1.34: εἰμί and εἶμι

The Verb

In Greek and in English verbs have the same definition and functions. Verbs are words that represent actions (throw) and states of being (be or exist). They differ in the same fundamental way that Greek nouns differ from their English counterparts: they use endings to create meaning in a way that English does not. The Greek verb (ῥῆμα) in its finite form has an ending that indicates what person and number the subject is. The Greek infinitive has an ending that indicates that it is unmarked for person and number.

The Verbs εἰμί and εἶμι

The verbs εἰμί and εἶμι are μι-verbs, occur frequently, and are irregular in all languages. Memorize the forms below. As you memorize them, note the similarities and differences between them.

Present Indicative Active of εἰμί

Verb Form	English Equivalent	Person and Number
εἰμί	I am	1^st person singular
εἶ, εἶς	you are	2^nd person singular
ἐστί (ν)	he, she, it is; there is	3^rd person singular
ἐσμέν	we are	1^st person plural
ἐστέ	you are	2^nd person plural
εἰσί (ν)	they are; there are	3^rd person plural

Imperfect Indicative Active of εἰμί

Verb Form	English Equivalent	Person and Number
ἦν, ἦ	I was	1^st person singular
ἦσθα	you were	2^nd person singular
ἦν	he, she, it was; there was	3^rd person singular
ἦμεν	we were	1^st person plural
ἦτε	you were	2^nd person plural
ἦσαν	they were; there were	3^rd person plural

1. All forms of the present indicative active are enclitic except for εἶ you are and the infinitive, εἶναι to be.
2. ἔστι (ν) with its accent on the penult is not enclitic; it often means it is possible, it is allowed with its meaning completed by a complementary infinitive; if it means is the accent on the penult stresses the existence of the subject.

Present Infinitive Active of εἰμί

εἶναι to be unmarked

Present Indicative Active of εἶμι

Verb Form	English Equivalent	Person and Number
εἶμι	I go	1^st person singular
εἶ	you go	2^nd person singular
εἶσι (ν)	he, she, it goes	3^rd person singular
ἴμεν	we go	1^st person plural
ἴτε	you go	2^nd person plural
ἴᾱσι (ν)	they go	3^rd person plural

Imperfect Indicative Active of εἶμι

Verb Form	English Equivalent	Person and Number
ᾖα, ᾔειν	I was going	1^st person singular
ᾔεις, ᾔεισθα	you were going	2^nd person singular
ᾔει, ᾔειν	he, she, it was going	3^rd person singular
ᾖμεν	we were going	1^st person plural
ᾖτε	you were going	2^nd person plural
ᾖσαν, ᾔεσαν	they were going	3^rd person plural

Present Infinitive Active of εἶμι

ἰέναι to be unmarked

Present Participles of εἰμί and εἶμι

ὤν, οὖσα, ὄν being

	M	F	N		M	F	N
N	ὤν	οὖσα	ὄν	N	ὄντες	οὖσαι	ὄντα
A	ὄντα	οὖσαν	ὄν	A	ὄντας	οὔσᾱς	ὄντα
G	ὄντος	οὔσης	ὄντος	G	ὄντων	οὐσῶν	ὄντων
D	ὄντι	οὔσῃ	ὄντι	D	οὖσι (ν)	οὔσαις	οὖσι (ν)
V	ὤν	οὖσα	ὄν	V	ὄντες	οὖσαι	ὄντα

	M	F	N		M	F	N
N	ὤν	οὖσα	ὄν	N	ὄντες	οὖσαι	ὄντα
G	ὄντος	οὔσης	ὄντος	G	ὄντων	οὐσῶν	ὄντων
D	ὄντι	οὔσῃ	ὄντι	D	οὖσι (ν)	οὔσαις	οὖσι (ν)
A	ὄντα	οὖσαν	ὄν	A	ὄντας	οὔσᾱς	ὄντα
V	ὤν	οὖσα	ὄν	V	ὄντες	οὖσαι	ὄντα

1. Remember that the participle is an adjective and must agree with the noun it modifies in gender, case, and number. If no noun is present, supply one from the gender and number of the participle or from context.
2. The participle is presented in full in part II of this 21st-Century series.

