Ancient Greek for Everyone:
A New Digital Resource for
Beginning Greek
Unit 2 part 2:
Six Common Greek Verbs
2013 edition
Wilfred E. Major
wmajor@lsu.edu
Ancient Greek for Everyone
This class
AGE Unit 2: Six Common Greek Verbs
• You have learned the basics of building and parsing a
Greek verb and seen the model (“paradigm” in
Greek) of δείκνυμι.
• This section presents six very common Greek verbs,
all of which are built like δείκνυμι. Following the
general Greek principle of spelling words like they
sound, these words do show some changes according
to the way they were pronounced.
Ancient Greek for Everyone
Six Common Greek Verbs
• The six verbs in this lesson are:
–
–
–
–
–
–
εἰμί be
φημί say
δίδωμι give
τίθημι put, make
ἵστημι stand
ἵημι throw
Ancient Greek for Everyone
Building a Greek verb
• The most common verb in Greek is the verb “be.”
• In most languages, the verb “be” is very common but also
tends to be irregular from constant use.
• Consider the present tense indicative of “be” in English:
Ancient Greek for Everyone
• I am
• We are
• You are
• Y’all are
• (S)he/it is
• They are
Building a Greek Verb
The Present Indicative Active of “be” in English
Ancient Greek for Everyone
Six Common Greek Verbs
• As always, a Greek verb builds out from its stem, which
designates what action the verb describes:
εσ = “be”
• Recall the endings in the present indicative active that
indicate person and number:
• -μι = I (1st person singular)
• -ς = you (2nd person singular)
• -σι = (s)he, it (3rd person sing)
-μεν = we (1st person plural)
-τε = y’all (2nd person plural)
-ασι = they (3rd person plural)
Ancient Greek for Everyone
• εἰμί
– I am
• εἶ
– You are
• ἐστί
– (S)he/it is
• ἐσμέν
– We are
• ἐστέ
– Y’all are
• εἰσί
– They are
Present infinitive active: εἶναι
Building a Greek Verb
The Present Indicative Active of εἰμί
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The Trouble with Sigma
• Since the verb εἰμί has a stem ending in a -σ, contractions
and irregularities in pronunciation (and spelling) result.
• In this case,
– ἐσμι  εἰμι
– ἐσς  εἰ
– ἐσντι  εἰσι (see next slide for details)
– ἐσναι  εἰναι
• Notice that, effectively, an -ε- replaces the σ (remember that ε + ε = ει).
Greek does this in order to eliminate the sigma without shortening the
word. This process, called “compensatory lengthening,” is a common way
to eliminate sigma in words.
Ancient Greek for Everyone
Building a Greek verb
• The most unusual form of εἰμί is the 3rd person singular
present indicative active, ἐστι.
• The ending –τι is actually the original 3rd person singular
present indicative active ending, but εἰμί was the only verb in
Classical Greek which retained the old form.
• Like any word ending in –σι, however, it can add a –ν
movable: ἐστίν.
• Similarly, the 3rd person plural present indicative active ending
was originally –ντι, so εἰσι is the end result of simplifying
*ἐσντι.
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Placing the accent:
– Recall that, for most Greek words, the “recessive” rule
determines the placement of the accent.
– For the verb εἰμί, however, only the 2nd person singular
present indicative active follows the rule: έἐ  εἶ.
– In the present infinitive active, as often, the Greeks
pronounced the ending –αι quickly enough that they
considered it a short sound: έἰναι  εἶναι.
– All the other forms were pronounced as suffixes to the
words that preceded them. Such words are called “enclitic,”
meaning they “lean on” the preceding word for their accent.
Ancient Greek for Everyone
Placing the accent:
– “Enclitic” means a word “leans on” the preceding word
for its accent.
– If the preceding word has an acute two syllables back
or a circumflex one syllable back, it adds an acute
accent on its last syllable (as if the whole combination
were again being accented recessively; all the enclitic
forms of εἰμί have two syllables, the last one being
short).
• Ἕλληνές ἐσμεν. (= Ἕλληνέσεσμεν)
– “We are Greeks.”
• παῖδές ἐσμεν. (= πάὶδέσεσμεν )
– “We are children.”
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Placing the accent:
– “Enclitic” means a word “leans on” the preceding word
for its accent.
