Language/Ancient-greek-to-1453/Grammar/Ancient-Greek-Moods

Ancient Greek moods

The mood of the verb indicates whether the action is real or hypothetical in some way.

There are four moods (ἐγκλίσεις enklíseis "bendings" or "leanings"):

Indicative (Οριστική)

Greek ὁριστική horistikḗ "for defining", from ὁρίζω horízō "I define").

The indicative is the form of the verb used for ordinary statements of fact:

ἀπέκτεινε τὸν ἄνδρα

apékteine tòn ándra.

He killed the man.

Subjunctive (Υποτακτική )

Greek ὑποτακτική hupotaktikḗ "for arranging underneath", from ὑποτάσσω hupotássō "I arrange underneath". 

The Subjonctive mood expresses unreal or hypothetical actions, such as wishes, conditions, and possibilities.

The subjunctive generally has the letters ω (ō) or η (ē) in the ending.

It is often used when the meaning is may, for example in purpose clauses, especially those referring to present or future time:

Examples :

λέγε, ἵνα ἀκούω

lége, hína akoúō

Speak, so that I may hear (lit. so that I may be hearing).

• The above example uses the present subjunctive, but the aorist subjunctive is equally correct, with a slightly different shade of meaning:

λέγε, ἵνα ἀκούσω

lége, hína akoúsō

Speak, so that I may hear (lit. so that I may hear (straightaway)

• Another common use of the subjunctive is in indefinite subordinate clauses following a conjunction : 

as ἐᾱν (eā́n) "if (it may be that)", ὅταν (hótan) "whenever", ὃς ἄν (hòs án) "whoever", ἕως ἄν (héōs án) "until such time as" etc., referring to present or future time.

When used with the subjunctive, such conjunctions are always joined with the particle ἄν (an):

λέγε, ἕως ἂν οἴκαδε ὥρᾱ ᾖ ἀπιέναι

lége, héōs àn oíkade hṓrā êi apiénai

Speak, until it is time to go home.

• The subjunctive can also be used in exhortations, deliberative questions, and negative commands such as the following:

ἄγε νῡν, ἴωμεν

áge nūn, íōmen

Come now, let's go.

εἴπωμεν ἢ σιγῶμεν;

eípōmen ḕ sīgômen?

Should we speak (aorist) or should we remain silent (present)?

μὴ θαυμάσῃς.

mḕ thaumásēis.

Don't be surprised.

The negative of the subjunctive, as in the above example, is μὴ (mē).

Optative ( Ευκτική )

Greek: εὐκτική euktikḗ "for wishing", from εὔχομαι eúkhomai "I wish").

The optative mood can generally be recognised because it has the letters οι (oi), αι (ai) or ει (ei) in the ending.

The use of optative mood is in conditional sentences referring to a hypothetical situation in the future. The particle ἄν (an) is added in the main clause to give the meaning "would":

ἡδέως ἂν λάβοιμι, εἰ διδοίη 

hēdéōs àn láboimi, ei didoíē

I would gladly take, if he were to give.

• The optative mood is also used in reported speech in past time:

εἶπεν ὅτι θῦσαί τι βούλοιτο

eîpen hóti thûsaí ti boúloito

He said that he wished to make a sacrifice.

• The optative can also be used in purpose clauses in past time, and after verbs of fearing in past time:
• ἔδεισαν οἱ Ἕλληνες αὐτὸν μὴ τύραννος γένοιτο. édeisan hoi Héllēnes autòn mḕ túrannos génoito. The Greeks were afraid of him in case he might become a tyrant.

Imperative (Προστακτική)

(Greek: προστακτική prostaktikḗ "for commanding", from προστάσσω prostássō "I command")

The present imperative is used for general commands

τοὺς μὲν θεοὺς φοβοῦ, τοὺς δὲ γονεῖς τῑ́μᾱ

toùs mèn theoùs phoboû, toùs dè goneîs tī́mā.

Fear the gods, and honour your parents.

• The aorist imperative is used when the speaker wishes something done at once:

δότε μοι ξίφος ὅπως τάχιστα

dóte moi xíphos hópōs tákhista.

Give me a sword as quickly as possible!

Participles (Μετοχή)

Participles were given the name μετοχή "sharing" by Greek grammarians, because they share the characteristics of both adjectives and verbs.

Like adjectives, they have gender, case, and number and agree with the nouns that they modify, and, like verbs, they have tense and voice

Forms of the participle

Participles exist for all three voices in the present, aorist, future, and perfect tenses. Typical endings for the masc. sg., fem. sg., and masc. pl. are as follows

Active endings

• -ων, -ουσα, -οντες (-ōn, -ousa, -ontes) – present
• -σων, -σουσα, -σοντες (sōn, -sousa, -sontes) – future
• -ῶν, -οῦσα, -οῦντες (-ôn, -oûsa, -oûntes) – contracting future and contracting present
• -σᾱς, -σᾱσα, -σαντες (-sas, -sasa, -santes) – weak aorist
• -ών, -οῦσα, -όντες (-ṓn, -oûsa, -óntes) – strong aorist
• -ώς, -υῖα, -ότες (-ṓs, -uîa, -ótes) – perfect

Middle and Passive endings

• -όμενος, -ομένη, -όμενοι (-ómenos, -oménē, -ómenoi) – present and strong aorist middle
• -σόμενος, -σομένη, -σόμενοι (-sómenos, -soménē, -sómenoi) – future middle
• -σάμενος, -σαμένη, -σάμενοι (-sámenos, -saménē, -sámenoi) – weak aorist middle
• -θείς, -θεῖσα, -θέντες (-theís, -theîsa, -théntes) – weak aorist passive
• -μένος, -μένη, -μένοι (ménos, -ménē, -ménoi) – perfect middle or passive

Participles are very frequently used in Greek. For example, in the following sentence from Plato's Phaedo there are six participles:

καὶ ὁ παῖς ἐξελθὼν καὶ συχνὸν χρόνον διατρῑ́ψᾱς ἧκεν ἄγων τὸν μέλλοντα δώσειν τὸ φάρμακον, ἐν κύλικι φέροντα τετριμμένον

kaì ho paîs exelthṑn kaì sukhnòn khrónon diatrī́psās hêken ágōn tòn méllonta dṓsein tò phármakon, en kúliki phéronta tetrimménon.

And the boy, after going out and after spending a long time, came back leading the one intending to give the poison, (who was) carrying it already pounded in a cup.

Author

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Source : Wikipedia         

Other Lessons

• Accents in Ancient Greek
• Indefinite Pronouns
• Ancient Greek Adverbs
• Aspect in the Ancient Greek Verb
• Greek Punctuation
• Endings of the third declensions
• Ancient Greek cases
• Verb λύω: active voice
• Adjectives : General observations
• Ancient Greek : Second Declension