Lesson 2 | Imperfect Indicatives
[1] Imperfect Active Indicatives
Introducing Imperfect Indicatives
Last lesson, we learned about present indicative verbs. This lesson, we are learning about imperfect indicative verbs. There are 1,685 imperfect indicatives in the Greek NT. You will usually meet imperfect verbs in narrative books like the Gospels and Acts, or in the book of Revelation.
The present and imperfect tense-forms have a lot in common:
- Both have imperfective aspect
- Both use the present stem of a verb
- Neither use a tense former
The major difference between these two tense-forms is time.
Present indicatives usually communicate a non-past event. Imperfect indicatives usually communicate a past event. As a result, imperfect indicatives add an augment and use a different set of verb endings. You can see how these tense-forms relate to one another when we compare the first person singular present and imperfect forms of λύω:
Present
λυ+ω
[Augment]
[Stem]
[Tense-Former]
[Ending]
Imperfect
ε+λυ+ον
[Augment]
[Stem]
[Tense-Former]
[Ending]
Both forms use the present stem (λυ), and neither has a tense-former. However, note that the imperfect form has an augment (ἔ) and a different ending.
The Four Key Features
Let’s look at the four key features of imperfect active indicatives.
This chart helps you see how imperfect indicatives resemble and also differ from present indicatives. Like the present, we have a present stem, and no tense-former. That’s good news because it means you already learned much of what you need to know for imperfect verbs. However, there are two new features to learn: the augment and the secondary active verb pattern.
The Augment
Greek verbs “augment” to indicate past time. When you read your Greek NT or LXX, seeing an augment should make you think: “past time!”¹
The basic augment is simply the letter ε added to the front of the word. A few examples would be ἔλεγον, ἔλυον, ἐσῴζον, and ἔβαλλον. However, there are two cases where things work a little differently.
- When the verb’s stem begins with a vowel If a verb begins with a vowel (or vowel combo), the ε augment combines with that vowel and causes it to be lengthened. Thus, we end up with words like ἤκουον (from ἄκουω), ἤσθιον (from ἐσθίω), and ηὕρισκον (from εὑρίσκω) Note: Sometimes the vowel combo remains unchanged. When this happens, you must rely on the verb endings to parse them.
- When the verb begins with a preposition For verbs that have a preposition prepended to a basic stem (like προσέρχομαι or καταβαίνω), the ε augment is added between the preposition and the verb stem. For example, κατέβαινεν, παρεκαλοῦν, ἀνέβαινον, περιεπατοῦν, and προσηύχετο.
This may feel like a lot to learn, but focus now on learning the core:
- Greek verbs augment with an ε to indicate past time.
- For verbs that begin with a vowel or vowel combo, the ε augment combines with that vowel and lengthens it.
- When a verb begins with a preposition, the ε augment follows that preposition.
The Secondary Active Verb Pattern
The augment is one way that imperfect indicatives differ from present indicatives. The other major difference is the verb pattern ending of imperfect verbs. So, we need to learn the endings for the secondary active verb pattern. Note the column that we have added to this chart you are already familiar with.
We need to memorize this new pattern. Before we do, note two facts about the secondary active verb pattern:
- The first person singular and third person plural have the same ending (ον). You will need context to help you parse this form.
- The first and second person plural endings are the same as the primary active verb pattern (ομεν and ετε).
Practice
Now, use this quizlet to help you memorize the secondary active verb pattern:
Examples from the Greek NT
καὶ πολλοὶ πλούσιοι ἔβαλλον πολλά· And many rich people were putting in large amounts. —Mark 12:41
Let’s focus in on ἔβαλλον by analyzing its four key features:
ε+βαλλ+ον
[Augment]
[Stem]
[Tense-Former]
[Ending]
So, we have a verb that is augmented and has a present stem with a secondary active verb pattern ending. That means we have an imperfect indicative verb. The ον ending tells us that this imperfect indicative is active voice. It also tells us that ἔβαλλον is either first person singular or third person plural. Which one is it? We need context to decide. The nominative subject (πλούσιοι: a nominative, masculine, plural substantival adjective from πλούσιος) requires a third person plural verb. So, we parse ἔβαλλον as an imperfect, active, indicative, third person, plural from βάλλω.
Since imperfect verbs communicate imperfective aspect and past time, we can translate it as “they were putting.” Remember though, that Koine Greek does not translate directly into English. So, although there is some overlap between Greek imperfects and English past progressives, the one does not always translate into the other. So, the NIV’s translation (“Many rich people threw in large amounts.”) is a good and acceptable way to translate this verb. Why? Because the simple past is more consistent with English style here. That said, reading in the original language allows us to see that Mark chose two imperfect indicatives in v.41 (ἐθεώρει and ἔβαλλον) and an aorist indicative in v.42 (ἔβαλεν) so that he could foreground the widow’s action.
Καὶ ὁ πολὺς ὄχλος ἤκουεν αὐτοῦ ἡδέως. And the large crowd was hearing him gladly. —Mark 12:37
Let’s look at the four key features for ἤκουεν:
ε+ακου+εν
[Augment]
[Stem]
[Tense-Former]
[Ending]
First, notice that the stem begins with a vowel. Thus, when the ε augment is added, it combines with and lengthens the α to become an η. Our main verb is augmented and has a present stem with no tense-former and a secondary active ending. So, this must be an imperfect active verb. From the ending, we can finish parsing it: imperfect, active, indicative, third person, singular from ἀκούω.
We could translate this as “the crowd was hearing” to communicate the imperfective aspect and past time. The author speaks about part of the action as it was happening. Again though, Greek aspect does not always translate easily into English. The ESV translates this clause as “And the great throng heard him gladly.” This is a good way to translate ἤκουεν because “heard” provides a better stylistic fit in English while still giving the impression of an ongoing reality in the context. Again though, reading this narrative in the original enlivens the narrative and allows you to consider where and why Mark used specific tense-forms.
καὶ εὐθέως ἐγένετο ὑγιὴς ὁ ἄνθρωπος καὶ ἦρεν τὸν κράβαττον αὐτοῦ καὶ περιεπάτει. And immediately the man became healthy, and he took his mat, and he was walking. —John 5:9
The first two verbs are aorist tense-forms. We will save those for lesson 4. For now, let’s focus in on περιεπάτει:
ε+περιπατε+ε
[Augment]
[Stem]
[Tense-Former]
[Ending]
Now, we need to observe two facts about this verb: περιπατέω. First, it begins with a preposition. So, the augment comes between the preposition and the stem: περιεπάτει. Second, this verb is a contract verb. This means that its stem ends with an extra vowel: περιπατέω. As a result, the third singular ending on this verb looks a bit different than we would expect. Our secondary active ending for the third singular is ε(ν). However, the extra vowel at the end of περιπατέω creates a vowel merger: περιπατε+ε = περιεπάτει.
With these four key features, we can parse περιεπάτει as an imperfect, active, indicative, third person, singular from περιπατέω. We can translate περιεπάτει as “he was walking” to communicate the imperfective aspect and past time. John portrays the action of the healed man walking as it was happening. By using an imperfect indicative here, John sets up the next scene of the narrative. While he was walking, the Pharisees saw him walking with his mat and confronted him.
Parsing Practice: Imperfect Active Indicatives
Now that we learned about the four key features of imperfect active verbs and looked at a few examples, use this quizlet to help you practice parsing imperfect active verbs. Read carefully! There may be a few present indicatives in this quizlet to catch you off guard. There’s often only one or two letters that distinguish a present and an imperfect tense-form.