Introduction to Ancient Greek Unit 20 01 Subjunctive and Optative Moods Formation
Subjunctive and Optative Introduction AGE Unit 20: Subjunctive and Optative You have already learned three moods of Greek verbs: the indicative, infinitive, and the imperative. The indicative mood conveys actual historical events in the present, past or future. The infinitive mood is used as a verbal noun, so it is not necessary to indicate the person and number of the verb. The imperative mood conveys a command for someone to perform the action of the verb.
Subjunctive and Optative Introduction AGE Unit 20: Subjunctive and Optative This Unit presents the last two moods: the Subjunctive and Optative. We begin here with how to form these moods. In Unit 20 02, we will see how to use these moods.
Introduction
Introduction The Subjunctive Mood The subjunctive mood primarily refers to hypothetical actions in the present or future, that is, in the same time covered by the primary tenses of verbs. The subjunctive occurs only in the present, aorist and perfect tenses. Since the subjunctive mood always refers to hypothetical events, it NEVER has an augment (which indicates historical events in the past).
Formation
Formation The Subjunctive Mood ALL verbs in Greek use exactly the same personal endings to mark the subjunctive mood. As a primary mood, the subjunctive always uses primary endings. These primary personal endings are those of ω verbs, but with the thematic vowel lengthened ο ω, ε η
Formation Review: The Master List of Endings Posted in Sakai is a Master List of Endings: Verbs, where you can see the overall scheme of verb endings. On the second page you can see the single set of endings for all subjunctive mood verbs.
Active Voice
Active Voice Building a Greek verb Personal endings for subjunctive verbs are those of ω verbs, but with the thematic vowel lengthened. For the active voice, the endings are:! -ω -ω = I -εις -ῃς = you -ει -ῃ = (s)he, it -ομεν -ωμεν = we -ετε -ητε = y all -ουσι -ωσι = they
εἰμί Building a Greek verb Notice that these endings are also the present active subjunctive of εἰμί:! ὦ ὦμεν ᾖς ἦτε ᾖ ὦσι! The present subjunctive of εἰμί is not enclitic. Note also that for each number and person, the accents and breathing marks are identical.
Middle Voice
Middle Voice Building a Greek verb Personal endings for subjunctive verbs are those of ω verbs, but with the thematic vowel lengthened. For the middle voice, the endings are:! -ομαι -ωμαι = I -ομεθα -ωμεθα = we *-εσαι *-ησαι -ῃ = you -εσθε -ησθε = y all -εται -ηται = (s)he, it -ονται -ωνται = they
Tenses
Tenses The Subjunctive Mood As you can see, ALL verbs in the subjunctive are essentially -ω verbs and thematic. Recall that this also happens to all verbs in the indicative future. The tense of the subjunctive is indicated not by any additional markers or endings, but only by the tense stem. For the subjunctive, we need only know the present, aorist and perfect tense stems.
Tenses The Subjunctive Mood To see how to form the subjunctive in these three tenses, let s take a look at three examples:! λύω, λύσω, ἔλυσα, λέλυκα λαμβάνω, λήψομαι, ἔλαβον, εἴληφα δείκνυμι, δείξω, ἔδειξα, δέδειχα
Tenses The Subjunctive Mood Let s begin with this verb:! λύω, λύσω, ἔλυσα, λέλυκα present tense stem: λυ- aorist tense stem: λυσ- perfect tense stem: λελυκ-
The Present, Subjunctive, Active of λύω (GPH p. 71) λύω λύῃς λύῃ λύωμεν λύητε λύωσι(ν)
The Aorist, Subjunctive, Active of λύω (GPH p. 79) λύσω λύσῃς λύσῃ λύσωμεν λύσητε λύσωσι(ν)
The Perfect, Subjunctive, Active of λύω (GPH p. 92) λελύκω λελύκῃς λελύκῃ λελύκωμεν λελύκητε λελύκωσι(ν)
The Present, Subjunctive, Middle of λύω (GPH p. 71) λύωμαι λύῃ λύηται λυώμεθα λύησθε λύωνται
The Aorist, Subjunctive, Middle of λύω (GPH p. 71) λύσωμαι λύσῃ λύσηται λυσώμεθα λύσησθε λύσωνται
Periphrastic Forms The Subjunctive Mood In the perfect tense, the forms of the subjunctive mood proved difficult for Greeks to say. Sometimes in the active voice, and always in the middle voice, Greek used periphrastic forms; that is, they used the perfect participle (perfect active participle if perfect active subjunctive, and middle if perfect middle) followed by the subjunctive form of εἰμί: active: λελύκῃ (or λελυκὼς ᾖ) middle: λελυμένος ᾖ (never λελυ- + -ηται)
