Present Indicative Active Endings:
Singular:
1st Person: -ω
2nd Person: -εις
3rd Person: -ει
Plural:
1st Person: -ομεν
2nd Person: -ετε
3rd Person: -ουσι(ν)
Infinitive λέγειν, to be saying, to say
The Present Indicative Active form in Greek is used to denote an action that is occurring in the present time from the writer's perspective. It can indicate a continuous, habitual, or general truth.
The indicative is the only mode in which the tenses show absolute time. The main idea of tense is always the kind of action.; therefore, even in the indicative time is secondary. Duration or linear action in a continuous or progressive manner is the action expressed by the tense.
Present Tense: Indicates the time of the action as present.
It can denote a continuous action (e.g., "I am studying").
It can represent a habitual action (e.g., "I study every day").
It can also indicate a general truth (e.g., "The earth revolves around the sun").
Indicative Mood: This mood is used for making factual statements or asking questions that are seen as actual.
Active Voice: In the active voice, the subject of the verb is the one performing the action (e.g., "He writes a letter" - the subject "he" is doing the action of writing).
Parsing a Present Indicative Active Verb
Parsing involves identifying five components of a verb: tense, mood, voice, person, and number.
1. Tense: Present.
2. Mood: Indicative.
3. Voice: Active.
4. Person: Indicates who is performing the action:
a. 1st person: "I" or "we"
b. 2nd person: "you" (singular or plural)
c. 3rd person: "he/she/it" or "they"
5. Number: Singular or Plural.
Parsing Example: λέγω (I say)
λέγω (I say) - ω ending for 1st person singular.
λέγεις (You say) - εις ending for 2nd person singular.
λέγει (He/She/It says) - ει ending for 3rd person singular.
λέγομεν (We say) - ομεν ending for 1st person plural.
λέγετε (You all say) - ετε ending for 2nd person plural.
λέγουσι(ν) (They say) - ουσι(ν) ending for 3rd person plural.
The thematic vowel is a vowel that appears between the verb stem and the personal ending in many Greek verbs. It serves as a linking element that helps to form different tenses, moods, and voices in Greek conjugation.
The Thematic Vowel in the Present Indicative Active.
In the Present Indicative Active conjugation for thematic verbs, two thematic vowels are used, depending on the form:
ο (omicron): Used in most forms where the ending begins with a consonant.
ε (epsilon): Used in the second-person singular and plural forms.
Thematic Vowel Usage in "λέγω" (Present Indicative Active)
λέγω - The verb stem is "λεγ-". The thematic vowel -ο- is inserted, followed by the ending -ω.
λέγεις - The stem is "λεγ-". The thematic vowel -ε- is used, followed by the ending -εις.
λέγει - The stem is "λεγ-". The thematic vowel -ε- is used, followed by the ending -ει.
λέγομεν - The stem is "λεγ-". The thematic vowel -ο- is used, followed by the ending -ομεν.
λέγετε - The stem is "λεγ-". The thematic vowel -ε- is used, followed by the ending -ετε.
λέγουσι(ν) - The stem is "λεγ-". The thematic vowel -ο- is used, followed by the ending -ουσι(ν).
The infinitive does not use personal ending. It is a verbal noun in a fixed case form (-ειν).