Chapter 21

Imperfect Indicative
 English

English: One past tense

• Second principal part
• Two aspects

Greek: Two tenses for both aspects

• Perfective: “I read” (Aorist tense; Chapter 22)
• Imperfective: “I was reading” (Imperfect tense)
 Imperfect Tense

Meaning: Usually past, continuous

• “I was loving”
• “I was being loved”
 Formation

Augment: prefix to indicate past time

• ἔλυον
• “Kicked”

Secondary personal endings

• Primary: not augmented tenses
• Secondary: augmented tenses
 Augment

ἔλυον
 Master Personal Ending Chart

Primary Secondary

Active

Middle/Passive
 Master Personal Ending Chart

Primary Secondary

Active Present act Imperfect act

Middle/Passive Present mid/pas Imperfect mid/pas

Secondary Active Personal Endings

ἔλυον ν
ἔλυες ς
ἔλυε(ν)- (ν)
ἐλύομεν μεν
ἐλύετε τε
ἔλυον ν
Secondary Mid/Pas Personal Endings

ἐλυόμηνμην
ἐλύου σο
ἐλύετο το
ἐλυόμεθαμεθα
ἐλύεσθε σθε
ἐλύοντο ντο
 Imperfect Active Indicative

Augment + Present tense stem +

Connecting vowel +
Secondary active personal endings

ε + λυ + ο + μεν → ἐλύομεν
 Imperfect Active Indicative

ἔλυον I was loosing ο ν λύω

ἔλυες You were loosing εςλύεις
ἔλυε(ν)He was loosing ε(ν) λύει
ἐλύομεν We were loosing ο μεν λύομεν
ἐλύετε You were loosing ετελύετε
ἔλυον They were loosing ο ν λύουσι(ν)
 Imperfect Middle/Passive Indicative

Augment + Present tense stem +

Connecting vowel +
Secondary middle/passive personal endings

ε + λυ + ο + μεθα → ἐλυόμεθα
 Imperfect Middle/Passive Indicative

ἐλυόμηνI was being loosed ο μην

ἐλύου You were being loosed εσο
ἐλύετο He was being loosed ετο
ἐλυόμεθαWe were being loosed ο μεθα
ἐλύεσθε You were being loosed εσθε
ἐλύοντο They were being loosed ο ντο
 Augment

1. Begin with consonant: epsilon (syllabic)

• λύω → ἔλυον

2. Begin with vowel: lengthen (temporal)

• ἀγαπάω → ἠγάπων, ἐρωτάω → ἠρώτων, ο → ω

3. Diphthong: lengthen or nothing, ι subscripts

• αἰτέω → ᾔτουν, εὑρίσκω → εὕρισκον
 Augment

λύω → ἔλυον
 Augment

ἀγαπάω → ἠγάπων
ἐρωτάω → ἠρώτων
ο→ω
 Augment

αἰτέω → ᾔτουν
εὑρίσκω → εὕρισκον
 Imperfect Indicative

ἔρχομαι, (ἠρχόμην), ἐλεύσομαι,

ἦλθον or ἦλθα, ἐλήλυθα, –, –

 Master Personal Ending Chart
primary tenses secondary tenses

λύω – ἔλυον ν
λύεις ς ἔλυες ς
λύει ι ἔλυε(ν)–

λύομεν μενἐλύομεν μεν

λύετε τε ἐλύετε τε
 Master Personal Ending Chart
primary tenses secondary tenses

λύομαι μαι ἐλυόμην μην

λύῃ σαι ἐλύου σο
λύεται ται ἐλύετο το

λυόμεθαμεθαἐλυόμεθα μεθα
λύεσθε σθεἐλύεσθε σθε
 Odds ‘n Ends

If middle-only in present ...

Parsing: Form I memorized or something else?
 Odds ‘n Ends

ἔλεγεν
 Odds ‘n Ends

καταβαίνω → κατέβαινον
περιπατέω → περιεπάτουν
ἐκβάλλω → ἐξέβαλλον
 Contract Verbs

ἠγάπων ἐποίουν ἐπλήρουν

ἠγάπαςἐποίεις ἐπλήρους
ἠγάπαἐποίει ἐπλήρου
ἠγαπῶμεν ἐποιοῦμεν ἐπληροῦμεν
ἠγαπᾶτεἐποιεῖτε ἐπληροῦτε
ἠγάπων ἐποίουν ἐπλήρουν
 εἰμί
ἤμην I was
ἦς You were
ἦν He/she/it was
ἦμεν / ἤμεθα We were
ἦτε You were
ἦσαν They were
 Preparatory use of “there”

ἐστὶν οἶκος παρὰ τὴν θάλασσαν

 Summary
1. Imperfect: continuous normally past
2. Augment + present + cv + secondary
3. Augment (4 rules)
4. Secondary personal endings
5. Middle-only/deponent
6. Contract verbs
7. εἰμί
 Master Verb Chart

TenseAug/ TenseTenseConn. Personal 1st sg

Redup stem form. vowel endings paradigm

Imperfect act ε pres ο/ε sec act ἔλυον

Imperfect m/p ε pres ο/ε sec m/p ἐλυόμην
 Vocabulary

ἀκολουθέω
 Vocabulary

διδάσκω
 Vocabulary

ἐπερωτάω
 Vocabulary

ἐρωτάω
Vocabulary

θέλω
 Vocabulary

περιπατέω
 Vocabulary

συναγωγή, -ῆς, ἡ
 Vocabulary

Φαρισαῖος, -ου, ὁ
 Vocabulary

χρόνος, -ου, ὁ