ἰών, ἰοῦσα, ἰόν coming, going

	M	F	N		M	F	N
N	ἰών	ἰοῦσα	ἰόν	N	ἰόντες	ἰοῦσαι	ἰόντα
A	ἰόντα	ἰοῦσαν	ἰόν	A	ἰόντας	ἰούσᾱς	ἰόντα
G	ἰόντος	ἰούσης	ἰόντος	G	ἰόντων	ἰουσῶν	ἰόντων
D	ἰόντι	ἰούσῃ	ἰόντι	D	ἰοῦσι (ν)	ἰούσαις	ἰοῦσι (ν)
V	ἰών	ἰοῦσα	ἰόν	V	ἰόντες	ἰοῦσαι	ἰόντα

	M	F	N		M	F	N
N	ἰών	ἰοῦσα	ἰόν	N	ἰόντες	ἰοῦσαι	ἰόντα
A	ἰόντος	ἰούσης	ἰόντος	A	ἰόντων	ἰουσῶν	ἰόντων
G	ἰόντι	ἰούσῃ	ἰόντι	G	ἰοῦσι (ν)	ἰούσαις	ἰοῦσι (ν)
D	ἰόντα	ἰοῦσαν	ἰόν	D	ἰόντας	ἰούσᾱς	ἰόντα
V	ἰών	ἰοῦσα	ἰόν	V	ἰόντες	ἰοῦσαι	ἰόντα

1. Remember that the participle is an adjective and must agree with the noun it modifies in gender, case, and number. If no noun is present, supply one from the gender and number of the participle or from context.
2. The participle is presented in full in Part II of the 21st-Century series.

Practice Translating εἰμί and εἶμι. Translate the sentences below, which have been adapted from a variety of ancient Greek writers. Remember the meanings and functions of the cases presented in Module 7. Check your understanding with the translations in the Answer Key, making sure that you understand why each word translates as it does. Now go back and read each sentence two or three times, noticing with each rereading how much better your understanding of the sentence becomes. Make this a habit and you will improve quickly.

1. ἔξεστι σῶσαί σε χρήμαθ’ οἷς συνεξῇεις καὶ ἅ σοι ἔδωκα (Euripides, Hekabe);
2. οὖν τι βούλῃ περὶ τῶν ἐκεῖ φράζειν ἐμοὶ ἢ ἄπειμι (Euripides, Hekabe);
3. ἡ δὲ λέγει· Γιγνώσκεις οὖν Ἀθήνης ἵνα στέγαι εἰσίν (Euripides, Hekabe); Module 28 | εἰμί and εἶμι 425
4. ὁ δὲ λέγει· Μέλαινα πέτρα γῆς ἥ σοι σημανεῖ ἵνα στέγαι εἰσίν (Euripides, Hekabe).
5. ὅτε ἦν ὁ καιρὸς τῷ στρατηγῷ, ἠθέλησε εἰρήνην ἄγειν καὶ μὴ λῦσαι.
6. κατ’ ἐμὲ μὲν̣ γὰρ τοῦτο τὸ νίκημα ταῖς γυναιξὶν ἦν. οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἄνδρες ἡττάοντο.
7. τότε δὲ Καμβύσης, ἐπεὶ ἦν οὐχ ὕδωρ αὐτῷ ἕτοιμον, ἀγγέλους παρὰ τὸν Ἀράβιον ἐπέμψε (Herodotos).
8. πρόσεισι καὶ κηρύσσει Κρέων τούτῳ, ὃς τὸ τῆς Σφιγγὸς αἴνιγμα λύσει, καὶ τὴν βασιλείαν καὶ τὴν Λαΐου δώσειν γυναῖκα (Bibliotheca).
9. τῆς σοφίας τοσαύτης ἐσμὲν ὥστε τρόποισιν οὐ τυραννικοῖς ἀλλὰ τρόπῳ φρενὸς αὐτοὺς ποιεῖν τὰ καλὰ πείθειν.
10. ὁ γεωργὸς πρὸς τὴν παῖδα ἔφη τῇ Σφιγγὶ πρόσωπον μὲν γυναικός, στῆθος δὲ καὶ πόδας καὶ οὐρὰν λέοντος καὶ πτέρυγας ὄρνιθος εἶναι.

