Indicative mood in Greek. Verb

Today our topic is the subjunctive mood in Greek.

I am often asked: what about what time should I put the verb after the particle να? The answer to this question can be said to be philosophical.

So, first, let's figure it out: where does the verb go when it is placed after να? He ends up in ΥΠΟΤΑΚΤΙΚΗ. This subjunctive mood. What kind of thing is this? In Russian we use it to express a desire like:

I want to be given a ball.

“Given” is not a past tense in this sentence. Nobody has given the ball yet. This wish exists exclusively in our head - in our imagination. And until it is implemented in practice, it has very little relation to real life. That's what it is Subjunctive mood- such virtual reality, in general.

In Greek, this area of grammar and syntax is given credit for Υποτακτική (the verb in the personal form after the particle να).

A what time in virtuality? That's right - none.

So υποτακτική has no time, but only VIEW:
imperfect and perfect.

Imperfect: Shows the duration or repetition of an action. Like this:
Θέλω να χορεύω ταγκό κάθε μέρα. — I want to dance tango every day.
Perfect view: shows the action in its completeness, completeness (once). Like this:
Θέλω να χορέψω ένα ταγκό μαζί σας τώρα! - I want to dance the same tango with you now!

Let's carefully look at the verb in υποτακτική and what do we see:

να χορεύω (υποτακτική ενεστώτα) - dance
να χορέψω (υποτακτική αορίστου) - dance

The difference is obvious.

How would it be in Russian? Υποτακτική can be translated into Russian in all sorts of different ways; for beginners it is important to know the following:

infinitive (infinitive form of the verb)
Θέλω να χορεύω τανγκό. — I want to dance tango.
complex sentence with “to”:
I want you to dance (he danced, we danced, etc.)
order, request, wish:
Να χορέψεις! - Dance!
Να είσαι καλά! - Be healthy!
Να ζήσετε! - Long life to you! (wedding wish), etc.

Here are the main verbs and expressions after which we put Υποτακτική:
θέλω - I want, μπορώ - I can, ξέρω να - I can, έχω να - I need, πάω να - I am going, λεω να - I am going, προσπαθώ - I am trying, σκέφτομαι - I think, προτιμώ - I prefer, ελπίζω - I hope, πρέπει να - I must, χρειάζεται - necessary, μου αρέσει να - I like it.

Mortgage tactics are a very flexible thing, you can do almost whatever you want with it. But there are times when she is stubborn, and can ONLY be in an imperfect or perfect form. After certain words. Everything is logical there.

ONLY in the imperfect form we put the verb after words and expressions:

αρχίζω να - I begin
μου αρέσει να - I like it
μαθαίνω να - I am learning
σταματάω να, παύω να - I stop
συνεχίζω να, εξακολουθώ να - I continue

We have ONLY the perfect form of hypotactics after the following words and expressions:

είναι ώρα να - it’s time...
ακόμα να - not yet...
έχει να - long time ago... (χρόνια έχω να σε δω - haven't seen you for a long time)
παραλίγο να - almost...
περιμένω να - I’m waiting for...
πριν, πρωτού να - before... and the like.

In general, he can and can do MUCH more than what is listed above. It is practically rubber, and you will be familiar with its other capabilities for a long time - even at advanced levels.

A verb expresses an action or state and denotes them in the categories of voice, person, number, tense, mood. In sentences, verbs are predicates.

Active voice means that the action comes from the subject ( boy sees a book). The passive voice indicates that the action is directed to the subject (in the nominative case) ( work is done).

When conjugated, verbs change person, number, tense and mood (for Russian verbs in the past tense and subjunctive mood, unlike Greek ones, gender also changes). The person and number show who or what, one or more, performs the action. All these features are characteristic of both Russian and Greek verbs. However, Greek verbs also have their own characteristics, some of which, inherited from the Indo-European base, were also in the ancient Russian language, but disappeared as it developed. Until the end of the XIII - beginning of the XIV centuries. Russian verbs used past tenses characteristic of the Greek language: aorist, imperfect, plus-quaperfect, which were later supplanted by one past tense, which developed on the basis of the perfect.

Some Greek verbs are not used in all tenses or in all forms and are therefore called insufficient. If you need to express the action conveyed by them, then for the missing tenses they use synonyms of the verb. This phenomenon helps to understand why some tenses of irregular verbs are formed from a different stem - it may indicate a different, synonymous root.

