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Chapter 36 · Lesson 36.2 · Verb
Verb – α-contract (contraction)
ObjectivesLearning objectives
- The morphology of α-contract verbs when the ending begins with a vowel
VocabularyVocabulary
| Greek | Gloss | Part of speech | Paradigm |
|---|---|---|---|
| ἐρωτᾷ σε περί τινος | (he) asks about something/one (gen) | verb | C.a.γ |
| κοιμᾶται | (he) falls asleep | verb | C.a.γ |
| ἀγαπᾷ τινα | (he) loves something/one (acc) | verb | C.a.γ |
| βοᾷ | (he) cries out | verb | C.a.γ |
| κλᾷ τι | (he) breaks something (acc)<sup>1</sup> | verb | C.a.γ |
| ὁρᾷ τινα | (he) sees something/one (acc) | verb | C.a.γ |
1 Only used of breaking bread.
GrammarGrammar Topic: Verb – α contract (contraction)
In 25.2.3, we introduced contract verbs ending in ε; in this lesson, you learn a similar contraction pattern, but the ending on the verb is α instead of ε.
MorphologyMorphology: Verb – α contract (contraction)
- α contracts with other vowels according to the following rules:
- With o-class vowels, it contracts to ω
- With e-class vowels, it contracts to long α
- ι becomes a subscript, even when in combination with another vowel (e.g. ει)
| α + ο, ω, ου = ω | α + ι or any combination with ι = ᾳ | α + ε, η = ᾶ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verb | ἀγαπά + ω | ἀγαπά + ει | ἀγαπά + ετε |
| = | = | = | |
| ἀγαπῶ, ἀγαπῶμεν | ἀγαπᾷ | ἀγαπᾶτε |
- This leads to the following Luo ind forms:
- 1s, 1p, and 3p become ἀγαπῶ, ἀγαπῶμεν, and ἀγαπῶσι(ν)
- 2p becomes ἀγαπᾶτε
- 2s and 3s become ἀγαπᾷς and ἀγαπᾷ
- Likewise in the med-psv, forms with an ‘ο’ theme vowel become ω, and those with an ‘ε’ become α (e.g. κοιμάομαι → κοιμῶμαι, κοιμάεται → κοιμᾶται)
- The Eluon forms follow the same rules, so the 1s form becomes ἠγάπων (ἠγάπαον) while the 3s becomes ἠγάπα (ἠγάπαε)
- The Luo impv becomes ἀγάπα (ἀγάπαε), and the inf becomes ἀγαπᾶν (originally ἀγαπάεν)
| Contracted forms | |
|---|---|
| Luo active | ἀγαπῶ, ἀγαπᾶτε, ἀγαπᾷ |
| Luo medio-passive | κοιμᾶται, κοιμῶμαι |
| Eluon | ἠγάπων, ἠγάπα |
| Luo imperative | ἀγάπα |
| Luo infinitive | ἀγαπᾶν |
Lesson 36.2 quiz
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