Lesson 1 | The Greek Verbal System

Koine Greek verbs have six parts

1. Stem: The verb’s lexical core that communicates its meaning (λυ)
2. Tense-form: How the speaker portrays the verb’s action (aspect - see next step)
3. Present (λύω - I am untying)
4. Imperfect (ἔλυον - I was untying)
5. Aorist (ἔλυσα - I untied)
6. Future (λύσω - I will untie)
7. Perfect (λέλυκα - I have untied)
8. Pluperfect (ἐλελύκειν - I had untied)
9. Voice: The subject’s relationship to the verb’s action
10. Active - The subject does the verb’s action (He hits the ball).¹
11. Middle - The subject is affected by the verb’s action (He hits himself).
12. Passive - The subject receives the verb’s action (He was hit by the ball).
13. Mood: How the speaker portrays the verb’s relationship to reality²
14. Indicative - The speaker portrays the verb’s action as a reality (He did this).
15. Subjunctive - The speaker portrays the verb’s action as a possibility (He might do this).
16. Imperative - The speaker portrays the verb’s action as a command (Do this!).
17. Optative³
18. Person: The speaker’s relation to the verb’s subject
19. First Person (ἔγω/ἡμεῖς - I/we)
20. Second Person (σύ/ὑμεῖς - you/you all)
21. Third Person (all other nouns and pronouns - he, she, it, they, them)
22. Number: The number of the verb’s subject
23. Singular (ἔγω/σύ/αὐτός - I/you/he, she, it)
24. Plural (ἡμεῖς/ὑμεῖς/αὐτοί - we/you all/they, them)