Elementary New Testament Greek, 2014a

2: Introduction to Verbs in the Present Active Indicative
Verbs with Roots Ending in Short Vowels
(Contract Verbs)
We mentioned earlier that behaves nicely, and serves well as a pattern for
learning many hundreds of other “nice” Greek verbs. But other verbs rock the boat a
little, and “tweak” the appearance of the endings just a bit. Below in the rst column
you will see the familiar forms of . In the second, third and fourth columns you
will see three types of “tweaking” that go on in other verbs. Look over these forms,
reading from left to right, before reading the explanation that follows:
to destroy to honor to make to show Translation
μ— — —
1s μ I am —ing
2s μ You are —ing
3s μ
He/She/It is —
ing
1p μ μμ μ μ We are —ing
2p μ You are —ing
3p () μ() () () They are —ing
I hope you have noticed that, despite the “wrinkle” that takes place in these new
verbs, the endings you have seen with are still visible when you look closely:
1) In 1st singular, the omega is quite visible, though the accent has changed.
2) In 2nd singular, the iota-sigma still ends all forms, though the iota is
subscripted in one form (μ), and the accent has changed.
3) In 3rd singular, the iota still ends all forms, though it has been subscripted
() in the alpha-contract forms, or has combined to form other diphthongs,
and the accent has changed.
4) In 1st person plural, the μ remains unchanged, though the preceding
vowel and accent might have changed.
5) In 2nd plural, the remains unchanged, though the preceding vowel and
accent have changed.
6) In 3rd plural, the remains unchanged, though the preceding vowel and
accent might have changed.
In other words, if you know the endings for in the Present Active Indicative, you
should be able to recognize and translate those verbs that “tweak” the connecting
vowels. But it will be helpful to see some explanation of what has happened in these
forms, though it is not really necessary to memorize the exact steps taken.
The “base” of μ is μ– to which are added the various personal
endings. But because alpha is a highly reactive vowel, it will always
contract with the following vowel or diphthong of the endings.
Uncontracted (theoretical)
Endings:
Contracted (real-life)
Endings:
μ
μ
The “base” of is – to which are added the various personal endings. But
because epsilon is a highly reactive vowel, it will always contract with the following
vowel or diphthong of the endings.
Uncontracted (theoretical)
Endings:
Contracted (real-life)
Endings:
μ
μ
The “base” of is – to which are added the various personal endings. But
because omicron is a highly reactive vowel, it will always contract with the following
vowel or diphthong of the endings.
Uncontracted (theoretical)
Endings:
Contracted (real-life)
Endings:
μ
μ
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