VERBS

A verb is word or phrase that indicates action, state, or condition of being. The doer of the action (the subject of the sentence) is always in the nominative case. The receiver of the action (the direct object of the sentence) is normally in the accusative case but sometimes in the genitive case-due to irregularity. The noun that is concerned in the result of the action (the indirect object) takes the genitive case. For example Έδωσα του Μάρκος την καρέκλα ‘I gave to Mark the chair.’ Here chair is in the accusative and Mark in the genitive. On the other hand, there is a group of verbs, which take the genitive as the direct object. For example, τηλεφώνησα της Μαρίας ‘I phoned Maria.’ One would believe that Maria should be in the accusative but due to the verb, it is genitive. (Nevertheless, many people in Northern Greece disregard this and use the accusative case.  In actual fact, this concept is due to the influence καθαρεύουσα ‘clean/pure language’ had on the demotic dialect, which the standard is based on) The genitive main function is to show possession.  Since it is used as the case for the indirect object, it can create ambiguity. For example, Φέρνεις τη σοκολάτα του μωρού. This has two translations: ‘You bring the baby's chocolate’ and ‘You bring the chocolate for/to the baby.’ Most likely, the listener would expect the translation to be the first one. To avoid this, Greek speakers use the preposition σε ‘to.’  Therefore του μωρού will be στο μωρό, to indicate the second meaning above. The genitive case is used for the indirect object instead of the dative because the dative form of nouns and adjectives has fallen out of existence and the genitive case has absorbed most functions of the dative, which, for example, in Ancient Greece, Latin and German, is used for the indirect object.

VOICES OF VERBS

Greek has three voices: active, passive and reflexive. Greek verbs don't have an infinitive form and hence are listed in the dictionary by the form of the first person singular in the present tense. Active verbs are found in the dictionary by having the ending -ω, while the passive and reflexive voices are found by the ending -μαι. Some verbs can be in bboth the active and the passive voices, for example, ακούω (to hear) and ακούομαι (to be heard), while others can only exist in one voice such as ζώ (to live, be alive).

MOODS OF VERBS

Moods show what situation an action occurs. There are three moods in Greek: indicative, subjunctive and imperative. The indicative mood shows that something is certain or real. The subjunctive mood shows that one wants something or is waiting for something to happen. The imperative mood shows that one is giving orders or expressing desires or wishes. The imperative mood can sound a bit straightforward and thus the subjunctive mood is used to be polite.  Despite this, even angry people use the subjunctive this way. Each mood has its own endings for each person. The imperative mood only has endings for the second person and first person plural. The translation of the imperative first person plural is "let's..."

TENSES OF VERBS

The tenses of the verb tell when something is done in relation to now and/or another action. They fall under past, present or future tenses. The meanings of the tenses in the indicative mood are below.

THE PRESENT TENSES

1) "Ο ενεστώτας" (present tense). It shows that: you are doing something now; you have start something in the past and are finishing in the future; you are continuously or habitually doing something now.

2) "Ο παρακείμενος" (present perfect). It shows that you have done something in the past and at the time of speaking, the action is completed.

THE PAST TENSES

3) "Ο παρατατικός" (imperfect). It shows that you were doing something continuously or habitually in the past.

4) "Ο αόριστος" (aorist). It shows that something happened in the past.

5) "Ο υπερσυντέλικος" (pluperfect/past perfect). It shows that something had been completed before something else happened.

THE FUTURE TENSE

6) "Ο εξακολουθητικός μέλλοντας" (future continuous). It shows that something will happen in the future either continuously or habitually.

7) "Ο στιγμιαίος μέλλοντας" (future simple). It shows that something will happen in the future without continuity or habitualness.

8) "Ο συντελεσμένος μέλλοντας" (future perfect). It shows that at sometime in the future, a future action will be in the past.

There are three aspects in Greek: continuous, instantaneous and completed. The continuous tenses are ενεστώτας, παρατατικός and εξακολουθητικός μέλλοντας. The instantaneous tenses are αόριστος and στιγμιαίος μέλλοντας. The completed or perfect tenses are παρακείμενος, υπερσυντέλικος and συντελεσμένος μέλλοντας. The continuous and habitual tenses are formed from the present stem while the instantaneous and the completed or perfect tenses are formed from the aorist stem.

FORMATION OF THE INDICATIVE TENSES OF VERBS

Greek verbs have two stems, one for the instantaneous tenses and the other for the habitual and continuous tenses. The instantaneous stem is called the past stem and the habitual and continuous stem is called the present stem. Basically for each conjugation one has to learn two tables-one for the present and future tenses and one for the past tenses.

Starting from the present tense, by adding θα you changed the tense to future continuous. If you replace the present stem with the aorist stem, from the future continuous tense, you will get the future simple tense. For example, αγαπώ.

Present tense to future continuous: αγαπώ→ θα αγαπώ

Future continuous to future simple: θα αγαπώ→ θα αγαπήσω

There are two ways to form the perfect tenses. From the present perfect, change the auxiliary verb to the past tense and you get the past perfect. From the present perfect, again, just add θα in front of it and you'll get the future perfect. The two auxiliary verbs are έχω (to have) and είμαι (to be).