Greek verb be conjugates as follows

Some verbs are conjugated with special features. First of all, this applies to verbs ending in -mi:

Verb give

When conjugated, present tense verbs have the following endings (the connecting vowels are omicron before mu and nu or epsilon in other cases):

The medial voice corresponds to the reflexive form of verbs in Russian and means that the action occurs in one’s own interests. It is formed using endings that are also used for the passive voice:

Some verbs exist only in the medial passive form, but have a meaning that must be translated into the active voice. Such verbs are called deferential, since their meaning is, as it were, separated (delayed) from the sign of the grammatical passive form (passive voice).

Present tense (praesens)

Confluent verbs in-έw.

Merge Rules

Confluent verbs in omicron.

Merge Rules

Present tense (medial voice)

The imperfect (past tense of the imperfect form) was inherited from the Proto-Indo-European language, and in addition to Greek, it also passed into all Slavic languages. However, later all East Slavic languages, including Old Russian, lost it. The imperfect denotes an action in the past, long-term, sometimes repeated, but not limited to some period of the past, some period of time.

The imperfect has two characteristics: at the beginning of a verb that begins with a consonant, the vowel letter epsilon appears. In addition, all verbs have endings that do not quite coincide with the present tense:

If the verb begins with a vowel: a > h, e > h, o > w. These vowels sound almost the same, but longer - lengthened. In diphthongs, only the first sound is lengthened: ai > ῃ, oi > ῳ, au > hu.

For verbs with prefixes, the increment does not appear in front (i.e., not before the prefix), but before the root (i.e., between the prefix and the stem). In this case, the last vowel of the prefix appears not before the consonant, as before, but before the vowel and therefore falls out (as unnecessary, for euphony). Exceptions are the prefixes pro-, peri-, where the last vowel does not change.

The verb to have (ἔcw) takes the form eἴcon.

Imperfect verb be

Middle (medial) and passive imperfect voice. Before endings, verbs in this tense have the same increment (epsilon before consonants or lengthening of vowels) as in the past tense of the active voice.

The endings are added using the same connecting vowels as in the medial and passive voice of the present tense. These connecting vowels interact in fused verbs according to the rules of merging.

Imperfect past tense

Passive voice. Imperfect past tense

Active voice

Medial pledge

Aorist is a past tense form that is inherited from the Proto-Indo-European language. Besides Greek, it was used in all Slavic languages, including Old Russian, but all East Slavic languages have lost it. The aorist was used to denote an action committed in the past, which was considered completely completed.

In Greek, as well as in Old Russian and Old Church Slavonic, there were two forms of the aorist. The sigmatic (or first) aorist before the endings had the suffix sigma (in Old Russian - the sound s), which interacted with other sounds, causing the vowels to lengthen. In some verbs, the aorist is formed from another stem (the so-called second aorist).

The first aorist of the active and middle voices.

In many verbs, the aorist is formed using the suffix -sa and an increment. Increment for verbs that begin with a vowel and for verbs with prefixes occurs according to the rules of the imperfect past tense. If the verb begins with a vowel: a > h, e > h, o > w. These vowels sound almost the same, but longer - lengthened. In diphthongs, only the first sound is lengthened: ai > ῃ, oi > ῳ, au > hu. For verbs with prefixes, the increment does not appear in front (i.e., not before the prefix), but before the root (i.e., between the prefix and the stem). In this case, the last vowel of the prefix appears not before the consonant, as before, but before the vowel and therefore falls out (as unnecessary, for euphony). Exceptions are the prefixes pro-, peri-, where the last vowel does not change.

First aorist active voice

First middle voice aorist

The interaction of stem consonants with sigma occurs according to the rules

In continuous verbs, the stem vowel lengthens: pure alpha ceases to be pure; alpha impure > h; e > h; o > w. Exceptions: the stem vowel in verbs is not lengthened: gelάw > ἐgέlasa kalέw > ἐkάlesa. Examples:

Irregular verbs: carry jέrw - ἤnhgka (ἤnegkon) give dίdwmi - ἔdwka (ἔdomen)

proclaim ἀggέllw - ἤggeila.

Second aorist (asigmatic – AoristII) active and middle voice. For many common (irregular) verbs, it is formed from a special stem (indicated in the dictionary, it must be remembered) using an increment in front (as in the simple past tense - imperfect) and the ending of the simple past tense (imperfect). As in the imperfect, in the aorist verbs can be used in the active or medial voice.

Increment for verbs that begin with a vowel and for verbs with prefixes occurs according to the rules of the simple past tense.

Second aorist active

Second aorist medial

Verbs in the aorist (II)

Verb	Aorist	Verb	Aorist
run away		speak lέgw
take lambάnw		watch ὁrάw
know gignώskw		have ἔcw
find eὑrίskw		endure pάscw
take aἱrέw		lead ἄgw

Aorist (I–II) passive voice.

Aorist I is formed using a suffix and endings

In continuous verbs, the stem vowel is lengthened before -J-.

Aorist II in the passive has the same endings, but they are added directly to the aorist stem without the suffix J.

Verb	Aorist passive	Verb	Aorist passive
take lambάnw		listen to ἀkoύw
know gignώskw		give dίdwmi
find eὑrίskw		carry jέrw
take aἱrέw		wish boύlomai
speak lέgw		remember mimnήskw
watch ὁrάw		teach didάskw
lead ἄgw		throw bάllw

The perfect is a past tense form that is inherited from the Proto-Indo-European language both in Greek and in all Slavic languages, including Old Russian. In modern West Slavic languages it has survived to this day. The perfect expresses an action in the present, which became possible as a result of some other action in the past ( I came, those. I walked and now I’ve arrived. Russian verb walked used here with the prefix (came), thanks to which he gets a perfect look when answering a question what to do. So, in fact, with the Greek more complex system of tenses and the simplification of the same system as the Russian language developed, it became possible to convey the perfect using another verbal feature typical of the Russian language - aspect).

The perfect is formed with the help of special endings from a special stem. According to the general rules, the initial consonant sound of the root is doubled and added in front of the previous root with the help of the connecting vowel epsilon.

If the root begins not with a consonant, but with a vowel, then this vowel is often not doubled, but simply lengthened (only sometimes it is repeated with lengthening). If a root begins with more than one consonant, then instead of doubling, sometimes an increment occurs. In fused verbs, in addition to doubling the consonant, the last vowel of the stem is lengthened. Some verbs form the perfect stem in a completely different way, so it is better to memorize it from the dictionary.

Verb	Perfect	Verb	Perfect
run away		have ἔcw
take lambάnw		endure pάscw
teach didάskw		carry jέrw
know gignώskw		give dίdwmi
find eὑrίskw		lead ἄgw
to be born gίgnomai		call kalw
wish Jέlw		listen to ἀkoύw
take aἱrέw		do prάttw
speak lέgw		exercise gumnάzw
watch ὁrάw

Perfect endings

The plusquaperfect (literally: “more than perfect”) is also inherited from the Proto-Indo-European language both in Greek and in all Slavic languages, including Old Russian. The plus quaperfect is used to denote an action that occurred before another action that happened in the past.

This tense is formed from the base of the perfect, but, as in the simple past tense, it has an increment.

Verb endings

Medial-passive forms of PLQPF are formed by attaching the usual medial-passive endings of the simple past tense to the perfect stem of the verb, without connecting vowels.

However, in practice, these endings in the perfect and PLQPF look different for each verb, since the rule applies - the sigma between consonants disappears, therefore, for verbs with a perfect base on a consonant -sJe > Je, -sJai > Jai. After this, the interaction of the last consonant of the stem with endings begins according to the rules:

b, p, j + s > y-

b, p, j + m > mm- (< -bm-, -pm-, -jm-)

b, p, j + t > pt- (< -bt-, -jt-)

b, p, j + J > jJ- (< -bJ-, -pJ-)

g, k, c + s > x-

g, k, c + m > gm- (< -km-, -cm-)

g, k, c + t > kt- (< -gt-, -ct-)

g, k, c + J > cJ- (< -gJ-, -kJ-)

d, t, J + s > s- (< -ds-, -ts-, -Js-)

d, t, J + m > sm- (< -dm-, -tm-, -Jm-)

d, t, J + t > st- (< -dt-, -tt-, -Jt-)

d, t, J + J > sJ- (< -dJ-, -tJ-, -JJ-)

Future tense. The future tense is formed using the sigma suffix and regular endings.

Active voice

An indefinite form (infinitive) is also formed: the suffix sigma -sein is added before the usual ending.

Middle voice

As with fused verbs, the rules of fusion apply, but now not between the vowels of the base and the suffix or ending, but between the consonants of the base and the sigma suffix. Therefore, at first glance it may seem that the future tense is formed from a different base.

Merge Rules

In continuous verbs, the stem vowel is lengthened. Alpha that is pure ceases to be pure. Alpha unclean > h e > h o > w. Exceptions: the stem vowel in verbs is not lengthened: gelάw > gelάsw kalέw > kalέsw

Future verb tense be

Some verbs in the present tense have an active form, but in the future tense they exist only in the medial passive voice. But when translated into Russian, this is not expressed (in Russian you can say: “I’m going” or: “and I’m going, I’m going” - the same shade of return, action in one’s own interests is present in the Greek grammatical form) .

Irregular verbs in the future tense have a special stem

lέgw > ἐrῶ	jέrw > oἴsw
dίdwmi > dώsw	ἀggέllw > ἀggelῶ
ἐJέlw > ἐJelήsw	prάttw > prάxw

The imperative mood (imperativus) expresses an urge or order to do something. With a negative particle mή, it naturally expresses a prohibition on an action, a request or a call not to do it. This mood exists for verbs of the present tense of active and medial-passive voices, aorist active, separately middle and separately passive voices, perfect active and medial-passive voices.

The imperative is formed using special endings for the 2nd and 3rd person singular and plural. The speaker wishes that You or you, he or They did something ( do it, do it!). About himself (i.e. in the 1st person), as in Russian, he says in the indicative mood: I want to do or in the subjunctive: I would like, but is unlikely to say: let me do it.

Endings of the imperative.

Active voice praesens

Imperative forms for verbs be

Some irregular verbs have imperative endings that are the same or similar to the verb be.

Singular		Plural
Medial passive voice praesens

(he she it)
Active voice aoristus I

(he she it)
Medial voice aoristus I

(he she it)
Passive voice aoristus I

(he she it)
Active perfectum

(he she it)
Medial passive perfectum

(he she it)

The mood expresses the attitude towards the reality of the action that the verb conveys (real, probable, only assumed, even unreal). So far we have been talking about verbs in the indicative mood (indicativus), expressing real actions in the present, past or future. The Russian subjunctive mood expresses expected, possible or desired actions. This mood is also found in Greek (coniunctivus). But instead of a simple particle ( would), as in Russian, in Greek it is formed in a special way.

Present tense conjunctive of active and medial-passive voices of ordinary and continuous verbs. The subjunctive is used in both main and subordinate clauses. In main (independent) clauses it serves to express doubt or motivation.

To express negation in the conjunctive (as in the imperative and optative) it is not the particle oὐ that serves, but the particle mh. (In the indicative mood, it is used to express a wish that is clear that it cannot come true.)

The conjunctive is formed using long connecting vowels: - h- (instead of -e-) and -w- (instead of -o-), which add the usual endings for each voice.

Regular verbs

Confluent verbs. In fused verbs, the same merging rules apply.

Merge Rules

Singular		Plural
Active voice with -άw
	-ῶ (< άw)		-ῶmen (< άwmen)
	-ᾷV (< άῃV)		-ᾶte (< άhte)
(he she it)			-ῶsi(n) (< άwsi)
Medial passive voice with -άw
	-ῶmai (< άwmai)		-ώmeJa (< aώmeJa)
	-ᾷ (< άῃ)		-ᾶsJe (< άhsJe)
(he she it)	-ᾶtai (< άhtai)		-ῶntai (< άwntai)
Active voice in -έw
	-ῶ (< έw)		-ῶmen (< έwmen)
	-ῇV (< έῃV)		-ῆte (< έhte)
(he she it)	-ῇ (< έῃ)		-ῶsi(n) (< έwsi)

Singular		Plural
Medial passive voice with -έw
	-ῶmai (< έwmai)		-ώmeJa (< eώmeJa)
	-ῇ (< έh)		-ῆsJe (< έhsJe)
(he she it)	-ῆtai (< έhtai)		-ῶntai (< έwntai)
Active voice with -όw
	-ῶ (< όw)		-ῶmen (< όwmen)
	OῖV (< όῃV)		-ῶte (< όhte)
(he she it)	Oῖ (< όῃ)		-ῶsi(n) (< όwsi)
Medial passive voice with -όw
	-ῶmai (< όwmai)		-ώmeJa (< oώmeJa)
	Oῖ (< όῃ)		-ῶsJe (< όhsJe)
(he she it)	-ῶtai (< όhtai)		-ῶntai (< όwntai)

Meaning particlesἄn. This particle, when used with the conjunctive (subjunctive mood), conveys the meaning of generalization ( "Whoever said..."). With the indicative mood (indicative) it gives a shade of opposition ( "I would say..."). With a participle or infinitive it conveys the possibility or the opposite of reality.

