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The Verb: Past Tenses: Imperfect
| Synopsis | Augment | Imperfect |
| Endings | Active & Middle | ei0mi/ |
| Examples | Exercises | ******** |
| Synopsis
|
| The present active pau&w
translates I stop (momentary) or I am stopping (continuous),
and similarly the future active pau&sw translates I shall stop or I shall be stopping.
|
| In past tenses the two aspects are
distinguished:
|
| the imperfect e0pau&on
translates I was stopping (continuous) and the aorist e1pau&sa
I stopped (momentary).
|
| The perfect is not, in Greek, a true
past tense, but refers to a present state resulting from a past action, so
pole/moio pe/paumai of Achilles who stopped
fighting and still keeps himself out of the war.
|
| The pluperfect is a past perfect,
i.e. for a past state resulting from an action further back, and is rarely
used.
|
|
|
A past tense is immediately recognised from
the past-marker or augment, an initial e0-
added as a prefix before the verb stem, with the past endings added as a
suffix, so:
|
| If however the verb stem already begins with
a short vowel, this is lengthened for the augment.
|
| a
|
>
|
h
|
a!gw
|
I lead
|
h}gon
|
I was leading
|
|
| e | > | h | e0qe/lw | I wish | h!qelon | I was wishing | |
|
|
or
|
ei
|
(sometimes)
|
e1xw
|
I have
|
ei]xon
|
I had
|
| i
|
>
|
i
|
(short to long)
|
i9keteu&w
|
I plead
|
i9ke/teuon
|
I was pleading
|
| o
|
>
|
w
|
o)noma&zw
|
I name
|
w)no&mazon
|
I was naming
|
|
| u
|
>
|
u
|
(short to long)
|
u(bri/zw
|
I insult
|
u#brizon
|
I was insulting
|
|
|
| i in the diphthongs ai- oi- goes subscript: | ||
| ai9re/w | I take | h#|roun |
| oi0ke/w | I live, dwell | w!|koun |
|
h, w, ou, ei stay unchanged |
| r(- doubles after augment: | ||
|
r(i/ptw |
I throw |
e1rripton |
| In compound verbs the augment is
after the preposition and next to the verb stem:
|
||
| prosbai/nw | I approach | prose/bainon |
| ei0sbai/nw | I enter | ei0se/bainon |
| The e-
of the augment is so important that it takes precedence over a final -a
or -o of the preposition, so:
|
||
| a)pobai/nw | I go away from | a)pe/bainon |
| katabai/nw
|
I go down
|
kate/bainon
|
| e0kbai/nw | I leave | e0ce/bainon |
|
|
| Past Tenses: (i) The Imperfect:
|
| The imperfect tense is used for an action continued or repeated in the past, or for a state of affairs holding over
an indefinite period in the past.
|
|
e1grafe |
he was writing |
| he repeatedly wrote | |
| he was going to write | |
| he started to write |
| The imperfect tense is
made from augment + verb stem + endings
|
||||||
| Endings: | 1st. s. | 2nd. s. | 3rd. s. | 1st. pl. | 2nd. pl. | 3rd. pl. |
|
active*: |
-on | -ej | -e | -omen | -ete | -on |
|
middle: |
-omhn | -ou | -eto | -omeqa | -esqe | -onto |
| *Note: |
| In the active the endings are the same for I and they; the meanings have to be understood from the context. |
| These endings are important because they are
also used (on a different stem) for the strong aorist.
|
| The following is the pattern of the Imperfect
Active and Middle
|
| active | middle | middle verb | ||||
|
I wanted |
||||||
| e1luon | e0luo&mhn | e0boulo&mhn | ||||
| e1luej | e0lu&ou | e0bou&lou | ||||
| e1lue(n) | e0lu&eto | e0bou&leto | ||||
| e0lu&omen | e0luo&meqa | e0boulo&meqa | ||||
| e0lu&ete | e0lu&esqe | e0bou&lesqe | ||||
| e1luon
|
e0lu&onto
|
e0bou&lonto
|
||||
|
|
||||||
| -a- verb |
-a- middle |
|||||
|
qea&omai I was watching
|
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| a | + | e / h | > | a | e0qew&mhn | |
| a | + | ei | > | a| | e0qew~ | |
| a | + | o / ou | > | w | e0qea~to | |
| e0qew&meqa | ||||||
| e0qea~sqe | ||||||
| e0qew~nto
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
| -e- verb |
-e- middle |
|||||
|
fobe/omai I was afraid
|
||||||
| e | + | e | > | ei | e0fobou&mhn | |
| e | + | o | > | ou | e0fobou~ | |
| e0fobei=to | ||||||
| e0fobou&meqa | ||||||
| e0fobei=sqe | ||||||
| e0fobou~nto
|
||||||
|
|
| The common irregular verb ei0mi/
I am has only one past tense, and that is the imperfect:
|
|||
| h}n (h} ) | I was | ||
| h}sqa | you were | ||
| h}n
|
he was
|
||
| h}men | we were | ||
| h}te | you were | ||
| h}san
|
they were
|
||
| Imperfect Active and Middle: Examples
|
|
Present |
||
| a)gw& | I lead | |
| fe/reij | you carry | |
| gra&fousi | they are writing | |
| ai9rou~si | they take | |
| katabai/nei | he goes down | |
| boulo&ntai
|
they want
|
|
|
Imperfect |
||
| h}gon | I was leading | |
| e1ferej | you were carrying | |
| e1grafon | they were writing | |
| h|#roun | they were taking | |
| katebai/ne | he was going down | |
| e0bou&lonto | they wanted |
|
ou)k e0feu&gen a)ll' a)ei/ e0ma&xeto. |
| He did not used to run
away but always fought.
|
| oi9 me\n e1diwkon, oi9 de\ ei3ponto. |
| Some were pursuing, others
following.
|
| Imperfect Active and Middle: Exercises |
10(i)
| Put into the present middle, and
imperfect active and middle:
|
|||
| p.m. | i.a. | i.m. | |
| lu&omen | |||
| pau&ei | |||
| fe/rousi | |||
| pe/mpw | |||
| pei/qousi | |||
|
Now check your ANSWERS here. |
10(ii)
|
Translate:
|
|||
| eu!xontai | h)u&xonto | ||
| e0rga&zomai | ei0rgazo&mhn | ||
| poreuo&meqa | e0porou&omeqa | ||
| fobei=tai | e0fobei=to | ||
| ei], e0ste/ | h}sqa, h}te | ||
|
Now check your ANSWERS here. |
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