Verb – Luo/Aorist active infinitive

ObjectivesLearning objectives

• How the infinitive can be used as an argument of another verb
• The concept of verbal moods
• The morphology of the Luo and Aorist infinitives and their syntax and semantics

VocabularyVocabulary

NoteInfinitives as arguments

Verbs like βούλομαι and κελεύω may take an infinitive (the topic for this lesson) as an argument. These verbs are listed in the vocabulary table with the infinitive for ‘to do’ namely ποιῆσαι (Aorist) or ποιεῖν (Luo). In the case of βούλομαι ‘desire/want’, it does not take any other argument, though a noun may take the place of the infinitive. You can both ‘desire to eat bread’ (infinitive + noun) or ‘desire bread’ (only noun). On the other hand, κελεύω ‘command’ involves ordering someone to do something, whatever happens to be given by the verb in the infinitive. The first accusative argument (σε) represents the person commanded.

NoteGeneral Greek: “verbal mood”

Languages allow us to talk about events that are not real, such as in a sentence like Peter might go home. This sentence does not refer to an event that has happened or even an event that will happen in the future. It refers to an event that is a possibility, meaning it is unreal in some way. Verbal mood is a morphological marking on the verb that tells us whether the event is unreal or not (though see Semantics D for a fuller discussion and definition). All the verbs you have learned so far have been in what is called indicative mood (abbreviated ind). This mood does not mark the event as unreal or hypothetical (though it also does not mark it as real). Verbs in infinitive mood (abbreviated inf), on the other hand, refer to hypothetical or unreal events, as we will explore more in the semantics section.

GrammarGrammar Topic: Verb – Luo/Aorist active infinitive

In 15.1.3, we said that the traditional labels for the verb forms were problematic because they were not an accurate reflection of the semantics of the forms. This is true of the traditional labels of the infinitive forms as well. Because the stem associated with the Luo form is called the present, the infinitive with that stem has traditionally been called the present infinitive. Semantically, these two categories are mutually exclusive. The infinitive is, by definition, a tenseless form, so it cannot be “present.” However, tense is not the same as aspect, and Greek infinitives are distinguished based on their aspectual value, as we will see in this lesson with the infinitives of the Luo and Elusa and Efagon forms. We will, thus, refer to the Luo infinitive, which refers to the same form as “present infinitive” used by most grammars.

MorphologyMorphology: Verb – Luo/Aorist active infinitive

• Remember: Efagon uses a different verb stem from Luo (see 11.1.3.1), while Elusa uses the Luo stem with different endings (see 13.1.4.1).
• The Luo and Efagon inf ending is -ειν
• The Luo inf accent is regressive (λαμβάνειν), but in Efagon it is a circumflex on the ultima (λαβεῖν)
• For Elusa-pattern Aorist verbs, the inf ending -σαι is attached to the Luo stem, with a circumflex on the penultima (ἀκοῦσαι)

SyntaxSyntax: Verb – Luo/Aorist active infinitive

Infinitives often appear after certain verbs, such as βούλομαι, κελεύω, and ἐπιτρέπω. There are two basic options for the subject of these infinitives. Either the subject is identical to the subject of the main verb, or the subject is given by the accusative argument of the verb. To say βούλομαι φαγεῖν ἄρτον means ‘I desire to eat bread’ where ‘I’ is both the subject of the main verb (βούλομαι) and the infinitive verb (φαγεῖν). In contrast, κελεύω σε φαγεῖν ἄρτον means ‘I order you to eat bread’ where ‘I’ is the subject of the main verb (κελεύω), and ‘you’ is the subject of the infinitive verb (φαγεῖν). In general, the subject of infinitive verbs in Greek will be marked with accusative case if they are given explicitly.

SemanticsSemantics: Verb – Infinitive (1 – Hypothetical eventuality; 2 – Habitual)

Verb – Infinitive: all 3 parts on one page →Also in Lesson 27.2, Lesson 39.2

As we said previously, infinitives refer to eventualities that are hypothetical or unreal in some way: