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Chapter 10 · Lesson 10.2 · Verb
Verb – Future tense
ObjectivesLearning objectives
- The morphology and semantics of the future tense
VocabularyVocabulary
| Greek | Gloss | Part of speech | Paradigm |
|---|---|---|---|
| τὸ πνεῦμα, -ατος | the spirit | noun | B.a.γ.i(a) |
| ὁ τρόπος, -ου | the way | noun | B.a.β.i |
| τὸ σῶμα, -ατος | the body | noun | B.a.γ.i(a) |
| τυφλός, -ή, -όν | blind | adjective | A.a.α |
| αὔριον | tomorrow | adverb | |
| ἀγαθός, -ή, -όν | good | adjective | A.a.α |
MorphologyMorphology: Verb – Future tense
- The regular pattern of the future is to add a σ between the stem of the verb and the present endings you already know (e.g. νεύ-ω ‘I am nodding’ → νεύ-σ-ω ‘I will nod’).
- There are some rare cases where the stem changes slightly between the present form and the future (e.g. κλαί-ω → κλαύ-σ-ω), but for the most part, stems that end in a vowel will be identical in the present and future.
| Singular | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Person | νεύ-σ-ω | νεύ-σ-ομεν |
| 2nd Person | νεύ-σ-εις | νεύ-σ-ετε |
| 3rd Person | νεύ-σ-ει | νεύ-σ-ουσι(ν) |
- Verb stems that end in a consonant may interact with the σ of the future in different ways. For example, βλέπω, which ends in π, becomes βλέψω in the future because the π and σ combine to form ψ. This happens when a stem ends in β and φ as well. Other stem endings combine differently with σ, as shown in the below chart.
- Some verbs have stems that are not transparent in the present, e.g. κράζω, whose stem is actually κραγ-, is κράξω in the future.
| With σ | Example | |
|---|---|---|
| π, β, φ | becomes ψ | βλέπ-σ-ω → βλέψω |
| κ, γ, χ | becomes ξ | κράγ-σ-ω → κράξω |
| τ, δ, θ | drops, leaves σ | πείθ-σ-ω → πείσω |
| λ, μ, ν, ρ | σ drops | μέν-σ-ω → μενῶ |
SemanticsSemantics: Verb – Future (1 – Future event)
Future tense is used to refer to a time that has not yet occurred, so we are talking about events that will happen after the time of speaking.
τῆς φωνῆς μου ἀκούσουσιν
They (my sheep) will hear my voice (John 10:16)
The event of the sheep hearing the voice of Jesus happens at a time after the time of speaking, so the future tense is used.
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New Testament text shown on hover: Greek from the SBLGNT, © 2010 Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software, CC BY 4.0; English from the Berean Standard Bible (public domain).