Vocabulary

ἄγγελος, ἄγγελου ὁ messenger	λύω (ῡ), λύσω, ἔλῡσα loose, free, destroy; solve; (mid.) ransom
*ἄγω, ἄξω, ἤγαγον do, drive, lead;	χάριν ἄγω I give thanks
μέλας, μέλαινα, μέλαν black, dark	Ἀθήνη, Ἀθήνης ἡ Athene, goddess of crafts and wisdom
νίκημα, νικήματος τό victory	αἴνιγμα, αἰνίγματος τό riddle ὄρνις, ὄρνιθος ἡ, ὁ bird, bird of omen
*ἀνήρ, ἀνδρός ὁ man, husband	οὐρά, οὐρᾶς ἡ the hinder parts, after part; tail; κατ’ οὐράν in rear, behind
ἄπειμι go away, depart	*παῖς, παιδός ἡ ὁ child
Ἀράβιος, Ἀραβία, Ἀράβιον Arabian	*πείθω, πείσω, ἔπεισα persuade + inf.; (mid. or pass.) listen to, obey + dat. or gen.
βασιλεία, βασιλείας ἡ kingdom, kingship, reign	πέτρα, πέτρας ἡ rock
*βούλομαι, βουλήσομαι want, prefer; wish, be willing want, wish, be willing	*ποιέω, ποιήσω, ἐποίησα do, make, cause; (mid.) consider
γεωργός, γεωργοῦ ὁ farmer (George)	πούς, ποδός ὁ foot; κατὰ πόδας on the heels
*γῆ, γῆς ἡ land, earth	πρόσειμι go in, enter, approach
*γιγνώσκω, γνώσομαι, ἔγνων, know, recognize; decide + inf.	πρόσωπον, προσώπου τό face
*γυνή, γυναικός ἡ woman, wife	πτέρυξ, πτέρυγος ἡ wing
*δίδωμι, δώσω, ἔδωκα give; allow ‘x’ in dat. or acc. + inf., ἐμὲ (έμοί)	εὐτυχέειν δίδως you allow me to prosper
σημαίνω, σημανέω, ἐσήμηνα point out, show	*ἐθέλω (θέλω), ἐθελήσω (θελήσω), ἠθέλησα wish, be willing
σοφία, σοφίας ἡ wisdom	εἰρήνη, εἰρήνης ἡ peace
στέγη, στέγης ἡ roof	ἐκεῖ there στῆθος, στήθους (-εος) τό chest, breast
ἑτοῖμος, ἑτοίμη, ἑτοῖμον at hand, ready, prepared, able + inf.	*στρατηγός, στρατηγοῦ ὁ general
*ἔφη he, she, it said	συνέξειμι go out with, depart with
ἡττάομαι be less or inferior; be defeated	Σφίγξ, Σφιγγός ἡ Sphinx
*καιρός, καιροῦ ὁ right moment, critical time, opportunity	σῴζω, σώσω, ἔσωσα save, keep
*καλός, καλή, καλόν beautiful, noble, good	*τοσοῦτος, τοσαύτη, τοσοῦτο so much, so many
Καμβύσης, Καμβύσου (-εω) ὁ Kambyses, son of Kyros the Great	*τρόπος, τρόπου ὁ way, manner, turn; (pl.) character
κηρύττω be a herald; make a proclamation	τυραννικός, τυραννική, τυραννικόν of a tyrant, despotic, imperious
κράτιστος, κρατίστη, κράτιστον strongest, best	ὕδωρ, ὕδατος τό water
Κρέων, Κρέοντος ὁ Kreon, king of Thebes	φράζω, φράσω, ἔφρασα tell, show; advise; suppose, believe
Λάϊος, Λαΐου ὁ Laïos, king of Thebes	φρήν, φρενός ἡ midriff, heart, mind; intellect, understanding, reason
*λέγω, λέξω or ἐρέω, ἔλεξα or εἶπον say, tell, speak	*χρῆμα, χρήματος τό thing; (pl.) goods, money, property
λέων, λέοντος ὁ lion

