Jeffrey A. Rydberg-Cox, Overview of Greek Syntax, Verbs: Tense

Home Collections/Texts Perseus Catalog Research Grants Open Source About Help

Hide browse bar Your current position in the text is marked in blue. Click anywhere in the line to jump to another position:

This text is part of:

Greek and Roman Materials

View text chunked by:

chapter : form : use
form

Verbs: Tense

Present

The present tense denotes an action in the present time with continuing aspect.

Specific Present: The present denotes an action in progress at the present time. Smyth 1875-1876
“ἀληθῆ λέγω” Lys. 13.72; I am telling the truth
Gnomic Present: The present can denote a general truth. Smyth 1877
“ἄγει δὲ πρὸς φῶς τὴν ἀλήθειαν χρόνος” Men. Sent. 11 time brings the truth to light
Historical Present: The present may be used in narrative to present a more vivid picture of an action. Smyth 1883-1884
“ὁ δὲ Θεμιστοκλῆς φεύγει ἐς Κέρκυραν . . . διακομίζεται ἐς τὴν ἤπειρον” Thuc. 1.136 Themistocles fled (flees) to Corcyra . . . was (is) transported to the mainland
Present Simple Conditions: The present or perfect indicative stands in the protasis of present simple conditions. The present or perfect indicative stands in the apodosis. Smyth 2298-2301
“εἰ οὖν βούλεσθε, ἔξεστιν ὑμῖν ἡμᾶς λαβεῖν ξυμμάχους” Xen. Anab. 5.4.6; If you wish, you can take us as allies
Present General Conditions: The subjunctive with ἐάν stands in the protasis of present general conditions. The present indicative stands in the apodosis Smyth 2337-2339
“ἀδικοῦντα, ἢν λάβῃς, κολάζεις;” Xen. Cyrop. 3.1.11; Do you punish a wrong-doer if you catch him?

Perfect

The perfect denotes present time and completed aspect.

Specific Perfect: The perfect denotes a completed action in the present time. Smyth 1945
“τὰς πόλεις αὐτῶν παρῄρηται” Dem. 9.26; he has taken away (and still holds) their cities
Gnomic Perfect: The perfect can denote a general truth. Smyth 1948
“ἡ ἀταξία πολλοὺς ἤδη ἀπολώλεκεν” Xen. Anab. 3.1.38; lack of discipline already has been the ruin of many
Present Simple Conditions: The present or perfect indicative stands in the protasis of present simple conditions. The present or perfect indicative stands in the apodosis. Smyth 2298-2301
“εἰ οὖν βούλεσθε, ἔξεστιν ὑμῖν ἡμᾶς λαβεῖν ξυμμάχους” Xen. Anab. 5.4.6; If you wish, you can take us as allies

Pluperfect

The pluperfect expresses past time and completed aspect.

Specific Pluperfect: The pluperfect expresses a completed action in past time. Smyth 1952
ἐβεβουλεύμην I had (was) resolved
Past Simple Conditions: The imperfect, aorist, or pluperfect indicative stands in the protasis and apodosis of past simple conditions. Smyth 2298-2301
“εἴ τέ τι ἄλλο . . . ἐγένετο ἐπικίνδυνον τοῖς Ἕλλησι, πάντων . . . μετέσχομεν” Thuc. 3.54; and if any other danger befell the Greeks, we took our share in all

Imperfect

The imperfect expresses past time and continuing aspect.

