspect is significant. It can be present i.e. continuous or aorist i.e. undefined.

Subjunctive: (arranged beneath) describes something that might or may be i.e. is the mood of possibility

Imperative: (commanded) used to make a command in the present to aorist tense.

Infinitive: (not indicated) a verbal noun, has tense (present, aorist, perfect) and voice, but no person or number. They often complete important ideas.

Participle: (sharing) a verbal adjective, has tense and voice, and is similar to adding "ing" to words "sweeping". It can behave as an adverb (never has an article) with the action directed towards the verb, or as an adjective (attributive, substantive or predicate) — may have an article), where it modifies a noun or pronoun or functions like a noun.

Principal Parts of the Verb

Principal Parts of the Verb

1
Present
λύω ἀποστέλλω
2
Future active
λύσω ἀποστελῶ
3
Aorist active
ἔλυσα ἀπεστειλα
4
Perfect Active
λέλυκα ἀπέσταλκα
5
Perfect Middle
λέλυμαι ἀπέσταλμαι
6
Aorist/Future Passive
ἐλύθην ἀπεστάλην
7
(Imperfect)
ἔλυον  

 

Abbreviations used in parsing

Note that this is just one scheme - various other exist, some not so intuitive.

Person, Tense, Mood, Voice — Case, Number, Gender, Comparison or
Person, Mood, Tense, Voice — Gender, Number, Case, Comparison (V-AAP-MSN)
Parts of Speech
Mood
Number
V – Verb
I – Indicative
S – Singular
N – Noun
M – Imperative
P – Plural
Adv – Adverb
S – Subjunctive
Gender
Adj – Adjective
N – Infinitive
M – Masculine
Art – Article
P – Participle
F – Feminine
Person
O – Optative
N – Neuter
1 – 1st Person
Voice
Comparison
2 – 2nd Person
A – Active
C – Comparative
3 – 3rd Person
M – Middle
S – Superlative
Tense
P – Passive
P – Present
M/P – Middle or Passive
I – Imperfect
Case
F – Future
N – Nominative
A – Aorist (2A if second)
G – Genitive
R or T – Perfect
D – Dative
L – Pluperfect
A – Accusative
R – Future Perfect
V – Vocative

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NOTE WELL: These pages do not replace texts by professional Greek Scholars. They are a summary of basic grammar for use by the Author. The Author makes no warranties of any kind, either express or implied, as to the accuracy or completement of the information provided.

Always refer to Texts authored by professional Greek Scholars

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