Active Voice

1) :

Present perfect to past perfect: έχω αγαπήσει→είχα αγαπήσει

Present perfect to future perfect: έχω αγαπήσει→θα έχω αγαπήσει

2) :

Present perfect to past perfect: έχω αγαπημένος/-η/-ο→έχω αγαπημένος/-η/-ο

Present perfect to future perfect: έχω αγαπημένος/-η/-ο→θα έχω αγαπημένος/-η/-ο

Passive Voice

1) :

Present perfect to past perfect: έχω αγαπηθεί→είχα αγαπηθεί

Present perfect to future perfect: έχω αγαπηθεί→θα έχω αγαπηθεί

2) :

Present perfect to past perfect: είμαι αγαπημένος/-η/-ο→ήμουν αγαπημένος/-η/-ο

Present perfect to future perfect: είμαι αγαπημένος/-η/-ο→θα είμαι αγαπημένος/-η/-ο

Αγαπημένος is a declinable adjective, which follows the declension pattern of καλός.
To see the conjugation of the irregular auxiliary verb, click here.
For usage and making of the participles, click here.

FORMATION OF THE SUBJUNCTIVE AND IMPERATIVE TENSES OF VERBS

The subjunctive mood, in Greek, exist in the present tense, the aorist and the present perfect tenses. For the verb αγαπώ they are να αγαπώ, να αγαπήσει and να έχω αγαπήσει. Where the particle να (to) is located, the following can be: ας (let's), για να (in order to), αν, καν (if) and μη (not).

The imperative mood, in Greek, has the present tense, the aorist and the present perfect tenses. For the verb αγαπώ they are αγάπα, αγάπησε and να έχε αγαπημένος.

CONJUGATIONS

All verbs in Greek don't conjugate the same way. There are differences between thenενεστώτας and the παρατατικός. Verbs, which conjugate the same way are said to be in the same conjugation. There are two conjugations in all.

The verbs of the first conjugation are accented on the second to last syllable in the active voice in the indicative present tense and third to last syllable of the passive voice. The verbs in the active voice end in -ω, and those of the passive and reflexive voices end in -ομαι. For example, δένω ‘to tie’ and δένομαι ‘to tie myself.’ Most verbs belong to this conjugation.

The verbs of the second conjugation are accented on the last syllable in the active voice of the indicative present tense, while in the passive voices, they are accented on the second to last syllable. The verbs of the active voice end in –ώ and the verbs of the passive voice end in either -ιέμαι or -ούμαι. The endingg of the verb in the passive voice depends on the verb itself and thus the suffixed used for the verb must be learnt separately For example, αγαπώ ‘to love’ and αγαπιέμαι ‘to be loved’ and λυπούμαι ‘to feel sad.’

ENDINGS OF THE 1^st CONJUGATIONS

INDICATIVE MOOD, ACTIVE VOICE

*The ε in the brackets is optional.

SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD, ACTIVE VOICE

*The ε in the brackets is optional.

IMPERATIVE MOOD, ACTIVE VOICE

The imperative mood only exists in the first person plural and second person in both numbers. Only some verbs have the ε in the bracket above. To change from one aspect to the other, the stem changes. The suffix ε in the second person singular is dropped and replace with an apostrophe when an article or a weak pronoun follows. For example, φέρε το βιβλίο becomes φέρ’το βιβλίο.

INDICATIVE MOOD, PASSIVE VOICE

*The vowel in the brackets is optional. The vowels are mainly used colloquially. The aorist past tense uses the aorist stem. When the ε is added to ηκαν, the accent falls to the η in ηκαν as ήκανε.

SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD, PASSIVE VOICE

*The ε in the brackets is optional. The continuous endings are used with the present stem and the instantaneous endings with the aorist stem.

IMPERATIVE MOOD, PASSIVE VOICE

ENDINGS OF THE 2^nd CONJUGATIONS-FIRST CLASS

INDICATIVE MOOD, ACTIVE VOICE

*The ε in the brackets is optional. The past continuous is made from the present stem plus -ούσ- plus the past tense endings. The past simple is made with the aorist stem. The second ending given in the first person is used colloquially. The second ending given in the first person singular does not apply to all verbs.

SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD, ACTIVE VOICE

*The ε in the brackets is optional.

IMPERATIVE MOOD, ACTIVE VOICE

The accent in the second person singular is placed on the second to last syllable.

INDICATIVE MOOD, PASSIVE VOICE

*The vowel in the brackets is optional. The vowels are mainly used colloquially. The aorist past tense uses the aorist stem. When the ε is added to ηκαν, the accent is placed on the η in ηκαν as ήκανε.

SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD, PASSIVE VOICE

*The ε in the brackets is optional. The continuous endings are used with the present stem and the instantaneous endings with the aorist stem

IMPERATIVE MOOD, PASSIVE VOICE

ENDINGS OF THE 2^nd CONJUGATIONS-SECOND CLASS

The following endings are the endings, which are different to the first class endings above.

INDICATIVE MOOD, ACTIVE VOICE

*The ε in the brackets is optional. The past continuous is made from the present stem plus -ούσ- plus the past tense endings. The past simple is made with the aorist stem. The second ending given in the first person is used colloquially. The second ending given in the first person singular does not apply to all verbs.

SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD, ACTIVE VOICE

*The ε in the brackets is optional.

IMPERATIVE MOOD, ACTIVE VOICE

The accent in the second person singular is raised to the second to last syllable.

INDICATIVE MOOD, PASSIVE VOICE

SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD, PASSIVE VOICE

THE STEMS OF VERBS

PRESENT STEM

The present stem is the stem of the verb, which is found in the verbs, which have a continuous or a habitual aspect. The present tense always exists with this stem, even if it has an instantaneous aspect. Greek verbs are entered in the dictionary with this stem and the first person singular indicative ending: -ω, -ομαι, -ού⛤αι and -ιέμαι.>

Verbs-within a conjugation-are put into categories according to what kind of sound, the present stem ends. Once one has identified this, one can determine the aorist stem. While the verbs of the second conjunction belong to one category, the verbs of the first conjugation are split up into five categories. The categories are as follows:

stems ending in a vowel sound-α, ε, η, ι, ο, υ, αι, ει, οι, ου, υι (but not αυ and ευ);

stems ending in labial consonants-π, β, φ, πτ, φτ, αυ, ευ;

stems ending in velar consonants-κ, γ, χ, σκ, γγ, χν;

stems ending in dental consonants-τ (ττ), θ, σ (σσ), ζ and

stems ending in nasal consonants-λ (λλ), ρ, (λν), (ρν), μ, ν

AORIST STEM OF THE ACTIVE VOICE

This is the stem, in which is used in the aorist past tense and the simple tenses. If a verb is in the simple past tense (αόριστος), the personal ending and the augment are dropped; only the aorist stem remains thereafter. For example, έφαγα means ‘I ate.’  If you remove the augment (έ-) and the personal ending (-α), you’ll be left with the aorist stem φαγ.  This ending is used to represent an aspect of Greek verbs, which translates to instantaneous aspect. If -α is the personal pronoun, then most verbs form the past simple tense having an ending -σα and to a lesser extent -α. The aorist, which ends in -σα is called sigmatic aorist, and the aorist which ends in -α is called asigmatic aorist. Sigmatic aorist stems include verbs ending, in the aorist, with -ψα and -ξα. To make thhe aorist tense, from the present tense, one must raise the accent by one syllable (add an augment if necessary), and change the ending of the stem. When the verb follows the regular rules of stem changing, the aorist is sigmatic.

Verbs, in which their present stem ends in a vowel, just add σ to the stem before adding the personal endings. For example, ακούω→άκουσα.

Verbs, in which their present stem ends in a labial consonant (β, π, φ, μπ) substitute the consonant with ψ to the stem before adding the personal endings. In the case of αυ and ευ, only the υ is replace, because phonetically, that is the consonant. For example, λείπω→έλειψα.

Verbs, in which their present stem ends in a velar consonant (γ, κ, χ, γκ) substitute the consonant with ξ to the stem before adding the personal endings. For example, πλέκω→έπλεξα.

Verbs, in which their present stem ends in a dental consonant (δ, θ, τ, ντ) substitute the consonant with either σ or ξ to the stem before adding the personal endings. One must know which consonant a verb takes. For example, θετώ→έθεσα, and βουλιάζω→ βούλιαξα.

Verbs, in which their present stem ends in a nasal consonant (ν, μ) substitute the consonant with σ to the stem before adding the personal endings. For example, απλώνω→άπλωσα. Verbs ending in -αίνω and -άνω change the vowel before the ν. This change is unpredictable.

Verbs of the second conjunction just add a vowel plus either σ, ξ or ψ to the stem before adding the personal pronouns. Typically, the ending is -ησα.

Asigmatic aorist stem are irregular, the vowel of the stem changes, and thus distinguished from the present stem.

AORIST STEM AND PARTICIPLE OF THE PASSIVE VOICE

From the sigmatic aorist active stem, the following changes occur. The first suffix is for the aorist tense in the passive voice and the second suffix is for the participle:

σα→θηκα→ μένος

σα→στηκα→ σμένος

ψα→φτηκα→ μμένος

ξα→χηκα→ γμένος

The following endings are specific. The first ending is of the present active tense, followed by the aorist active tense, aorist passive tense and the passive participle.

αύω→ψα→αύφτηκα→αυμένος

εύω→ψα→εύφτηκα→εμένος

αύω→ευσα→εύφτηκα→ευμένος

Basically, verbs which form asigmatic aorist active stems, form the passive aorist stem by adding θηκα to the end. The passive participle is most likely to end in μένος.

Examples of conjugations

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