1. The asterisk indicates the top 250 most frequently occurring vocabulary, which you are to memorize.

Practice Translating. Translate the below, adapted from Lucian’s The Lover of Lies (Φιλοψευδής). Remember the meanings and functions of the cases presented in Module 7. Use your memory to identify endings and their functions. If you forget an ending or a function, consult the Adjective, Adverb, Noun, and Pronoun Chart in Appendix VIII and the Case and Function Chart in Appendix I. Check your understanding with the translations in the Answer Key, making sure that you understand why each word translates as it does. Now go back and read each sentence two or three times, noticing with each rereading how much better your understanding of the sentence becomes. Make this a habit and you will improve quickly.

Εὐκράτης: ἐπεὶ γὰρ ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ διῆγον ἔτι νέος ὤν—ὑπὸ τοῦ πατρὸς ἐπὶ παιδείας προφάσει ἀπεστελλόμην—τὸν Νεῖλον εἰς Κοπτὸν ἀναπλεύσας, ἐκεῖθεν ἐπὶ τὸν Μέμνονα ἦλθον. ἐπεθύμησα ἀκοῦσαι τὸ θαυμαστὸν αὐτοῦ ἐκεῖνο ἠχέον πρὸς ἀνέχοντα τὸν ἥλιον. ἐκείνου μὲν οὖν ἤκουσα οὐ κατὰ ἄσημον φωνήν, τὸ κοινὸν τοῖς πολλοῖς. ἀλλά μοι καὶ ἔχρησεν
ὁ Μέμνων αὐτὸς ἀνοίξας γε τὸ στόμα ἐν ἔπεσιν ἑπτά. καὶ δύναμαι, εἴ γε βούλομαι, ἐκβολὴν τοῦ λόγου ποιεῖσθαι καὶ εἰπεῖν αὐτὰ ὑμῖν τὰ ἔπη. ἀλλὰ οὐκ ἐθέλω. κατὰ δὲ τὸν ἀνάπλουν ἡμῖν συνέπλεε Μεμφίτης ἀνὴρ τῶν ἱερεῶν γραμματέων. ὁ δὲ θαυμάσιος τὴν σοφίαν καὶ τὴν παιδείαν, πᾶσαν εἰδὼς τὴν Αἰγύπτιον. ἐλέγετο δὲ τρία καὶ εἴκοσιν ἔτη ἐν τοῖς ἀδύτοις ὑπόγειος οἰκέειν, μαγεύειν παιδευόμενος ὑπὸ τῆς Ἴσιδος.

Ἀρίγνωτος: Παγκράτην λέγεις, ἐμὸν διδάσκαλον, ἄνδρα ἱερόν, ἐξυρημένον, ἐν ὀθονίοις, ἀεὶ νοήμονα, ἐπιμήκη, σιμόν, πρόχειλον, ὑπόλεπτον τὰ σκέλη ἀλλὰ ὁ δὲ οὐ καθαρῶς ἑλληνίζει.

Εὐκράτης: αὐτόν, ἐκεῖνον τὸν Παγκράτην. καὶ τοῦτον τὰ μὲν πρῶτα ἠγνόεον ἀλλὰ ἐπεὶ ὁρμίζομεν τὸ πλοῖον, ἑώραον αὐτὸν πολλὰ τεράστια ἐργαζόμενον· καὶ δὴ καὶ ἐπὶ κροκοδείλων ὀχέεται καὶ συννέει τοῖς θηρίοις. τὰ δὲ θηρία ὑποπτήσσει καὶ σαίνει ταῖς οὐραῖς. γιγνώσκω αὐτόν· ὁ δὲ γὰρ ἱερός τις ἄνθρωπος.