Matching moods. If in the main sentence the predicate is in one of the so-called main tenses (present, perfect, future), then in the subordinate clause you need to use the subjunctive mood (conjunctive).

This rule applies most fully in goal clauses and in complement clauses, which depend on the verbs of the main clause with the sense of fear (jobέomai). Such verbs with the meaning of fear to express the unwanted (what, so as not to - "I'm afraid this won't happen") are accompanied by the preposition mή. To express what is desired (what is not - "I'm afraid it won't happen") they are accompanied by two prepositions: mή, oὐ.

In additional subordinate clauses depending on verbs in the indicative mood (indicative) in the main tenses with the meaning “to feel” or “to speak” the conjunctions ὅti ( What), ὡV ( to). After these conjunctions, the indicative mood (indicative) is also used.

If the same verbs in the main sentence were not in the main tenses, but in the so-called historical ones (the past tense of the imperfect form - imperfect, aorist, more than the past - plus quaperfect), then in subordinate clauses after the same conjunctions a non-conjunct is used -corporeal, but desirable mood (optative).

In subordinate clauses the conjunctions ἵna, ὅpwV, ὡV ( to) and ἵna mή, ὅpwV mή, ὡV mή ( so as not to).

Subjunctive verb be

The subjunctive mood (conjunctive) in the aorist is formed either with the help of a sigma (sigmatic - I aorist) or from a special stem (II aorist). In both cases, this mood uses long connecting vowels (as in the conjunctive of other tenses) and regular endings. However, unlike the aorist in the indicative mood, in the subjunctive mood the aorist does not have an increment, which makes it more similar to the present tense.

Singular		Plural
Subjunctive I of the aorist. Active voice


(he she it)
Subjunctive I of the aorist. Middle voice


(he she it)
Subjunctive I of the aorist. Passive voice


(he she it)
Conjunctive II of the aorist. Active voice


(he she it)
Conjunctive II of the aorist. Middle voice


(he she it)

The perfect conjunctiva is active. The perfect conjunctiva can be formed in two ways. The first method is to add regular endings to the perfect stem using long connecting vowels characteristic of the conjunctiva:

The second method is to combine the perfect active participle in the required gender and number with a verb be in the conjunctive:

The perfect conjunctiva is medially passive. These forms are formed by combining the perfect passive participle in the required gender and number with the verb to be in the conjunctive:

MέnoV, -mέnh, -mέnon + ὦ	Mέnoi, -mέnai, -mέna + ὦmen
MέnoV, -mέnh, -mέnon + ᾖV	Mέnoi, -mέnai, -mέna + ἦte
MέnoV, -mέnh, -mέnon + ᾖ	Mέnoi, -mέnai, -mέna + ὦsi(n)

In Greek there is another mood to express those actions that in Russian we would convey with the subjunctive mood. This is optativus - the desired mood. It is used:

1. In independent sentences to express desire (“ If only I did!»).

2. After the particle ἄn to express possibility (“ I could tell»).

3. In subordinate clauses, if historical tenses are used in the main clause (imperfect past tense - imperfect, aorist, more than past - PLQPF).

4. With the negation of mή (as well as conjunctive clauses) in subordinate clauses of the goal and in additional subordinate clauses expressing fear.

Regular verbs

Confluent verbs. Verbs to-άw. These verbs have the same merging rules: a + o = w.

Singular		Plural
Active voice
	-ῷmi (aoίhn)			-ῷmen (< aoίmen)
				-ῷte (< aoίte)
(he she it)				-ῷen (< άioen)
Medial passive voice
	-ῷmhn (< aoίmhn)		-ῷmeJa (< aoίmeJa)
	-ῷo (< άoio)		-ῷsJe (< άoisJe)
	-ῷto (< άoito)		-ῷnto (< άionto)

Verbs to-έw. These verbs have the same merging rules: e + oi = oi. Therefore, in the optative, the signs of fused verbs disappear and the endings coincide with the endings of unfused verbs.

