Athonite Grammar II

Verbs

Verb Classes

• The Athonite verb system has been simplified to the extent that the many tenses present in Classical and Demotic Greek and in Turkish have been reduced to six.
• The six tenses are the present, the past, and the future, and their perfect counterparts.
• Athonite verbs are divided into two classes, those in which the personal ending is not accented (I) and those in which the personal ending is accented (II).
• The endings on the verbs are changed to denote person and number.
• Under Turkish influence only two irregular verbs remain.

The Auxiliary Verbs

• The auxiliary verbs are the two remaining irregular verbs.
• έχω, I have

	present	past	future
1s	έχ-ω, I have	ίχ-α, I had	θα έχ-ω, I shall have
2s	έχ-ις, you have	ίχ-ες, you had	θα έχ-ις, you will have
3s	έχ-ι, he, she, it has	ίχ-ε, he, she, it had	θα έχ-ι, he, she, it will have
1p	έχ-ομε, we have	ίχ-αμε, we had	θα έχ-ομε, we shall have
2p	έχ-ετε, you have	ίχ-ατε, you had	θα έχ-ετε, you will have
3p	έχ-ουν, they have	ίχ-αν, they had	θα έχ-ουν, they will have

• íme, I am

	present	past	future
1s	ί-με, I am	ί-μουν, I was	θα ί-με, I shall be
2s	ί-ςε, you are	ί-ςουν, you were	θα ί-ςε, you will be
3s	ί-νε, he, she, it is	ί-ταν, he, she, it was	θα ί-νε, he, she, it will be
1p	ί-μαςτε, we are	ί-μαςτε, we were	θα ί-μαςτε, we shall be
2p	ί-ςτε, you are	ί-ςαςτε, you were	θα ί-ςτε, you will be
3p	ί-νε, they are	ί-ταν, they were	θα ί-νε, they will be

The Active Voice

• The active voice denotes that the agent is doing the action of the verb.

The Present Tense

• Class I

	singular	plural
1.	βλέπ-ω, I see	βλέπ-ουμε, we see
2.	βλέπ-ις, you see	βλέπ-ετε, you see
3.	βλέπ-ι, he, she, it sees	βλέπ-ουν, they see

• Class II

	singular	plural
1.	αγαπ-ώ, I love	αγαπ-άμε, we love
2.	αγαπ-άς, you love	αγαπ-άτε, you love
3.	αγαπ-ά, he, she, it loves	αγαπ-άν, they love

The Past Tense

• The past tense is formed using endings different from the present and by removing the accent to the third syllable from the end.
• When there is no third syllable, the augment ε- is added.
• Class I

	singular	plural
1.	έβλεπ-α, I saw, was seeing	βλέπ-αμε, we saw, were seeing
2.	έβλεπ-ες, you we saw, were seeing	βλεπ-ατε, you we saw, were seeing
3.	έβλεπ-ε, he, she, it we saw, was seeing	έβλεπ-αν, they we saw, were seeing

• Class II

	singular	plural
1.	αγαπ-ούςα, I loved, was loving	αγάπ-ούςαμε, we loved, were loving
2.	αγαπ-ούςες, you loved, were loving	αγάπ-ούςατε, you loved, were loving
3.	αγαπ-ούςε, he, she, it loved, was loving	αγαπ-ούςαν, they loved, were loving

The Future Tense

• The future tense is formed by putting the particle θα before the present tense.
• Class I

	singular	plural
1.1	θα βλέπ-ω, I shall see	θα βλέπ-ουμε, we shall see
2.	θα βλέπ-ις, you will see	θα βλέπ-ετε, you will see
3.	θα βλέπ-ι, he, she, it will see	θα βλέπ-ουν, they will see

• Class II

	singular	plural
1.	θ' αγαπ-ώ, I answer	θ' αγαπ-ούμε, we answer
2.	θ' αγαπ-άς, you answer	θ' αγαπ-άτε, you answer
3.	θ' αγαπ-ά, he, she, it answers	θ' αγαπ-ούν, they answer

The Present Perfect Tense

• The perfect tenses are not as commonly used in Athonite as they are in English, the past tense usually being used.
• The present perfect tense is formed by the present tense of the auxiliary verb έχω, I have, and a form of the verb formed by adding -ι to the present stem.

	singular	plural
1.	έχω βλέπι, I have seen	έχουμε βλέπι, we have seen
2.	έχις βλέπι, you have seen	έχετε βλέπι, you have seen
3.	έχι βλέπι, he, she, it has seen	έχουν βλέπι, they have seen

• The present perfect tense is used to denote an event of the past which has a bearing on the present.

