The past tenses take a prefix è, called the augment, which with combines to form ei or, with i, ei, and with a, ỷ.

To form the past imperfect indicative the prefix e is placed before the stem (or root), and the following are the endings:

In case the imperfect aorist reverts to the root,

stem is lengthened from the root, the and with that exception forms its persons (in the active) precisely as the imperfect past, e. g. peúyw, root puy-, present imperfect pevyov, aorist puyov. This is called the 2nd or strong aorist.

In case the imperfect stem is the simple root, the letter σ is interposed between stem and personal endings, or the syllable lengthened in cases where for the sake of euphony the σ is suppressed, and the endings are as follow in the active: while in the passive the 1st aorist interposes 0, the 2nd aorist nothing, and the endings are as follows:

Examples: Báλw, I put' or 'throw,' Baλov, 'I was throwing,' Baλov, 'I threw,' èßáλnv, 'I was thrown;' λów, ‘I loose, ἔλυον, ἔλυσα, ἐλύθην.

In the subjunctive mood, the same stems (without the è) are used as in the indicative, while the personal endings are as follows:

ACTIVE.

Same as for the imperfect. λύσω, βάλω, κ.τ.λ.

PASSIVE.

Ditto, circumflexed throughout. λυθῶ, βαλῶ, κ.τ.λ.

N.B.-The vernacular is fond of forming the indicative passive aorist by adding to the aorist stem, whether 1st or 2nd, the endings of the 1st aorist active, preceded by the letters K, e. g. ἐβάληκα, ἐβλήθηκα, for ἐβάλην, ἐβλήθην, κ.τ.λ.

The future tense is expressed either by the subjunctive mood preceded by the particle Oà, or by the verb éλw, 'I will,' &c., followed by the

INFINITIVE.

This is formed of the stem + the ending (v), passive -cola, in the aorist (vai), e. g. Oà Xúw, 'I will loose' (as a habit); Oà Avow, I will loose' (on some special occasion); passive à λυθῶ, κ.τ.λ. θέλω βάλλει (ν), ‘I shall put habitually); θέλω βάλει(ν), ‘I shall put once for all); θέλω βάλλεσθαι, θέλω βαλῆ. Ν.Β. I will put is θέλω νὰ βάλω, κ.τ.λ.

The infinitive is properly the old locative case of a noun. It is still used as an indeclinable substantive with the article, but in this case the old classical form is employed, i. e. the v is never dropped in imperfect and 2nd aorist, and for the 1st aorist at is used instead of e, while the ev of the 2nd aorist active is always circumfexed, e. g. τὸ βάλλειν, τὸ βαλεῖν, τὸ λύσαι, τὸ λυθῆναι, κ.τ.λ.

The modern form of the infinitive aorist is also used with exw, ‘I have,' to form a compound perfect and pluperfect, e. g. ἔχω λύσει, “ I have loosed ; ἔχω βάλει, ‘I have put; εἶχον (for ἔεχον) λύσει, βάλει, κ.τ.λ., ‘I had, &c. Another way of forming the perfect and pluperfect is exw + the perfect passive participle in -μένο- η-, e. g. ἔχω (λε)λυμένας τὰς σπονδάς, ‘I have broken the treaty.' The doubling of the first syllable is optional.

IMPERATIVE MOOD, OR MOOD OF COMMANDING.

.

To the imperfect stem the following endings are added, in

the active :

e[s] ('thou ')
ETE ('ye')

and in the passive :

and occasionally éтw ('he').

very rarely έτωσαν or όντων (‘they ).

As a rule a wish regarding all other persons but the second is expressed by as followed by the subjunctive, e. g. âs Avow, as λύσῃ, ἂς λύσουν.

as is short for apes, 2nd aorist imperative of åp-e-, imperfect åpínu, 'let,' 'permit.'

To the 1st aorist stem the following endings are added :—

ου or ητι οι ηθι (the latter if no aspirate precedes) ήτω.

ητε

ήτωσαν οι έντων. N.B.-(1) To form the 2nd aorist imperative active the endings of the imperfect are added to 2nd aorist stem: whereas in the passive the endings are alike for 1st and 2nd aorist. (2) ov requires the active stem, e. g. γράψον, not γράφου.