The Perfect, Subjunctive, Middle of λύω (GPH p. 92) λελυμένος ὦ λελυμένος ᾖς λελυμένος ᾖ λελυμένοι ὦμεν λελυμένοι ἦτε λελυμένοι ὦσι
Tenses The Subjunctive Mood Now let s take a look at this verb, in the active voice.! λαμβάνω, λήψομαι, ἔλαβον, εἴληφα present tense stem: λαμβαν- aorist tense stem: λαβ- perfect tense stem: εἰληφ-
The Present, Subjunctive, Active of λαμβάνω λαμβάνω λαμβάνῃς λαμβάνῃ λαμβάνωμεν λαμβάνητε λαμβάνωσι(ν)
The Aorist, Subjunctive, Active of λαμβάνω λάβω λάβῃς λάβῃ λάβωμεν λάβητε λάβωσι(ν)
The Perfect, Subjunctive, Active of λαμβάνω εἰλήφω εἰλήφῃς εἰλήφῃ εἰλήφωμεν εἰλήφητε εἰλήφωσι(ν)
Tenses The Subjunctive Mood Now let s take a look at this verb, in the active voice.! δείκνυμι, δείξω, ἔδειξα, δέδειχα present tense stem: δεικνυ- aorist tense stem: δειξ- perfect tense stem: δεδειχ-
The Present, Subjunctive, Active of δείκνυμι δεικνύω δεικνύῃς δεικνύῃ δεικνύωμεν δεικνύητε δεικνύωσι(ν)
The Aorist, Subjunctive, Active of δείκνυμι δείξω δείξῃς δείξῃ δείξωμεν δείξητε δείξωσι(ν)
The Perfect, Subjunctive, Active of δείκνυμι δεδείχω δεδείχῃς δεδείχῃ δεδείχωμεν δεδείχητε δεδείχωσι(ν)
Optative Mood Introduction
Optative Mood Introduction The Optative Mood The optative mood primarily refers to hypothetical actions in the past, that is, in the same time covered by the secondary tenses of verbs. As with the subjunctive, the optative occurs only in the present, aorist and perfect tenses. Since the optative mood always refers to hypothetical events, it NEVER has an augment (which indicates historical events in the past). In very rare and specific circumstances, it is possible to create a future tense of the optative.
Optative Mood Formation
Optative Mood Formation The Optative Mood Like the subjunctive, ALL verbs in the optative mood use the personal endings of ω verbs. For the active first person singular ending, however, the optative uses -μι. As a secondary mood, the optative uses secondary endings.
Optative Mood Formation The Optative Mood To mark the optative mood, an -ι- is inserted between the thematic vowel and the personal ending. Inserting this -ι- means that the thematic vowel does not degrade from ο to ε, as it does elsewhere. As a result, the thematic vowel remains an ο throughout all persons and numbers.
Optative Mood Active Voice
Optative Mood Active Voice Building a Greek verb As a secondary mood, the optative uses secondary endings. To mark the optative mood, an -ι- is inserted between the thematic vowel and the personal ending in the active voice:! -ον -οιμι = I -ομεν -οιμεν = we -ες -οις = you -ετε -οιτε = y all -ε -οι = (s)he, it -ον -οιεν = they
Optative Mood First Aorist Active Endings Building a Greek verb In the first (weak) aorist, the -σα- marker replaces the thematic vowel -ο- in the active voice:! -οιμι -σαιμι = I -ομεν -σαιμεν = we -οις -σαις = you -οιτε -σαιτε = y all -οι -σαι or -σειε = (s)he, it -οιεν -σαιεν or -σειαν = they
Optative Mood Middle Voice
Optative Mood Middle Voice Building a Greek verb As a secondary mood, the optative uses secondary endings. To mark the optative mood, an -ι- is inserted between the thematic vowel and the personal ending in the middle voice:! -ομην -οιμην = I -ομεθα -οιμεθα = we *-εσο *-οισο -οιο = you -εσθε -οισθε = y all -ετο -οιτο = (s)he, it -οντο -οιντο = they
Optative Mood First Aorist Middle Endings Building a Greek verb Likewise, in the first (weak) aorist, the -σα- marker replaces the thematic vowel -ο- in the middle voice:! -οιμην -σαιμην = I -οιμεθα -σαιμεθα = we -οιο -σαιο = you -οισθε -σαισθε = y all -οιτο -σαιτο = (s)he, it -οντο -σαιντο = they
Optative Mood Formation The Optative Mood Τhe importance of inserted -ι- as a marker of the optative mood is also reflected in the fact that -οι and -αι at the end of optative forms are long diphthongs (not short as they are everywhere else). While the basic marker of optative mood is the inserted -ι-, for clarity and pronunciation Greek words sometimes expanded this marker to -ιη- (or shortened to -ιε-). This happens most notably in contract verbs and μι verbs.