Verbs starting with -όw. These verbs have the same merging rules: o + oi = oi. Therefore, in the optative, the signs of fused verbs disappear and the endings coincide with the endings of unfused verbs.

Optative of the active, middle and passive voice of the future tense. The future tense optative is used in indirect speech and in indirect questions after historical tenses (simple past - imperfect, aorist, long past - PLQPF).

Active voice. The rules for the formation of these forms are very simple - the future tense, as before, is denoted using the suffix sigma, and the usual endings of the optative active voice are added to it:

Middle voice. The rules for the formation of these forms are also very simple - the future tense, as before, is denoted using the suffix sigma, and the usual endings of the middle voice optative are added to it:

Passive voice. The rules for the formation of these forms are also very simple - the sign of the passive is the suffix -Je-, then the future tense, as before, is indicated using the suffix sigma, and the usual endings of the optative of the medial-passive (= middle) voice are added to it:

Optative aorist (I and II) active, middle and passive voice.

I aorist. Active voice. The rules for the formation of these forms are simple - the sign of an aorist is the usual suffix -sa-, and the endings of the optative active voice are added to it, but due to the interaction with the vowel of the suffix, the omicron disappears from these endings and only iota remains (a + oi > i).

Middle voice. The rules for the formation of these forms are also simple - the sign of an aorist remains the usual suffix -sa-, and the middle voice optative endings are added to it, but due to the interaction with the vowel of the suffix, the omicron disappears from these endings and only iota remains (a + oi > i ).

Passive voice. A sign of a passive aorist is its suffix -J-; it is joined by special optative endings, in which the omicron disappears and the iota remains.

II aorist. Active voice. The rules for the formation of these forms are very simple - the sign of an aorist is its modified stem, and the usual endings of the present tense optative of the active voice are added to it.

Middle voice. The rules for the formation of these forms are also very simple - the sign of the aorist remains its modified stem, and the usual endings of the optative present tense of the middle voice are added to it.

Passive voice. The sign of an aorist is its modified stem, which is joined by the endings of the optative of the passive voice of the first aorist:

Singular		Plural
			Eῖmen (=ίhmen)
			Eῖte (=ίhte)
	(he she it)		Eῖen (= ίhsan)

Optative perfect of active and medial passive voice. Active voice. These forms are formed in two ways. The first method (similar to the method of forming the optative of the second aorist): the usual endings of the optative of the active voice of the present tense are added to the base of the perfect.

The second method: the active optative of the present tense of the verb to be is added to the active perfect participle in the required gender and number (this method is similar to the second method of forming the active perfect in the conjunctive).

The indefinite form of the verb - the infinitive, simply indicates an action or state, without noting its time, nor its relationship to reality, nor the number of actors, nor who is speaking (the actor himself, the interlocutor or a third party). Therefore, the infinitive does not express either tense, mood, number, or person necessary for such an expression, i.e. does not have the grammatical features of the verb discussed above.

The infinitive expresses only the meaning of the aspect (imperfect or perfect: write – write; talk – say), collateral ( wash – wash, see – seem). Since, as already noted, the Russian perfect form of the verb ( do, say) conveys such an action, which in the more complex ancient system of tenses, characteristic of the ancient Greek language, was denoted by the perfect; it is natural to meet in Greek with the perfect infinitive.

But if this infinitive is quite easy to understand and translate using the Russian infinitive from a perfective verb, then understanding and translating Greek infinitives from those times that are not in the Russian language requires more attention and abstract thinking. Sometimes this will require, at least mentally and to begin with, to construct an entire subordinate clause. And then it’s worth thinking about the laws of literary translation, where cumbersome expressions are unacceptable, unless the author specifically wants to influence the reader in such a way as to tire and confuse him.

To express the perfect form of some actions (for example, talk – say) in Russian we use different stems or simply different verbs, which in other respects look like synonyms (words with different sounds and spellings, but the same meaning). This helps to understand an important phenomenon for the Greek language - the existence of a large number of verb stems (for irregular verbs or for verbs with greater or lesser features in conjugation), from which different tenses are formed.

