Verb: Imperfect/Eluon

GrammarVerb – Imperfect/Eluon singular

The verb form introduced in this lesson has been traditionally called the imperfect, but there are a number of problems with this term. First, it is not a term used in linguistics. The similar term “imperfective” is used, but this is an aspectual term that refers to the same aspectual value we have already seen in the present. By calling the form “imperfective,” we would wrongly be suggesting that it is the only imperfective form. Second, the term “imperfect” suggests that it contrasts with the “perfect,” but the counterpart to this form is the (perfective) Aorist. Finally, calling the form “imperfect” does not connect it with the “present” form in any way, even though both forms share the same aspect.

What, then, should we call this form? In linguistics, it is standard practice to name verbal forms by their morphological shape rather than by a term that is also a description of its meaning (such as the “present” which should refer to eventualities in the present). Thus far, we have not done this with the other forms because you need to know the traditional terms as well when reading Greek grammars, and the terms up to this point have not been too misleading. We will continue to introduce you to the traditional terminology when you learn new verb forms, but we will now start to call the forms by their morphological shape rather than a semantic label. Greek grammars typically use the verb λύω to demonstrate verbal paradigms, so we will use this verb to name the verbal forms, and we will use English letters to distinguish the form from verbs in Greek. The present tense form you have learned will thus be alternatively referred to as the Luo form. The future will be Luso. We will call the sigmatic Aorist form the Elusa form and the thematic form Efagon. We distinguish these two because the forms are separate, even though they have the same meaning. When we speak of the meaning of the Aorist or features common to both forms, we will normally use the term “Aorist,” since “Aorist” does not have a meaning in English. And finally, the imperfect we will call the Eluon form. Because these are new terms and you also need to know the traditional nomenclature, I will often use them interchangeably to remind you of the meaning of the new terms as well as the old. The terminological equivalences can be found in the following table (* marks forms you have not learned yet; see also Appendix B).

fromLesson 15.1

MorphologyVerb – Imperfect/Eluon singular

• Eluon has the initial ε augment just like the Elusa and Efagon forms.
• Eluon and Efagon have identical endings (on which, see 12.1.3.1).
• The difference between Eluon and Efagon is the stem of the verb: the Eluon form has an identical stem to the Luo/present form except for the augment (e.g. λαμβαν- for Luo and ἐλαμβαν- for Eluon), while the Efagon has a different stem from the Luo/Eluon forms (e.g. ἐλαβ- is the stem for the Aorist)

fromLesson 15.1

MorphologyVerb – Imperfect/Eluon plural

• Remember: the Eluon form is a combination of the stem of the Luo and the Efagon endings (see 15.1.3.1).

fromLesson 16.1

SemanticsVerb – Eluon (1 – Past in progress)

The meaning of Eluon shares characteristics with both the Luo and Aorist, just like the morphology does. Like the Efagon/Elusa, Eluon has the initial augment, so that indicates that both forms are past tense. The stem of Eluon is the same as Luo except for the augment, and that indicates the aspect, namely imperfective. This morphological description is suggestive of its most basic function–it is used to describe situations in the past where the event has not yet come to an end. In other words, only part of the event is being referred to:

• (130) Past in progress
• αὐτὸς δὲ ἐκάθευδεν (Matt 8:24)
• But he was sleeping

fromLesson 15.1

SemanticsVerb – Eluon (3 – Past habit)

Imperfective forms, such as Luo, regularly express habituality (see 6.3.3.2). Eluon shares the same aspect as Luo and is also regularly used for habituals, though the habit being referred to is in the past:

fromLesson 16.1