Ancient Greek for Everyone:A New Digital Resource for Beginning Greek

Unit 2 part 2: Six Common Greek Verbs

2013 editionWilfred E. Majorwmajor@lsu.edu

Ancient Greek for Everyone

This classAGE 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.

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Six Common Greek Verbs• The six verbs in this lesson are: – εἰμί be – φημί say– δίδωμι give – τίθημι put, make – ἵστημι stand – ἵημι throw

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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

• You are

• (S)he/it is

• We are

• Y’all are

• They are

Building a Greek VerbThe Present Indicative Active of “be” in English

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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) -μεν = we (1st person plural)

• -ς = you (2nd person singular) -τε = y’all (2nd person plural) • -σι = (s)he, it (3rd person sing) -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 VerbThe 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.

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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.

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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.”

Ancient Greek for EveryonePlacing 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!”

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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-

Ancient Greek for Everyone• φημί – I say

• φῄς– You say

• φησί– (S)he/it says

• φαμέν– We say

• φατέ– Y’all say

• (φαασι ) φασί– They say

Present infinitive active: φάναι

Building a Greek VerbThe 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, “…

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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).

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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 διδω- – The long stem vowel shortens in the plural forms. – So in the plural, the stem becomes διδο-

Ancient Greek for Everyone• δίδωμι – I give

• δίδως– You give

• δίδωσι– (S)he/it gives

• δίδομεν– We give

• δίδοτε– Y’all give

• διδόασι– They give

Present infinitive active: διδόναι

Building a Greek VerbThe Present Indicative Active of δίδωμι

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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-

Ancient Greek for Everyone• τίθημι – I put, make

• τίθης– You put, make

• τίθησι– (S)he/it puts, makes

• τίθεμεν– We put, make

• τίθετε– Y’all put, make

• τιθέασι– They put, make

Present infinitive active: τιθέναι

Building a Greek VerbThe 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-

Ancient Greek for Everyone• ἵστημι – I stand

• ἵστης– You stand

• ἵστησι– (S)he/it stands

• ἵσταμεν– We stand

• ἵστατε– Y’all stand

• (ἱστάασι ) ἱστᾶσι– They stand

Present infinitive active: ἱστάναι

Building a Greek VerbThe Present Indicative Active of ἵστημι

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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-

Ancient Greek for Everyone• ἵημι – I throw

• ἵης– You throw

• ἵησι– (S)he/it throws

• ἵεμεν– We throw

• ἵετε– Y’all throw

• (ἱέασι ) ἱᾶσι– They throw

Present infinitive active: ἱέναι

Building a Greek VerbThe 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

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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

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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

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• 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.