– Otherwise, the enclitic form carries its own accent (an
acute on the final syllable).
• φίλοι ἐσμέν.
– “We are friends.”
• ἀδελφοί ἐσμέν.
– “We are brothers.”
• βασιλεῖς ἐσμέν.
– “We are kings.”
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Placing the accent:
– Sometimes a Greek will accent ἐστι recessively: ἔστι.
– This can be to emphasize that something exists or serve as
the equivalent of “there is…”
– ἔστιν ἡ ἀλήθεια. “The Truth exists.”
– οὐκ ἔστιν. “No there isn’t!”
Ancient Greek for Everyone
Six Common Greek Verbs
• φημί say
– Greeks have always liked to talk a lot, so it is no surprise
that this is a very common verb. Normally, it indicates a
direct quotation (effectively serving as a quotation mark).
– The verb has the stem φη-.
– The long stem vowel shortens in the plural forms.
– So in the plural, the stem becomes φα-
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• φημί
• φαμέν
– I say
– We say
• φῄς
• φατέ
– You say
– Y’all say
• φησί
• (φαασι ) φασί
– (S)he/it says
– They say
Present infinitive active: φάναι
Building a Greek Verb
The Present Indicative Active of φημί
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Placing the accent:
– As with the verb εἰμί, the present indicative active
forms of φημί, except the 2nd person singular, are
enclitic.
• ὡς οἱ Ἕλληνές φασιν, … (= Ἕλληνέσφασιν)
– As the Greeks say, “...
• καί φησίν, …
– And he says, “…
Ancient Greek for Everyone
Six Common Greek Verbs
•
•
•
•
δίδωμι give
τίθημι put, make
ἵστημι stand
ἵημι throw
• The other four verbs in this lesson all have two
features in common:
– To mark the present tense, they double the initial sound
of their stem.
– Their stems all end in a long vowel, which shortens in
the plural forms (as with φημί).
Ancient Greek for Everyone
Six Common Greek Verbs
• The verb “give” has the stem δω-:
–
–
–
–
The present tense doubles the initial sound of the stem.
So in the present, the stem becomes διδωThe long stem vowel shortens in the plural forms.
So in the plural, the stem becomes διδο-
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• δίδωμι
• δίδομεν
– I give
– We give
• δίδως
• δίδοτε
– You give
– Y’all give
• δίδωσι
• διδόασι
– (S)he/it gives
– They give
Present infinitive active: διδόναι
Building a Greek Verb
The Present Indicative Active of δίδωμι
Ancient Greek for Everyone
Six Common Greek Verbs
• The verb “put, make” has the stem θη-:
– The present tense doubles the initial sound of the stem.
• Greek does not allow aspirated consonants in consecutive syllables.
– So in the present, the stem becomes (θιθη- ) τιθη– The long stem vowel shortens in the plural forms.
– So in the plural, the stem becomes τιθε-
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• τίθημι
• τίθεμεν
– I put, make
• τίθης
– We put, make
• τίθετε
– You put, make
• τίθησι
– Y’all put, make
• τιθέασι
– (S)he/it puts, makes
– They put, make
Present infinitive active: τιθέναι
Building a Greek Verb
The Present Indicative Active of τίθημι
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Six Common Greek Verbs
• The verb “stand” has the stem στη-:
– The present tense doubles the initial sound of the stem.
• The Trouble with Sigma: The sigma here does not double.
– So in the present, the stem becomes (σιστη- ) ἱστη– The long stem vowel shortens in the plural forms.
– So in the plural, the stem becomes ἱστα-
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• ἵστημι
• ἵσταμεν
– I stand
– We stand
• ἵστης
• ἵστατε
– You stand
• ἵστησι
– Y’all stand
• (ἱστάασι ) ἱστᾶσι
– (S)he/it stands
– They stand
Present infinitive active: ἱστάναι
Building a Greek Verb
The Present Indicative Active of ἵστημι
Ancient Greek for Everyone
Six Common Greek Verbs
• The verb “throw” has the stem ἡ-:
– The present tense doubles the initial sound of the stem.
• Doubling the stem is a problem.
– So in the present, the stem becomes ἱη– The long stem vowel shortens in the plural forms.