Adverbs and Verbs

ἀγνοέω not perceive, not recognize	*λέγω, λέξω or ἐρέω, ἔλεξα or εἶπον say, tell, speak
*ἀκούω, ἀκούσομαι, ἤκουσα hear, hear of or about, listen, heed + gen. or acc. of thing or gen. of person	μαγεύω be a Magus; bewitch 428 Ancient Greek I
ἀποστέλλω, ἀποστελέω, ἀπέστειλα send off, dispatch; putt off, doff; (intrans.) retire, withdraw	οἰκέω, οἰκήσω, ᾤκησα inhabit, settle; manage, dwell, live
*βούλομαι, βουλήσομαι want, prefer; wish, be willing	*ὁράω (ἑώραον), ὄψομαι, εἶδον see
*γιγνώσκω, γνώσομαι, ἔγνων know, recognize; decide + inf.	ὁρμίζω moor, anchor
διάγω, -άξω, -ήγαγον carry over; (intrans.) cross over; pass; (intrans.) live	ὀχέω uphold, endure; carry; drive, ride
*δύναμαι, δυνήσομαι be able, be strong enough + inf.	*ποιέω, ποιήσω, ἐποίησα do, make, cause; (mid.) consider
*ἐθέλω (θέλω), ἐθελήσω (θελήσω), ἠθέλησα wish, be willing	σαίνω wag, fawn
*εἰπεῖν > λέγω	συμπλέω sail with
ἐκεῖθεν from that place, thence; on his part	συννέω swim together, swim with
ἑλληνίζω speak Greek	ὑποπτήσσω crouch, cower
ἐπιθυμέω set one’s heart upon, be eager for, desire + gen.	χράω, χρήσω, ἔχρησα proclaim, announce; furnish, lend
*ἔρχομαι, ἐλεύσομαι, ἦλθον come, go

Adjectives, Nouns, Pronouns

ἄδυτος ἄδυτον not to be entered; never setting; (subst.) sanctuary, shrine	καθαρῶς clearly, purely
Αἰγύπτιος, Αἰγυπτία, Αἰγύπτιον Egyptian	*κοινός, κοινή, κοινόν shared, common
Αἴγυπτος, Αἰγύπτου ἡ Egypt	Κοπτός, Κοπτοῦ ἡ Koptos, a city on the Nile 43 kilometers north of Luxor
ἀναπλεύσας, ἀναπλεύσαντος ὁ sailing	κροκόδειλος, κροκοδείλου ὁ crocodile, lizard
ἀνάπλοος (ἀνάπλους), ἀναπλόου (ἀναπλοῦ) ὁ sailing up	*λόγος, λόγου ὁ word, speech, story; reason, account
ἀνέχων, ἀνέχοντος ὁ holding up; rising up	Μέμνων, Μέμνονος ὁ Memnon, one of two colossi of Memnon, depicting Pharaoh Amenhotep III and located west of Luxor
*ἀνήρ, ἀνδρός ὁ man, husband	Μεμφίτης, Μεμφίτου ὁ from Memphis
*ἄνθρωπος, ἀνθρώπου ἡ ὁ human, person	Νεῖλος, Νείλου ὁ Nile
ἀνοίξᾱς, ἀνοίξαντος ὁ opening	*νέος, νέᾱ, νέον new, fresh, young; strange, unexpected
ἄσημος, ἄσημον without mark; unintelligible	νοήμων, νοήμον thoughtful, sensible
βλέπω, βλέψομαι look at, see	ὀθόνιον, ὀθονίου τό linen cloth, sail-cloth
γραμματεύς, γραμματέως ὁ secretary, clerk; recorder; scholar	οὐρά, οὐρᾶς ἡ the hinder parts, after part; tail; κατ’ οὐράν in rear, behind
διδάσκαλος, διδασκάλου ὁ teacher, master, trainer	Παγκράτης, Παγκράτου ὁ Pankrates
εἰδώς, εἰδότος ὁ knowing	παιδεία, παιδείας ἡ education, training, culture
εἴκοσιν twenty	παιδευόμενος, παιδευομένου ὁ being taught
ἐκβολή, ἐκβολῆς ἡ thowing out; expulsion; by-way; digression	*πατήρ, πατρός ὁ father
*ἐμός, ἐμή, ἐμόν my	πλοῖον, πλοίου τό ship
ἐξυρημένος, ἐξυρημένη, ἐξυρημένον shaved	πρόφασις, προφάσεως (-ιος) ἡ pretext, excuse, cause, reason
ἐπιμήκες, ἐπιμήκης long, oblong	πρόχειλος, πρόχειλον with prominent lips
ἔπος, ἔπεος (-ους) τό word, speech; song; saying; verse	*πρῶτος, πρώτη, πρῶτον first, for the present, just now
ἑπτά seven	σιμός, σιμή, σιμόν snub-nosed, flat-nosed
ἐργαζόμενος, ἐργαζομένου ὁ doing, accomplishing	σκέλος, -ους (-εος) τό the leg
*ἔτος, ἔτεος (ἔτους) τό year	σοφία, σοφίας ἡ wisdom, skill; cleverness
ἥλιος, ἡλίου ὁ sun	στόμα, στόματος τό mouth
ἠχέον, ἠχέοντος τό sounding, ringing	τεράστιος, τεράστιον monstrous, prodigious
θαυμάσιος, θαυμασίᾱ, θαυμάσιον wonderful, marvelous, admirable	*τρεῖς, οἱ or αἱ; τρία τά three
θαυμαστός, θαυμαστή, θαυμαστόν wonderful, marvelous, admirable	ὑπόγειος, ὑπόγειον under the earth, underground, subterraneous
θηρίον, θηρίου τό wild animal, beast	ὑπόλεπτος, ὑπόλεπτον thinnish
ἱερεύς, ἱερέως ὁ priest, sacrifice, diviner	φωνή, φωνῆς ἡ sound; voice; tone
*ἱερός, ἱερά, ἱερόν holy; (n. in sg.) temple; (n. in pl.) sacrifices	*ὤν, ὄντος ὁ being
Ἶσις, Ἴσιδος or Ἴσιος ἡ Egyptian deity similar in function to Demeter