Specific Imperfect: The imperfect denotes an action that is continuing in a past time or is still incomplete in the present. Smyth 1889-1892
“διέφθειραν Ἀθηναίων πίντε καὶ εἴκοσι οἳ ξυνεπολιορκοῦντο” Thuc. 3.68; they put to death twenty-five of the Athenians who were besieged (i.e. from the beginning to the end of the siege)
Conative Imperfect: The imperfect can denote an action that was attempted in a past time. Smyth 1895
“Θηβαῖοι κατεδουλοῦντ᾽ αὐτούς” Dem. 8.74; the Thebans tried to enslave them
Iterative Imperfect: The imperfect can denote a repeated action in past time when accompanied by ἄν. Smyth 1893-1894
“ἐπεθύμει ἄν τις ἔτι πλείω αὐτοῦ ἀκούειν” Xen. Cyrop. 1.4.3; people would (used to) desire to hear still more from him
Present Contrafactual Conditions: The imperfect indicative stands in the protasis of present contrafactual conditions. The imperfect indicative with ἄν stands in the apodosis. Smyth 2302-2312
“εἰ γὰρ ἐκήδου, ἧκες ἂν φέρων πλήρη τὸν μισθὸν” Xen. Anab. 7.5.5; If you were troubled, you would have come with full pay
Past Contrafactual Condition: The aorist or imperfect indicative stands in the protasis of past contrafactual conditions. The aorist or imperfect indicative with ἄν stands in the apodosis. Smyth 2302-2312
“οὐκ ἂν ἐποίησεν Ἀγασίας ταῦτα, εἰ μὴ ἐγὼ αὐτὸν ἐκέλευσα” Xen. Anab. 6.6.15; Agasias would not have done this, if I had not commanded him
Past Simple Conditions: The imperfect, aorist, or pluperfect indicative stands in the protasis and apodosis of past simple conditions. Smyth 2298-2301
“εἴ τέ τι ἄλλο . . . ἐγένετο ἐπικίνδυνον τοῖς Ἕλλησι, πάντων . . . μετέσχομεν” Thuc. 3.54; and if any other danger befell the Greeks, we took our share in all
Past General Conditions: The optative with εἰ stands in the protasis of past general conditions. The imperfect indicative stands in the apodosis. Smyth 2340-2341
“εἰ δέ τις καὶ ἀντείποι, εὐθὺς . . . ἐτεθνήκει” Thuc. 8.66; but if any one even made an objection, he was promptly put to death

Aorist

The aorist expresses past time and simple aspect.

Specific Aorist: The aorist denotes a simple action in the past. Smyth 1923-1930
“ἐνίκησαν οἱ Κερκυραῖοι καὶ ναῦς πέντε καὶ δέκα διέφθειραν” Thuc. 1.29; the Corcyraeans were victorious and destroyed fifteen ships
Gnomic Aorist: The aorist can express a general truth and, in this case, should be translated as a present. Smyth 1931-1932
“κάλλος μὲν γὰρ ἢ χρόνος ἀνήλωσεν ἢ νόσος ἐμάρανε” Isoc. 1.6; for beauty is either wasted by time or withered by disease
Iterative Aorist: The aorist can indicate repeated action in past time when accompanied by ἄν. Smyth 1933
“εἶπεν ἄν” Xen. Cyrop. 7.1.14 he used to say
Past Contrafactual Condition: The aorist or imperfect indicative stands in the protasis of past contrafactual conditions. The aorist or imperfect indicative with ἄν stands in the apodosis. Smyth 2302-2312
“οὐκ ἂν ἐποίησεν Ἀγασίας ταῦτα, εἰ μὴ ἐγὼ αὐτὸν ἐκέλευσα” Xen. Anab. 6.6.15; Agasias would not have done this, if I had not commanded him
Past Simple Conditions: The imperfect, aorist, or pluperfect indicative stands in the protasis and apodosis of past simple conditions. Smyth 2298-2301
“εἴ τέ τι ἄλλο . . . ἐγένετο ἐπικίνδυνον τοῖς Ἕλλησι, πάντων . . . μετέσχομεν” Thuc. 3.54; and if any other danger befell the Greeks, we took our share in all

Future

The future expresses future time with either simple or continuing aspect.