– So in the plural, the stem becomes ἱε-
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• ἵημι
• ἵεμεν
– I throw
– We throw
• ἵης
• ἵετε
– You throw
– Y’all throw
• ἵησι
• (ἱέασι ) ἱᾶσι
– (S)he/it throws
– They throw
Present infinitive active: ἱέναι
Building a Greek Verb
The Present Indicative Active of ἵημι
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Examples of Vocabulary entries:
• δίδωμι give
– ἀποδίδωμι give back
– παραδίδωμι hand over, deliver
• εἰμί be
– πάρειμι be present
• ἵημι throw
– ἀφίημι let go, allow, forgive
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Examples of Vocabulary entries:
• ἵστημι stand
– ἀνίστημι raise, appoint
– καθίστημι set down, establish
– παρίστημι present
• τίθημι put, make
– ἐπιτίθημι put on
– προστίθημι add to
• φημί say
Ancient Greek for Everyone
Unit 2 Vocabulary: DCC Classical
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
ἀποδίδωμι give back
ἀπόλλυμι kill, destroy
ἀφίημι let go, allow
δείκνυμι show
δίδωμι give
εἰμί be
ἵημι throw
ἵστημι stand
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Unit 2 Vocabulary: DCC Classical
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
καθίστημι set down, establish
μίγνυμι mix
παραδίδωμι hand over, deliver
πάρειμι be present
προστίθημι add to
τίθημι put, make
φημί say
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Unit 2 Vocabulary: NT (New Testament)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
ἀνίστημι raise, appoint
ἀποδίδωμι give back
ἀπόλλυμι kill, destroy
ἀφίημι forgive, allow
δίδωμι give
εἰμί be
ἐπιτίθημι put on
Ancient Greek for Everyone
Unit 2 Vocabulary: NT (New Testament)
•
•
•
•
•
ἵστημι stand
παραδίδωμι hand over, deliver
παρίστημι present
τίθημι put, make
φημί say
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Building a Greek verb
• Some of the verbs in the vocabulary have prefixes:
– ἀνίστημι (ἀνα + ἵστημι) raise, appoint
– ἀποδίδωμι (ἀπο + δίδωμι) give back
– ἀφίημι (ἀπο + ἵημι) let go, allow, forgive
– ἐπιτίθημι (ἐπι + τίθημι) put on
– καθίστημι (κατα + ἵστημι) set down, establish
– παραδίδωμι (παρα + δίδωμι) hand over, deliver
– πάρειμι (παρα + εἰμί) be present
– παρίστημι (παρα + ἵστημι) present
– προστίθημι (προς + τίθημι) add το
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Unit 2 Vocabulary: No!
• οὐ, οὐκ, οὐχ no, not
• οὔ by itself is accented and says, “No!”
• Normally οὐ bears no accent and negates an indicative verb.
– οὐ δείκνυμι. I do not show.
• Before a word starting with a vowel, it adds a -κ to make
pronunciation easier.
– οὐκ ἀφίημι. I do not forgive.
• Before a word starting with a vowel and aspiration, the -κ
becomes -χ:
– οὐχ ἵημι. I do not throw.
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Unit 2 Vocabulary: No!
• οὐ, οὐκ, οὐχ no, not
• Verbs in the infinitive mood use a different word to express
“not”: μή
– δίδωμι ὑμεῖς παρεῖναι. I give (= allow) y’all to be present.
– οὐ δίδωμι ὑμεῖς παρεῖναι. I do not allow y’all to be present.
– δίδωμι ὑμεῖς μὴ παρεῖναι. I allow y’all not to be present.
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Unit 2 Vocabulary: Core
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
ἀποδίδωμι give back
ἀπόλλυμι kill, destroy
ἀφίημι let go, allow
δίδωμι give
εἰμί be
ἵστημι stand
παραδίδωμι hand over, deliver
τίθημι put, make
φημί say
οὐ, οὐκ, οὐχ, μή no, not
Ancient Greek for Everyone
• Next
– practice with verbs
• The practice sheet provides forms of verbs. We will
draw forms at random from a hat, and you need to (1)
say the word out loud (2) parse the form (3) translate it
into English and (4) choose the correct form of the “not”
for the verb form that you have drawn.
– start AGE Unit 3: Introduction to Greek nouns.