Introduction to Verbs

Introduction to Verbs: 

Greek Grammar I Introduction to Verbs

Lesson Objectives: 

Lesson Objectives To review how English verbs work and what similarities they have with Greek verbs. To review the eivmi , paradigm and relate it to the verbs we will learn. To examine the concept of Aspect. To look at the basics of how Greek forms its verbs.

Review of English Verbs: 

Review of English Verbs Introduction to Verbs – Section I

English Verbs: Introduction: 

English Verbs: Introduction A verb is a word that indicates either action or state of being . “I read the book.” – Action “I am a student.” – State of being Every sentence must have a verb, whether it is implied or expressed. Expressed: “Jesus was not baptizing…” Implied: “…but his disciples (were baptizing).”

English Verbs: Tense: 

English Verbs: Tense Tense indicates the time of the verb. Present tense indicates the action is taking place at the time of the sentence: “I am listening to a lecture.” Past tense indicates the action took place in the past at the time of the sentence: “I attended class on Thursday.” Future tense indicates the action will take place at some point after the statement: “I will ace my final exam.”

English Verbs: Voice: 

English Verbs: Voice Voice answers the question “Who is doing the action?” If the subject is doing the action (or is being), then the verb is in the Active voice: “The student threw the paper ball.” If the subject is receiving the action, then the verb is in the Passive voice: “The teacher was hit by a paper ball out of nowhere!”

English Verbs: Person: 

English Verbs: Person Person refers to the relationship of the speaker to the subject. First person – the speaker is the subject: “I am a student.” Second person – the speaker is addressing the subject: “You dropped something.” Third person – the speaker is speaking about the subject: “He is my teacher.” Third person verbs can also take nominative nouns as subjects: “The teacher is giving a lecture.”

English Verbs: Number: 

English Verbs: Number Number , as with nouns, refers to whether there is one subject or multiple subjects. Singular verbs have only one subject: “The student goes to class.” Plural verbs have multiple subjects: “The students enjoyed the free lunch.” Subject-Verb Agreement means that singular verbs take singular subjects, and plural verbs take plural subjects. Both “The student go to class” and “The students goes to class” sound ridiculous because they don’t agree.

English Verbs: Recap: 

English Verbs: Recap A verb is a word that indicates either action or state of being. Tense indicates the time of the verb. Voice answers the question “Who is doing the action?” Person is the relationship of the speaker to the subject. Number refers to whether there is one subject or multiple subjects. Every sentence must have a verb. Subject-Verb Agreement means that singular verbs take singular subjects, and plural verbs take plural subjects.

English Verbs: Similarities to Greek: 

English Verbs: Similarities to Greek English Greek Three basic Tenses Active and Passive Voice 1 st , 2 nd , and 3 rd Person Singular and Plural Must agree Three basic Tenses Active and Passive Voice 1 st , 2 nd , and 3 rd Person Singular and Plural Must agree

Eivmi,: 

Eivmi , Introduction to Verbs – Section II

Eivmi,: Review: 

Eivmi , : Review We’ve already learned one Greek verb: eivmi , This verb means “I am.” It is Present tense It is Active voice Its Mood is Indicative – it states what is as opposed to what may be or might be . We will discuss mood more in a later lesson.

Eivmi,:Paradigm: 

Eivmi, :Paradigm Number Person Greek English Singular First eivmi , I am Second ei = You are Third evsti,n He/she/it is Plural First evsme,n We are Second evste , Y’all are Third eivsi,n They are

Eivmi,: On Verbs: 

Eivmi , : On Verbs Every verb we encounter in the Indicative , Subjunctive , and Imperative moods will follow this same pattern of 1 st Singular, 2 nd Singular, etc. The endings will differ based on the type of verb and its tense and mood. For now, review the paradigm until you’re solid on it. When we get to the Present Active Indicative, take note of what similarities there are (hint: the 1 st Plural and 2 nd Plural endings are the same) and what differences there are.

Aspect: 

Aspect Introduction to Verbs – Section III

Aspect: Introduction: 

Aspect: Introduction Greek verbs have something called Aspect . English verbs also have similar concepts to Aspect, but tends to use different forms to express different Aspects. Greek verbs can have different Aspects in the same form. Context will help you determine the correct translation. Each Greek tense has a basic Aspect.

Aspect: Continuous: 

Aspect: Continuous The Present and Imperfect Indicative have what is called Continuous Aspect. It indicates ongoing action . In English, this is called the Progressive. Simple Present: “I study.” Present Progressive (Greek Present): “I am studying.” Simple Past: “I studied.” Past Progressive (Greek Imperfect): “I was studying.” When possible, use the Continuous as your default translation of the Present and Imperfect.

Aspect: Punctiliar: 

Aspect: Punctiliar Greek Future and Aorist verbs have Punctiliar Aspect. It looks at the action at a single point. This is the most difficult of the aspects to understand, but in first year studies it is not significant. I recommend using the simple future and simple past for such translations. Simple Future: “I will study.” Simple Past (Aorist): “I studied.” The Aorist is the most common tense. It is also the most logical tense for narrative (i.e., “He said this,” “Then he went there,” “They crucified him,” etc.)