These are the basics of the present tense, the future tense of the active and middle voice, the aorist of the active and middle voice, the perfect active voice, the perfect middle and passive voice, the aorist of the passive voice - 6 basics in total. When studying Greek in depth, they must be learned, for example, like irregular English verbs. Textbooks have special reference tables for these basics, and in dictionaries they are indicated for verbs with special conjugation features. According to the laws of the formation of these stems (similar changes in the interaction of vowels and consonants, the presence of suffixes, doubling of the stem or its completely different form, unpredictable for the student), Greek verbs are divided into several groups (classes).

A special group (IX) consists of verbs ending in -mi; for the remaining verbs, group VIII includes the most complex and irregular ones (with suppletive stems), group I includes the simplest and practically correct ones. Accordingly, the load on memory for memorizing these basics increases or decreases: the closer the verb group is to the correct one, the fewer exceptions need to be remembered and the more forms can be formed independently, knowing the rules of their formation. In reference books, when systematizing, each group is divided into several subgroups, combining verbs with stems for specific sounds or their phonetic subsets.

Understanding this requires deeper knowledge than just familiarity with the Greek alphabet and the ability to read letters. It must be remembered that Greek sounds, like Russian (as well as sounds, for example, of modern European languages), are grouped according to the type of sound formation (pronunciation) using the tongue, lips, larynx into posterior lingual (g, k, c), labial (b, p, j), front-lingual (d, t, J), etc.

As a verb, the infinitive is combined with an adverb (showing how the action is performed); with the particle ἄn (indicating possible, desirable, intended or impossible actions); after verbs meaning the transfer of thoughts, the future infinitive shows what future action this thought is expressed about (a construction like: I hope to give). The infinitive can be used in an incentive statement, acting instead of the imperative mood (a construction like: tell your relatives = you must tell your relatives = tell your relatives); can be part of a compound verbal predicate (construction like: I want to rest); in introductory sentences (construction like: how to say, how to be, to be therefore).

In compound verbal predicates, the second (non-infinitive) part of the predicate, if expressed by a name (for example, a noun or pronoun), is placed in the nominative case, being the logical subject of such a predicate. In this case, a construction like the Russian statement: I don't want to remain a debtor(by whom, with what) in Greek is used in the form: I don't want to remain in debt. In impersonal sentences with a compound verbal predicate, its nominal part is used in the accusative (in a construction like: you need to be careful(by whom, how) in Greek attentive placed in the accusative case).

The Greek infinitive can play not only the role of a verb, but also a noun. It can be the subject (constructions like Russian: lying is bad); addition (like: I want to live); definition (constructions like: willing to listen), in particular, such a definition that explains measure, quality or degree (constructions like: not the type to pretend; appointed to rectify the situation).

As a noun, the infinitive can even be accompanied by a neuter article. This infinitive with an article takes on the meaning of an abstract verbal noun of the neuter gender. To express the antithesis of this noun, you can use a negative particle (usually mή). You can diversify its use even more using prepositions ( so that, instead etc.), and you can qualitatively emphasize the verbal meaning of an action (strengthening, weakening, usefulness, etc. of an action) using an adverb (construction like: study = study - light, not study = not study - darkness, study = study well - even better). This phenomenon is called substantivization.

In Russian dictionaries, the initial form of the verb is the infinitive. This is convenient because this form consists only of the verb stem and ending, being the source for various grammatical forms (for example, speak). In Greek dictionaries it is customary to indicate verbs in the form of the 1st person singular active voice of the present tense ( I say - lέgw). From this base you need to be able to form, according to the rules, all other forms that arise when conjugating verbs; you need to be able to bring to it an unknown verb that appears in the text during translation, replacing its suffix, ending, increment (if any) with signs of this form. , doubling (if any). Only after this can you find out the meaning of the verb from the dictionary. The dictionary indicates those forms of the verb that are formed with some exceptions.

The infinitive form of verbs ends in -ein. The passive and medial infinitive ends in -esJai.

In the future tense, the infinitive adds the suffix sigma -sein before the usual ending. In the middle voice of the future tense, the infinitive before its usual ending of the middle voice of the present tense adds the suffix sigma -sesJai.

Future verb tense be(infinitive): eἶnai > ἔsesJai.

In the first aorist of the active voice the infinitive has the ending: -sai. In the first aorist of the middle voice the infinitive has the ending: -sasJai. In the aorist (I–II) passive voice, the infinitive ends -Jhnai. In the second aorist active, the infinitive has the same ending (but with a different stem) as in the present tense -ein. In the second aorist medial, the medial infinitive has the same ending (but with a different stem) as in the present tense -esJai.