Optative Mood εἰμί Building a Greek verb Note, for example, that the present optative of εἰμί generally uses -ιη- as its optative marker, and regular μι secondary endings:! εἴην εἴης εἴη εἴημεν or εἶμεν εἴητε or εἶτε εἴησαν or εἶεν
Optative Mood Tenses The Optative Mood As you can see, ALL verbs in the optative are essentially -ω verbs and thematic. Recall that this also happens to all verbs in the subjunctive and in the indicative future. The tense of the optative is indicated not by any additional markers or endings, but by the tense stem. For the optative, we need for now to know only the present, aorist and perfect tense stems.
Optative Mood Tenses The Optative Mood To see how to form the subjunctive in these three tenses, let s take a look at three examples:! λύω, λύσω, ἔλυσα, λέλυκα λαμβάνω, λήψομαι, ἔλαβον, εἴληφα δείκνυμι, δείξω, ἔδειξα, δέδειχα
Optative Mood Tenses The Optative Mood Let s begin with this verb:! λύω, λύσω, ἔλυσα, λέλυκα present tense stem: λυ- aorist tense stem: λυσ- perfect tense stem: λελυκ-
Optative Mood The Present, Subjunctive, Active of λύω (GPH p. 72) λύοιμι λύοις λύοι λύοιμεν λύοιτε λύοιεν
The Aorist, Subjunctive, Active of λύω (GPH p. 80) λύσαιμι λύσαις λύσαι λύσαιμεν λύσαιτε λύσαιεν or λύσειαν
The Perfect, Subjunctive, Active of λύω (GPH p. 92) λελύκοιμι λελύκοις λελύκοι λελύκοιμεν λελύκοιτε λελύκοιεν
Optative Mood The Present, Optative, Middle of λύω (GPH p. 72) λυοίμην λύοιο λύοιτο λυοίμεθα λύοισθε λύοιντο
The Aorist, Subjunctive, Middle of λύω (GPH p. 80) λυσαίμην λύσαιο λύσαιτο λυσαίμεθα λύσαισθε λύσαιντο
Optative Mood Periphrastic Forms The Optative Mood In the perfect tense, as with the subjunctive, the forms of the optative mood proved difficult for Greeks to say. Sometimes in the active voice, and always in the middle voice, Greek used periphrastic forms; that is, they used the perfect participle (perfect active participle if perfect active optative, and middle if perfect middle) followed by the optative form of εἰμί: active: λελύκοι (or λελυκὼς εἴη) middle: λελυμένος εἴη (never λελυ- + -ι- + -το)
Optative Mood The Perfect, Optative, Middle of λύω (GPH p. 93) λελυμένος εἴην λελυμένος εἴης λελυμένος εἴη λελυμένοι εἴημεν λελυμένοι εἴητε λελυμένοι εἴησαν
Optative Mood Tenses The Optative Mood Now let s take a look at this verb, in the active voice.! λαμβάνω, λήψομαι, ἔλαβον, εἴληφα present tense stem: λαμβαν- aorist tense stem: λαβ- perfect tense stem: εἰληφ-
Optative Mood The Present, Optative, Active of λαμβάνω λαμβάνοιμι λαμβάνοις λαμβάνοι λαμβάνοιμεν λαμβάνοιτε λαμβάνοιεν
Optative Mood The Aorist, Optative, Active of λαμβάνω λάβοιμι λάβοις λάβοι λάβοιμεν λάβοιτε λάβοιεν
The Perfect, Subjunctive, Active of λαμβάνω εἰλήφοιμι εἰλήφοις εἰλήφοι εἰλήφοιμεν εἰλήφοιτε εἰλήφοιεν
Tenses The Subjunctive Mood Now let s take a look at this verb, in the active voice.! δείκνυμι, δείξω, ἔδειξα, δέδειχα present tense stem: δεικνυ- aorist tense stem: δειξ- perfect tense stem: δεδειχ-
Optative Mood The Present, Optative, Active of δείκνυμι δεικνύοιμι δεικνύοις δεικνύοι δεικνύοιμεν δεικνύοιτε δεικνύοιεν
Optative Mood The Aorist, Optative, Active of δείκνυμι δείξοιμι δείξοις δείξοι δείξοιμεν δείξοιτε δείξοιεν
Optative Mood The Perfect, Optative, Active of δείκνυμι δεδείχοιμι δεδείχοις δεδείχοι δεδείχοιμεν δεδείχοιτε δεδείχοιεν