The foregoing supplies the key to all the most ordinary forms of the verb except the participles; but before we speak of these it may be well to mention a few classical forms not in common use, but cropping up in occasional phrases, such are:

THE CLASSICAL FUTURE.

This is simply the same as the present imperfect + the insertion of σ between stem and personal ending in the active, and no between stem and personal ending in the passive, e. g. λύσω, λυθήσομαι, κ.τ.λ.

THE MIDDLE AORIST.

Middle means halfway between passive and active. Those passive verbs which have an active meaning may form (not must) their aorists as follows: To the 1st aorist stems are added the following personal endings :—

and to the 2nd aorist stem the endings of the imperfect past

passive.

A future middle is also sometimes formed, which is identical with the passive except that σ is substituted for Oŋo.

THE PERFECT ACTIVE.

This is formed by doubling the first consonant and inserting e, e. g. λeλ for λ, γεγ for Y, K.T.λ., and if the root end in a vowel or a liquid inserting κ, aspirating a mute or medial, and leaving an aspirate intact, and then adding the endings of the 1st aorist, save that the 3rd person plural ends in avrɩ instead of av, e. g. λελύκασι from λυ-, γεγράφασι from γραφ-, κ.τ.λ.

A perfect passive formed by adding to the reduplicated stem the endings μαι, σαι, ται; μεθα, θε (after vowels σθε), and (where possible) νται, is found in such isolated phrases as τετέλεσται, 'it is finished,' from root Teλeσ-.

N.B.-σ and sometimes A are dropped in reduplication, e. g. ἐστέρημαι for σεστέρημαι, εἴλημμαι for λέλημαι. Observe, too, β, π, φ are assimilated to μ, e. g. γέγραμμαι for γέγραφμαι, also, spirants become tenues before r, e. g. γέγραπται for γέγραφται.

1

THE PARTICIPLES.

The imperfect participle active is formed by adding to the imperfect stem the syllable ovт, which becomes with the signs of case and gender, wv [ovT-s], ovσa [ovr-σa], and ov[T], in masculine, feminine, and neuter respectively, and is declined according to the scheme for nouns given above. The 2nd aorist is made by adding the same endings on to the 2nd aorist stem.

The 1st aorist participle active is formed by adding to the corresponding stem the endings as, ασα, αν [αντας, αντ-σα, αντ], κ.τ.λ. The perfect passive participle is formed by adding to the root (of which the reduplication is optional) the endings μévo-s, μένη, μένον, κ.τ.λ. Observe the accent, invariably on the e.

1 The term " spirant" includes all consonants but tenues and liquids, according to Modern Greek phonetics.

The imperfect participle passive is made by adding to the imperfect stem the endings όμενος, ομένη, όμενον, κ.τ.λ.

The passive participle aorist is made by adding the suffix ÉvT+generic endings = eis [evrs], cîσa [évт-σa], év[T], to the 1st or 2nd aorist stems.

Besides these there are occasionally found a future active and passive participle formed by adding on the imperfect endings to the future stems given above in the account of the classical tense, e. g. λύ-σ-ων, λυθησόμενος, κ.τ.λ. ; and also an

ACTIVE PERFECT PARTICIPLE,

formed by adding to the reduplicated root the suffix ór- for masculine and neuter, and via- for the feminine, thus producing ús [or-s], via, ós [or], respectively. Observe the accent, which is always on the suffix save in the feminine genitive plural, which is circumflexed according to rule.

CONTRACT VERBS.

Where the verbal root ends in a, e, or o, contraction arises with those personal endings which begin with a vowel. In forming these contractions it has only to be remembered that— αο, άω, έω, όω, and άου contract to @, ŵ.

But for the most part verbs in o insert v in Modern Greek before a vowel, and thus contraction is avoided, e. g. diopłóvel for διορθόει, διορθοῖ, ' he corrects.

Keeping the above contractions in view, the student will be able to write out correctly the paradigm of any contract verb. Apparent exceptions in the mouths of the common people, e. g. ἐτιμούμουν or ἐτιμούμην for ἐτιμώμην, arise from the tendency