The Past Perfect Tense

• The past perfect tense is formed by the past tense of the auxiliary verb έχω and the passive participle.

	singular	plural
1.	ίχα βλέπι, I had seen	ίχαμε βλέπι, we had seen
2.	ίχες βλέπι, you had seen	ίχατε βλέπι, you had seen
3.	ίχε βλέπι, he, she, it had seen	ίχαν βλέπι, they had seen

• The past perfect tense is more frequent than the present perfect. It is used to denote an event of the past which occurred before another event of the past.

The Future Perfect Tense

• The future perfect tense is formed by the future tense of the auxiliary verb έχω and the passive participle.

	singular	plural
1.	θα έχω βλεπομέν, I shall have seen	θα έχουμε βλεπομέν, we shall have seen
2.	θα έχις βλεπομέν, you will have seen	θα έχετε βλεπομέν, you will have seen
3.	θα έχι βλεπομέν, he, she, it will have seen	θα έχουν βλεπομέν, they will have seen

• The future perfect tense is used to denote an event in the future which will have occurred before another event in the future.

The Indefinite Form

• The indefinite form corresponds closely to what is called the infinitive in other languages.
• The indefinite form is found only in the present tense.
• Athonite verbs form the indefinite by adding -ςω to the present form minus the -ω.
• Class I

	singular	plural
1.	βλέπ-ςω, I want	βλέπ-ςουμε, we want
2.	βλέπ-ςις, you want	βλέπ-ςετε, you want
3.	βλέπ-ςι, he, she, it wants	βλέπ-ςουν, they want

• Class II

	singular	plural
1.	αγαπ-ςώ, I love	αγαπ-ςάμε, we love
2.	αγαπ-ςάς, you love	αγαπ-ςάτε, you love
3.	αγαπ-ςά, he, she, it love	αγαπ-ςάν, they love

• The indefinite form is preceded by να and follows the main verb.
  • Θέλω να βλέπςω, I want to see.
  • Θέλω ν' αγαπ-ςά, I want him to love.

The Imperative

• The formation of the imperative is greatly simplified in Athonite. There are only two forms.
• To form the present imperative, -ε for the singular and -(ε)τε for the plural replace the -ω of the indefinite.

singular	plural
βλέπςε, see	βλέπςετε, see
αγαπςέ, love	αγαπςέτε, love

• To form the continuous imperative, -ε for the singular and -(ε)τε for the plural replace the -o of the present.

singular	plural
βλέπε, keep on seeing	βλέπ(ε)τε, keep on seeing
αγαπέ, keep on loving	αγαπέτε, keep on loving

• A negative command is expressed by μι and the indefinite or present depending on whether the action is fixed or continuous.
  • Μι τον αγαπςέ, Do not love him.

The Active Participle

• A participle is an adjective derived from a verb. It modifies a noun, but may take an object like a verb.
• The active participle indicates that the subject of the sentence is doing something.
• It is formed by adding the ending -οντ (/-ɔd/)to the present stem.
• Class I
  • βλέπω > βλέποντ, seeing
• Class II
  • αγαπώ > αγαπόντ, loving
• This participle can be used to modify a noun, e.g., ρέοντ ποτάμ καθάρ ίνε The flowing river is clear.
• The active participle is used with the appropriate tense of ίμε to form progressive tenses.

present	ίμε βλέποντ, I am seeing, etc.
past	ίμουν βλέποντ, I was seeing, etc.
future	θα ίμε βλέποντ, I shall be seeing, etc.
present perfect	έχω ίμεν βλέποντ, I have been seeing, etc.
past perfect	ίχα ίμεν βλέποντ, I had been seeing, etc.
future perfect	θα έχω ίμεν βλέποντ, I will have been seeing, etc.

The Passive Voice

• The passive voice denotes that the agent is being acted upon.
• The simple forms of the passive in Modern Greek have been abandoned in favor of the Turkish use of -il.

The Present Tense

• Class I

	singular	plural
1.	βλέπιλω, I am seen	βλεπίλουμε, we are seen
2.	βλέπιλις, you are seen	βλεπίλετε, you are seen
3.	βλέπιλι, he, she, it is seen	βλέπιλουν, they are seen

• If the stem ends in -λ:

	singular	plural
1.	θέλινω, I am wanted	θελίνουμε, we are wanted
2.	θέλινις, you are wanted	θελίνετε, you are wamted
3.	θέλινι, he, she, it is wanted	θέλινουν, they are wanted

• Class II

	singular	plural
1.	αγαπιλώ, I am loved	αγαπίλάμε, we are loved
2.	αγαπιλάς, you are loved	αγαπιλάτε, you are loved
3.	αγαπιλά, he, she, it is loved	αγαπιλάν, they are loved

The Future Tense

	singular	plural
1.	θα βλέπιλω, I shall be seen	θα βλεπίλουμε, we shall be seen
2.	θα βλέπιλις, you will be seen	θα βλεπίλετε, you will be seen
3.	θα βλέπιλι, he, she, it will be seen	θα βλέπιλουν, they will be seen

The Past Tense

	singular	plural
1.	βλέπιλα, I was seen	βλεπίλαμε, we were seen
2.	βλέπιλες, you were seen	βλεπίλατε, you were seen
3.	βλέπιλα, he, she, it was seen	βλέπιλαν, they were seen

The Perfect Tenses

The perfect tenses are formed by using the appropriate tense of έχω with the passive participle of ιμε.

present	έχω ίμεν βλεπομέν, I have been seen, etc.
past	ίχα ίμεν βλεπομέν, I had been seen, etc.
future	θα έχω ίμεν βλεπομέν, I shall have been seen, etc.