The perfect is medial-passive. The infinitive is formed by adding to the same stem the ending of the passive infinitive of the present tense: -sJai.

The verb form is the participle (participium). The similarity with the verb is manifested in the fact that the participle denotes an action or state of a person or object, manifested in time ( talking, running). In this case, the participle can convey verb features of the form (perfect or imperfect: seer - seen), voice (active - active or passive - passive: reading - readable) and different times (present, past, future: speaking, speaking, saying). The difference from the verb is that the participle is not conjugated, but changes like adjectives, agreeing with the nouns. Since the participle combines the characteristics of a verb and an adjective, it is called the verbal-nominal form. Other words can be agreed with participles in the same way as they were agreed with the original verb for it (direct object: honor parents - honoring parents; adverb: speak loudly - speak loudly).

In Greek, participles may not be combined with other members of a sentence, but convey the verbal meaning of an action independently of them (the so-called absolute participle). The participle can be used with an article and substantivized, obtaining the meaning of a noun. This phenomenon also occurs in Russian. For example, when encountering the expression All students in this school have been promoted to the next grade., we forget that student- this is a participle in origin, and we take it as a noun, as a synonym for the word student.

The Greek participle as a definition can be placed either before or after the word being defined. To convey different shades of meaning of the verb, the Greek participle can be combined, like a verb, with the particle ἄn. When translating various shades of participles, sometimes it is necessary to use verbose expressions, participial or participial phrases with an infinitive. In Greek, not only compound verbs are possible, but also compound participial predicates (in Greek I want to make can be expressed with a construction like: I will do whoever wants, or unwilling those. against one's will; or keen). Sometimes participles from verbs expressing certain feelings, recognition, acquisition have to be translated into whole subordinate clauses (such as: glad to know; I'm glad I know literally in Greek such a construction would look like I rejoice who recognizes).

The passive participle of ordinary and continuous verbs in alpha is formed from the stem of the verb using the connecting vowel omicron and the masculine, feminine and neuter endings: -omenoV, -omenh, -omenon. The masculine and neuter genders are inflected according to the 2nd declension, the feminine gender – according to the 1st declension. In fused verbs, the connecting vowel before the ending changes when interacting with the vowel of the verb stem according to the rules of merging.

In the future tense of the middle voice, the suffix sigma -somenoV is added before the usual ending.

Active participles are formed from the stem of the verb by adding suffixes and endings: for the feminine gender -ousa, for the masculine gender -wn, for the neuter gender -on. Feminine participles are declined according to the 1st declension (genitive case -oushV), masculine and neuter participles are declined according to the 3rd declension (genitive case -ontoV). In fused verbs, the interaction of vowels occurs according to the previous rules of merging.

In the same way, active participles of the II aorist are formed, but from the stem of the verb in the aorist.

Active participles of the I aorist are formed using other suffixes: for the feminine gender -sasa, for the masculine gender -saV, for the neuter gender -san. Feminine participles are declined according to the 1st declension (genitive case -sashV), masculine and neuter participles are declined according to the 3rd declension (genitive case -santoV).

In the aorist (I–II) passive voice, the participles have suffixes and endings: feminine -Jeisa; masculine -JeiV; neuter -Jen. Feminine participles are inflected according to the first declension. The masculine and neuter participles are declined according to the III declension (genitive case in -JentoV).

The active participle of the future tense is formed using suffixes and endings: for the feminine gender -sousa, for the masculine gender -swn, for the neuter gender -son. Feminine participles are declined according to the 1st declension (genitive case -soushV), masculine and neuter participles - according to the 3rd declension (genitive case -sontoV). Sigma interacts with the stem of the verb according to the rules of the future tense.

Active present participle of verb give- dίdwmi: feminine - didoῦsa, oύshV; masculine - didoύV, didόntoV; neuter gender - didόn, didόntoV.

Aorist active participle of the verb to give: feminine - doῦsa, hV; masculine - doύV, dόntoV; neuter gender - dόn, dόntoV.

The perfect active participle has endings that are attached to the perfect stem: for the feminine gender -uia; for masculine gender -wV; for the neuter gender -oV. Feminine participles are declined according to the 1st declension (genitive case -uiaV), masculine and neuter participles - according to the 3rd declension (genitive case -ontoV).