Biblical Greek First Year Lesson 7
Class Notes
Imperfect Indicative Active
The Imperfect Indicative Active Endings:
Singular
1st person: – ν
2nd person: – ς
3rd person: –
Plural
1st person: – μεν
2nd person: – τε
3rd person: – ν or σαν
The imperfect is a past tense that denotes continuous or repeated action in the past. Unlike the aorist when expressing past tense, which describes a simple, completed action, the imperfect emphasizes the ongoing, habitual, or iterative nature of the action. This tense is used to describe actions that were in progress or repeated over a period of time in the past, up to the point of writing, often without a clear indication of when they were completed.
Form and Structure:
- The imperfect is constructed by taking the verb stem (λου) and adding an augment (usually ἐ-) to the beginning of the verb to indicate past time, followed by specific tense endings. ἐ – λού – ον (“I was washing”)
- Syllabic augment (ἐ-): used with verbs beginning with consonants.
- Temporal augment (lengthening of the initial vowel): used with verbs that start with vowels.
Endings in the Imperfect Tense:
1st person singular: -ον (ἐ- + stem + ο + ν → “I was doing”)
2nd person singular: -ες (ἐ- + stem + ε + ς → “You were doing”)
3rd person singular: -ε(ν) (ἐ- + stem + ε + – → “He/She/It was doing”)
1st person plural: -ομεν (ἐ- + stem + ο + μεν → “We were doing”)
2nd person plural: -ετε (ἐ- + stem + ε + τε → “You (plural) were doing”)
3rd person plural: -ον (ἐ- + stem + ο + ν or σαν → “They were doing”)
Usage of the Imperfect Tense:
- Narrative: Often used in narrative passages to set the scene or […]