Specific Future: The future denotes an action that will take place at a future time. Smyth 1910-1913
“λήψεται μισθὸν τάλαντον” Xen. Anab. 2.2.20; he shall receive a talent as his reward
Jussive Future: The future can denote a command, much like the imperative. Smyth 1917-1922
“ὣς οὖν ποιήσετε” Plat. Prot. 338a; you will do thus
Gnomic Future: The future can express a general truth and, in this case, should be translated as a present. Smyth 1914
Plat. Rep. 603e “ἀνὴρ ἐπιεικὴς υἱὸν ἀπολέσας ῥᾷστα οἴσει τῶν ἄλλων” a reasonable man, if he loses a son, will (is expected to) bear it more easily than other men
Future More Vivid Conditions: The subjunctive with ἐάν stands in the protasis of future more vivid conditions. The future indicative stands in the apodosis. Smyth 2323-2327
“τί ἔσται τοῖς στρατιώταις, ἐὰν αὐτῷ ταῦτα χαρίσωνται” Xen. Anab. 2.1.10; What will the soldiers have, if they oblige him in this?
Future Most Vivid Conditions: The future indicative stands in the protasis and apodosis of future most vivid conditions. Smyth 2328
“ἀποκτενεῖς γάρ, εἴ με γῆς ἔξω βαλεῖς” Eur. Phoen. 1621; for you will slay me if you cast me out of the land

Future Perfect

The future perfect expresses future time and completed aspect.

Specific Future Perfect: The future perfect denotes a completed action in some future time. Smyth 1955-1958
“ἡ θύρα κεκλήσεται” Aristoph. Lys. 1071; the door will be kept shut

Overview of Greek Syntax. Jeffrey A. Rydberg-Cox. 2000. Text created electronically.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 United States License.

An XML version of this text is available for download, with the additional restriction that you offer Perseus any modifications you make. Perseus provides credit for all accepted changes, storing new additions in a versioning system.

Cross-references from this page (44):
- Demosthenes, On the Chersonese, 74
- Demosthenes, Philippic 3, 26
- Euripides, Phoenician Women, 1621
- Isocrates, To Demonicus, 6
- Lysias, Against Agoratus, 72
- Plato, Republic, 603e
- Plato, Protagoras, 338a
- Thucydides, Histories, 1.136
- Thucydides, Histories, 1.29
- Thucydides, Histories, 3.54
- Thucydides, Histories, 3.68
- Thucydides, Histories, 8.66
- Xenophon, Anabasis, 2.1.10
- Xenophon, Anabasis, 2.2.20
- Xenophon, Anabasis, 3.1.38
- Xenophon, Anabasis, 5.4.6
- Xenophon, Anabasis, 6.6.15
- Xenophon, Anabasis, 7.5.5
- Xenophon, Cyropaedia, 1.4.3
- Xenophon, Cyropaedia, 3.1.11
- Xenophon, Cyropaedia, 7.1.14
- Aristophanes, Lysistrata, 1071
- Herbert Weir Smyth, A Greek Grammar for Colleges, 1875
- Herbert Weir Smyth, A Greek Grammar for Colleges, 1877
- Herbert Weir Smyth, A Greek Grammar for Colleges, 1883
- Herbert Weir Smyth, A Greek Grammar for Colleges, 1889
- Herbert Weir Smyth, A Greek Grammar for Colleges, 1893
- Herbert Weir Smyth, A Greek Grammar for Colleges, 1895
- Herbert Weir Smyth, A Greek Grammar for Colleges, 1910
- Herbert Weir Smyth, A Greek Grammar for Colleges, 1914
- Herbert Weir Smyth, A Greek Grammar for Colleges, 1917
- Herbert Weir Smyth, A Greek Grammar for Colleges, 1923
- Herbert Weir Smyth, A Greek Grammar for Colleges, 1931
- Herbert Weir Smyth, A Greek Grammar for Colleges, 1933
- Herbert Weir Smyth, A Greek Grammar for Colleges, 1945
- Herbert Weir Smyth, A Greek Grammar for Colleges, 1948
- Herbert Weir Smyth, A Greek Grammar for Colleges, 1952
- Herbert Weir Smyth, A Greek Grammar for Colleges, 1955
- Herbert Weir Smyth, A Greek Grammar for Colleges, 2298
- Herbert Weir Smyth, A Greek Grammar for Colleges, 2302
- Herbert Weir Smyth, A Greek Grammar for Colleges, 2323
- Herbert Weir Smyth, A Greek Grammar for Colleges, 2328
- Herbert Weir Smyth, A Greek Grammar for Colleges, 2337
- Herbert Weir Smyth, A Greek Grammar for Colleges, 2340

Greek Display:
Arabic Display:
View by Default:
Browse Bar:

Jeffrey A. Rydberg-Cox, Overview of Greek Syntax