1. The asterisk indicates the top 250 most frequently occurring vocabulary, which you are to memorize.

Practice Parsing Greek Sentences. Parse each word of the sentences found below. For nouns and pronouns, give their case and function. For verbs, give their person, number, tense, mood, and voice. For adverbs and conjunctions, identify them. For prepositional phrases, give the preposition and the preposition’s object. For adjectives, tell what noun they agree with in gender, number, and case.

ὁ πόλεμος καὶ δυστυχία τὰς ὀργὰς τῶν βροτῶν τὰς αὐτὰς ταῖς συντυχίαις καθιστᾶσιν.

τὸν Νεῖλον εἰς Κοπτὸν ἀναπλεύσας ἐκεῖθεν ἐπὶ τὸν Μέμνονα ἦλθον.

Check your answers with those in the Answer Key.

Diogenes the Cynic of Sinope (Διογένης ὁ Κυνικός, Σινώπη c. 412–323 BCE). Diogenes was born in Sinope, an Ionian Greek colony on the shores of the Black Sea. The adjective κυνικός means dog-like. Greek philosophers tended to separate the world into nature (φύσις) and custom (νόμος). Customs vary from society to society. Α look to nature is done as a means for determining primordial absolutes which can serve as a guide to understanding humankind, the universe, and the proper way to live. This quest for the primordial continues today as we look to DNA and quantum physics to understand who we are and how to live. Diogenes looked at the dog. He saw humans in pursuit of the artificial in their quest for empire, glory, honor, status, and wealth. Rather he thought we should study the dog who defecates and fornicates openly and without shame. Dogs live in the moment and are able to detect friend from foe. When Alexander the Great approached Diogenes and asked him if there was a request he could fulfill for him, Diogenes asked if he could please move because he was blocking the sun’s light and warmth from him. In his quest for the primordial Diogenes is one of a long list of thinkers who have pursued a life dedicated to the art of living well.

Module 28 Top 250 Vocabulary to be Memorized. Like learning the alphabet and endings, memorizing vocabulary is essential to acquiring language. The better you memorize the top 250 most frequently occurring vocabulary words the greater mastery of the language you will have.

