Classical Greek Aorist

​The Greek Aorist

By Ruth Shaw

The Aorist

• The aorist is used to refer to a single action in the past.

• It is the normal past tense used in Greek.

• There are two ways of forming the aorist called the 'first' or 'second' aorist. Each verb follows either first or second aorist patterns.

Forming the aorist

• Both the first and second aorist start with an augment: ἐ-. This indicates it's a past tense.

• The first aorist adds a sigma -σ- after the stem when it is being formed - like the future does.

• The first aorist is also called the 'weak aorist' because it has to be strengthened by this sigma.

​	​First aorist forms	​Meaning
​1sg	​ἐ-παυ-σ-α	​I stopped
2sg​	​ἐ-παυ-σ-ας	You stopped​
3sg​	​ἐ-παυ-σ-ε(ν)	He/she/it stopped​
1pl​	​ἐ-παυ-σ-αμεν	We stopped​
2pl​	​ἐ-παυ-σ-ατε	You stopped​
3pl​	​ἐ-παυ-σ-αν	They stopped​

Notice the alpha that is a characteristic of first aorist endings.
The endings have similarities to other tenses you have learned

Multiple Choice

What is the translation for this verb: ἐ-παυ-σ-ας

• You (pl) stopped

• She stopped

• You (sg) stopped

• I stopped

Multiple Choice

How would you say 'we stopped'?

• ἐ-παυ-σ-ας

• ​ἐ-παυ-σ-αμεν

• ​ἐ-παυ-σ-αν

• ἐ-παυ-σ-α

Multiple Choice

How would you say 'they stopped'?

• ​ἐ-παυ-σ-ε(ν)

• ἐ-παυ-σ-ατε

• ἐ-παυ-σ-ας

• ἐ-παυ-σ-αν

​Present	​Future	​First (weak) aorist
​γραϕω	​γραψω	​ἐγραψα
​διδασκω	​διδαξω	​ἐδιδαξα
​διωκω	​διωξω	​ἐδιωξα
​θαυμαζω	​θαυμασω	​θαυμασω
​λεγω	​λεξω	​ἐλεξα
​πειθω	​πεισω	​ἐπεισα
​πεμπω	​πεμψω	​ἐπεμψα

If the stem ends in a consonant, there may be some spelling adjustment, like for the future.

Multiple Choice

Translate this verb: ἐλεξαν

• They said

• I wrote

• You said

• We wrote

Multiple Choice

Translate this verb: ἐδιωξαμεν

• We taught

• You ordered

• We chased

• You chased

Multiple Choice

Translate this verb: ἐδιδαξε

• You chased

• (S)he taught

• You taught

• (S)he chased

Multiple Choice

Which of these forms means 'you (sg) sent'?

• ἐπεμπας

• ἐπεμψα

• ἐπεμψας

• πεμψας

Multiple Choice

Which of these forms means 'you (pl) ordered'?

• ἐκελευσατε

• ἐκελευσας

• κελευσατε

• ἐκελευατε

The Second Aorist

• The second, or strong aorist is less common that the first, weak aorist, but a lot of common verbs form their aorists in this way.

• The strong aorist begins with the augment ἐ-, and uses the same endings as the imperfect (-ον, -ες, -ε(ν), -ομεν, -ετε, -ον).

• The difference is the stem. This is shortened or 'telescoped'.

Strong Aorist Stems

• λαμβανω has the aorist stem λαβ-

• μανθανω has the aorist stem μαθ-

• ϕευγω has the aorist stem ϕυγ-

​	Second aorist forms	​Meaning
​1sg	​ἐ-λαβ-ον	​I took
2sg​	​ἐ-λαβ-ες	You took​
3sg​	ἐ-λαβ-ε(ν)	He/she/it took​
1pl​	​ἐ-λαβ-ομεν	We took​
2pl​	​ἐ-λαβ-ετε	You took​
3pl​	​ἐ-λαβ-ετε	They took​

Compare the imperfect and the aorist:
ἐ-λαμβαν-ομεν - we were taking
ἐ-λαβ-ομεν - we took

Second Aorist Stems

​Present	​Meaning	​Aorist	​Aorist Stem
​ἀγω	​I lead	​ἠγαγον	​ἀγαγ-
​εὑρισκω	I find​	ηὑρον​	​εὑρ-
​ἐχω	I have​	ἐσχον​	σχ​-
​λαμβανω	​I take	ἐλαβον​	λαβ​-
λειπω​	​I leave	ἐλιπον​	λιπ​-
μανθανω​	I learn​	ἐμαθον​	μαθ​-
​πιπτω	I fall​	​ἐπεσον	πεσ​-
​τρεχω	I run​	ἐδραμον​	δραμ​-
​ϕευγω	I run away​	ἐϕυγον​	​ϕυγ-

Multiple Choice

Translate this verb: ἐλαβετε

• You (pl) took

• You (sg) took

• We took

• They took

Multiple Choice

Translate this verb: ἐλαβες

• You (pl) took

• You (sg) took

• I took

• (S)he took

Multiple Choice

Is this verb aorist or imperfect?

ἐλαμβανες

• Aorist

• Imperfect

Multiple Choice

Is this verb aorist or imperfect?

ἐμαθε

• Aorist

• Imperfect

Multiple Choice

Is this verb aorist or imperfect?

ἐμανθανομεν

• Aorist

• Imperfect

Multiple Choice

Is this verb aorist or imperfect?

ἐϕυγομεν

• Aorist

• Imperfect

Multiple Choice

Which of these forms means 'we ran away'?

• ἐϕευξομεν

• ϕυγομεν

• ἐϕευγομεν

• ἐϕυγομεν

Multiple Choice

Which of these forms means 'I had'?

• ἐσχομεν

• ἐσχον

• σχον

• ἐχον

Multiple Choice

Which of these forms mean 'you (pl) fell'?

• πεσετε

• ἐπεσετε

• ἐπεπτετε

• ἐπιπτετε

Some more strong aorist stems:

• βαλλω 'I throw' --> ἐβαλον

• πασχω 'I suffer' --> ἐπαθον

• ἐσθιω 'I eat' --> ἐϕαγον

Let's translate these sentences together:

• Ὁ παῖς τὸν δοῦλον ἔλυσεν.
  

• ὁ δουλος εἰς τον ποταμον ἐπεσεν.
  

• ὁ στρατηγος εἰς το στρατοπεδον ἐδραμεν.
  

• κήρυκα ἐπέμψαμεν τὴν νίκην ἀγγελοῦντα (κήρυκα = herald)