Aspect: Perfective: 

Aspect: Perfective The Perfect (and Pluperfect) in Greek have what is called Perfective Aspect. It indicates completed action. This equivalent to the English Present Perfect and Past Perfect tenses. Present Perfect (Greek Perfect): “I have studied Greek.” Past Perfect (Greek Pluperfect): “I had studied at WBC.” The main difference in nuance is the Perfect has continuing results (you still remember your Greek) where the Pluperfect does not (you forgot everything you studied at WBC!).

Aspect: Recap: 

Aspect: Recap Greek verbs have Tense, which is the time of the action. Greek verbs also have Aspect, which is how the verb views the action. Continuous Aspect views the action as ongoing. Punctiliar Aspect views the action from a single point. Perfective Aspect views the action as completed. The Present and Imperfect default to Continuous Aspect. The Aorist and Future default to Punctiliar Aspect. The Perfect and Pluperfect default to Perfective Aspect.

Verb Formation: 

Verb Formation Introduction to Verbs – Part IV

Verb Formation: Introduction: 

Verb Formation: Introduction In English we have a number of ways of forming our verbs that build on the base form of the verb. Simple Present: “I study.” Simple Past: “I stud ied .” Present Progressive: “I am study ing .” Past Progressive: “I was study ing .” Present Perfect: “I have stud ied .” Past Perfect: “I had stud ied .” Third Person Simple Present: “He stud ies .”

Verb Formation: Greek Verbs: 

Verb Formation: Greek Verbs Greek Verbs also have ways to alter their verb forms to convey different meanings. We have already seen this with the eivmi , paradigm. Unlike English, all of the transformations will take place on one word (i.e., there are no helping verbs).

Verb Formation: The Parts: 

Verb Formation: The Parts For now, we will focus on the parts related to the Present tense. As we add more tenses, we will discuss the new parts. The Stem is the base form of the verb. As with most noun stems, you will never see the bare stem in the text . The Connecting Vowel or Thematic Vowel connects the stem to the ending. The Ending conveys the information about Person and Number .

Verb Formation: Present Tense: 

Verb Formation: Present Tense Present Active Indicative verbs are formed like this: Present Stem + o / e Thematic Vowel + Primary Active Endings Present Middle/Passive Indicative verbs are formed like this: Present Stem + o / e Thematic Vowel + Primary Middle/Passive Endings Example: lu + o + men = lu,omen

Verb Formation: Parsing Logic: 

Verb Formation: Parsing Logic As we go along, I will introduce you to my rules of parsing logic. There are four total. #1 – Look at the Ending: is it Primary or Secondary? Is it Active or Passive? Answering this question will help you narrow down what type of verb you are looking at (this will make more sense next semester). The answer for the Present Active is ‘Primary Active;’ for the Present Middle/Passive it is ‘Primary Middle/Passive.’

Verb Formation: Recap: 

Verb Formation: Recap English builds on its verb forms to change tense, person, and number; Greek also builds on its stems to do this. Present Active Verbs use a Present Stem, an o or e thematic vowel, and Primary Active Endings. Present Middle/Passive Verbs use a Present Stem, an o or e thematic vowel, and Primary Middle/Passive Endings. Parsing Logic #1 – Look at the Ending: is it Primary or Secondary? Is it Active or Middle/Passive?

Summary: 

Summary Introduction to Verbs - Conclusion

Summary: English Verbs: 

Summary: English Verbs A verb is a word that indicates either action or state of being. Tense indicates the time of the verb. Voice answers the question “Who is doing the action?” Person is the relationship of the speaker to the subject. Number refers to whether there is one subject or multiple subjects. Every sentence must have a verb. Subject-Verb Agreement means that singular verbs take singular subjects, and plural verbs take plural subjects.

Summary: Aspect: 

Summary: Aspect Greek verbs have Tense, which is the time of the action. Greek verbs also have Aspect, which is how the verb views the action. Continuous Aspect views the action as ongoing. Punctiliar Aspect views the action from a single point. Perfective Aspect views the action as completed. The Present and Imperfect default to Continuous Aspect. The Aorist and Future default to Punctiliar Aspect. The Perfect and Pluperfect default to Perfective Aspect.

Summary: Verb Formation: 

Summary: Verb Formation English builds on its verb forms to change tense, person, and number; Greek also builds on its stems to do this. Present Active Verbs use a Present Stem, an o or e thematic vowel, and Primary Active Endings. Present Middle/Passive Verbs use a Present Stem, an o or e thematic vowel, and Primary Middle/Passive Endings. Parsing Logic #1 – Look at the Ending: is it Primary or Secondary? Is it Active or Middle/Passive?

Summary: Objectives: 

Summary: Objectives To review how English verbs work and what similarities they have with Greek verbs. To review the eivmi , paradigm and relate it to the verbs we will learn. To examine the concept of Aspect. To look at the basics of how Greek forms its verbs. After completing this lesson, you should continue to the lesson on Present Active Indicative Verbs.