Adjectives

ἐναντίος, ἐναντίᾱ, ἐναντίον opposite + gen. or dat.

ὀρθός, ὀρθή, ὀρθόν straight, correct, proper

τοσοῦτος, τοσαύτη, τοσοῦτο so much, so many

ὕστερος, ὑστέρᾱ, ὕστερον after, later

Verbs

παρέχω (ἔχω, ἕξω or σχήσω, ἔσχον, ἔσχηκα, -ἔσχημαι, ------) furnish, hand over; supply; cause; allow, grant; be allowed, παρέχει it is allowed

σκοπέω, σκοπήσω, ἐσκόπησα, ------, ἐσκόπημαι or ἔσκεμμαι, ------ look at;examine; consider, contemplate

συμβαίνω (βαίνω, βήσομαι, ἔβην, βέβηκα, βέβαμαι, ἐβάθην) stand with feet together; come together; come to an agreement, come to terms; meet + dat.; (impers.) come to pass, happen

τίθημι, θήσω, ἔθηκα, τέθηκα, τέθειμαι, ἐτέθην put, place; make, cause

ὑπάρχω (ἄρχω, ἄρξω, ἦρξα, ἦρχα, ἦργμαι, ἤρχθην) be; be sufficient; begin + gen.; (impers.) be allowed, be possible

Etymology Corner XXVIII by Dr. E. Del Chrol

Technical Terms 24, Parts of Speech

Adjectives, Modules 11, 12, 14, 18, 20, 26, 27. The term adjective (ὄνομα) is well known, but Greek will help give you greater nuance in your understanding of them beyond knowing them as words that describe nouns and pronouns. Earlier we met adverbs, little words that go towards the verb. Adjectives go towards (ad) nouns and pronouns, but the motion is more violent. They are thrown (iacere) against their nouns!

• Adjectives agree with their nouns in gender, number, and case. This harmonious arrangement is pleasing (gratus). By the way, what is it called when the endings on the noun and the endings on the adjective are identical? Coincidence! Pay attention to the forms, not how alike they look.
• Think about your joints, especially around your knuckles. These little points of articulation are the root of your dexterity, allowing you to grasp, hold and manipulate objects. Articles like a, an or the let you do that same work to words in your sentence, which is why they take their name from the Latin little (-culus) joint/knuckle (artus—compare with the Greek ἄρθρον like in arthritis, a malady of the joints). Αrticles are an important subcategory of adjectives, and like adjectives, articles will agree in gender, number, and
• case with the word they are modifying.
• The etymologies for the type of articles, definite and indefinite, you can probably figure out already from other terms we’ve done so far. If you recall finite and infinitive verbs, you will also recall that finis in Latin is a limit, and that in can mean not. In this way, the definite article the limits a noun, whereas the indefinite article a or an does not.
• You can be fast, you can be furious, but without an article you can’t be that subset of people The Fast and the Furious. Movies may be insubstantial but it doesn’t mean they lack substantive adjectives, that is, a definite article + adjective combination. Substantive adjectives (Module 12) are so called because they aren’t just abstract qualities, but have some concrete substance, coming from two Latin roots that we should be familiar with by now, sub, under, and stare, to stand. Substantives can stand on their own without a noun.

What to Study and Do 28. Before moving on to the next module, make sure that you have memorized the forms of εἰμί and εἶμι and that you understand how to translate
and identify each form. From this point on their forms will not be glossed.

Learning Tip 28: Deep Learning and Thinking. Deep (creative) learning of a conceptual system is not easily forgotten. Our education system tends to teach information but not deep (creative) thinking. Teaching deep thinking is difficult. It involves a level of difficulty similar to that involved in producing a master work of art or a new scientific theory. Though difficult, orienting the way we teach and learn towards a deep thinking approach is a qualitatively superior method. As we learn the fundamentals of a subject (the old known information), we do so from the standpoint of learning how to produce new ways of knowing. As you master the information required to learn this ancient language, do so with an eye on developing a conceptual understanding of language. This conceptual awareness will assist you in developing a deep thinking approach to learning any subject.