The Passive Participle

• The passive participle is formed by adding an ending to the present stem.
• Class I
  • βλέπω > βλεπομέν, seen
• Class II
  • αγαπώ > αγαπαμέν, loved

The Use of na

• Intention, hope, desire and the like are expressed by using the particle na.
  • With the present tense, na expresses a continuous intention, etc.
    • Þélo na ðoulévo éksi óri tin imér, I want to be working six hours a day.
    • Árhise na träguðá, He started singing.
  • With the indefinite, na expresses a non-continuous future intention, etc.
    • Élpidzo na ftáso stin Aþín stis tris m.m., I hope to arrive at Athens at 3 p.m.
    • Børó na páro énä tsigár, May I take a cigarette?
  • With the past tense, na expresses a past intention, etc. This construction always follows a past tense.
    • Htes tø vráðu íþelsä na píjenä stø þéät alá ðen bóresä, Last night I wanted to go to the theater, but I did not manage to.
• Certain verbs commonly used only in the third person are also followed by ná.
  • prépi, it is necessary; axédzi, it is worthwhile, etc.
    • Prépi na pijéno tórä, I must be going now.

There Is/Are

• Athonite has abandoned the conjugated verb υπαρχεί/υπαρχούν for the Turkish βαρ and the negative γιοκ.
  • λουλούδ τραπέζου εν βαρ, There is a flower on the table.
  • λουλούδ τραπέζου εν γιοκ, There is no flower on the table.
• When enumerating lists of things, βαρ or γιοκ is said after each item.
  • There are apples, tomatoes, onions, and cherries on the table.
  • τραπέζου εν μίλα βαρ, ντομάτα βαρ, κρεμύδα βαρ, κεράςα βαρ.
• In reply to a βαρ or γιοκ question, the answer is always var or γιοκ, never "yes" or "no".
  • Are there apples on the table? τραπέζου εν μίλα βαρ;
  • Yes, there are, βαρ.
  • No, there are not, γιοκ.

The Use of ίμε

• When an adjective is used predicatively, the copula ίμε is not needed: γαλάζι ςπιτ, a/the blue house; but ςπιτ γαλάζι the house is blue.

Questions

• A question with an interrogative pronoun has the same word order as a regular sentence.
  • Who are you?
  • Whom did she see?
  • To whom were you talking?
  • How much do you earn?
• A yes-no question has the same word order as a regular sentence, but is followed by the interrogative particle mi.
  • This is a book.
  • Is this a book?
• A question with a tag has the same word order as a regular sentence, but is followed by the interrogative particle değil mi.
  • This is a book, isn't it?
  • You wrote the letter, didn't you?
  • You'll come tomorrow, won't you?

Adverbs

• Adverbs are words used to modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs.
  • Some common adverbs:
    • εδώ here
    • εκί there
    • πίςω behind
    • βρωςτά in front
    • τώρα now
    • ύςτερ after, later
    • νωρίς early
    • άβρι tomorrow
    • χθες yesterday
    • πωλύ a lot, very
    • κιολ already
    • ποτ never
    • πάλι again
    • δε too
    • ίςως perhaps
    • πάντο always
    • ακώμ yet
    • έςτι thus
• As in Turkish adverbs may be used as adjectives without any change in form.
  • ίςυχ, quiet; ίςυχ, quietly
  • καλ, good; καλ, well
  • αρκέτ, sufficient; αρκέτ, sufficiently, rather
• The comparative and superlative of adverbs are formed in the same way as with adjectives.
  • έφκολ, easy; έφκολ, easily
  • πιο έφκολ, easier; πιο έφκολ, more easily
  • εν έφκολ, easiest; εν έφκολ, most easily

Conjunctions

κι used to introduce indirect discourse.

Word Order

• As in Turkish, sentences are verb final.
• The personal pronoun subject may be omitted.
• Word order, when everything is definite is: subject, direct object, indirect object, verb.
  • The man gives the book to his brother.
  • άνθρωπ βιβλίον ς' αδελφού του δίνε.
• When any element is indefinite it immediately precedes the verb.
  • A man gives the book to his brother.
  • βιβλίον ς' αδελφού του άνθρωπ δίνε.
  • The man gives a book to his brother.
  • άνθρωπ ς' αδελφού του βιβλίον δίνε.