A SIMPLIFIED GRAMMAR OF ATHONITE, THAT IS, THE GREEK DIALECT SPOKEN BY THE PEOPLE OF THE SERENE MONASTIC REPUBLIC OF THE HOLY MOUNTAIN, (cont.)
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
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present
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past
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future
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1s
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έχ-ω, I have
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ίχ-α, I had
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θα έχ-ω, I shall have
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2s
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έχ-ις, you have
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ίχ-ες, you had
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θα έχ-ις, you will have
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3s
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έχ-ι, he, she, it has
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ίχ-ε, he, she, it had
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θα έχ-ι, he, she, it will have
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1p
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έχ-ομε, we have
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ίχ-αμε, we had
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θα έχ-ομε, we shall have
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2p
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έχ-ετε, you have
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ίχ-ατε, you had
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θα έχ-ετε, you will have
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3p
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έχ-ουν, they have
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ίχ-αν, they had
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θα έχ-ουν, they will have
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present
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past
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future
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1s
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ί-με, I am
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ί-μουν, I was
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θα ί-με, I shall be
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2s
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ί-ςε, you are
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ί-ςουν, you were
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θα ί-ςε, you will be
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3s
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ί-νε, he, she, it is
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ί-ταν, he, she, it was
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θα ί-νε, he, she, it will be
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1p
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ί-μαςτε, we are
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ί-μαςτε, we were
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θα ί-μαςτε, we shall be
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2p
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ί-ςτε, you are
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ί-ςαςτε, you were
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θα ί-ςτε, you will be
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3p
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ί-νε, they are
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ί-ταν, they were
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θα ί-νε, they will be
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The Active Voice
- The active voice denotes that the agent is doing the action of the verb.
The Present Tense
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singular
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plural
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1.
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βλέπ-ω, I see
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βλέπ-ουμε, we see
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2.
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βλέπ-ις, you see
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βλέπ-ετε, you see
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3.
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βλέπ-ι, he, she, it sees
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βλέπ-ουν, they see
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singular
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plural
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1.
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αγαπ-ώ, I love
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αγαπ-άμε, we love
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2.
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αγαπ-άς, you love
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αγαπ-άτε, you love
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3.
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αγαπ-ά, he, she, it loves
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αγαπ-άν, they love
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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
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singular
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plural
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1.
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έβλεπ-α, I saw, was seeing
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βλέπ-αμε, we saw, were seeing
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2.
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έβλεπ-ες, you we saw, were seeing
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βλεπ-ατε, you we saw, were seeing
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3.
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έβλεπ-ε, he, she, it we saw, was seeing
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έβλεπ-αν, they we saw, were seeing
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singular
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plural
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1.
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αγαπ-ούςα, I loved, was loving
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αγάπ-ούςαμε, we loved, were loving
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2.
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αγαπ-ούςες, you loved, were loving
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αγάπ-ούςατε, you loved, were loving
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3.
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αγαπ-ούςε, he, she, it loved, was loving
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αγαπ-ούςαν, they loved, were loving
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The Future Tense
- The future tense is formed by putting the particle θα before the present tense.
- Class I
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singular
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plural
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1.1
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θα βλέπ-ω, I shall see
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θα βλέπ-ουμε, we shall see
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2.
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θα βλέπ-ις, you will see
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θα βλέπ-ετε, you will see
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3.
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θα βλέπ-ι, he, she, it will see
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θα βλέπ-ουν, they will see
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singular
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plural
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1.
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θ' αγαπ-ώ, I answer
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θ' αγαπ-ούμε, we answer
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2.
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θ' αγαπ-άς, you answer
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θ' αγαπ-άτε, you answer
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3.
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θ' αγαπ-ά, he, she, it answers
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θ' αγαπ-ούν, they answer
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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.
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singular
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plural
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1.
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έχω βλέπι, I have seen
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έχουμε βλέπι, we have seen
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2.
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έχις βλέπι, you have seen
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έχετε βλέπι, you have seen
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3.
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έχι βλέπι, he, she, it has seen
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έχουν βλέπι, they have seen
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- 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.
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singular
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plural
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1.
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ίχα βλέπι, I had seen
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ίχαμε βλέπι, we had seen
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2.
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ίχες βλέπι, you had seen
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ίχατε βλέπι, you had seen
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3.
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ίχε βλέπι, he, she, it had seen
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ίχαν βλέπι, they had seen
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- 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.
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singular
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plural
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1.
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θα έχω βλεπομέν, I shall have seen
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θα έχουμε βλεπομέν, we shall have seen
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2.
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θα έχις βλεπομέν, you will have seen
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θα έχετε βλεπομέν, you will have seen
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3.
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θα έχι βλεπομέν, he, she, it will have seen
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θα έχουν βλεπομέν, they will have seen
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- 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
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singular
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plural
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1.
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βλέπ-ςω, I want
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βλέπ-ςουμε, we want
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2.
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βλέπ-ςις, you want
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βλέπ-ςετε, you want
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3.
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βλέπ-ςι, he, she, it wants
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βλέπ-ςουν, they want
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singular
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plural
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1.
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αγαπ-ςώ, I love
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αγαπ-ςάμε, we love
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2.
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αγαπ-ςάς, you love
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αγαπ-ςάτε, you love
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3.
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αγαπ-ςά, he, she, it love
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αγαπ-ςάν, they love
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- 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
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plural
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βλέπςε, see
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βλέπςετε, see
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αγαπςέ, love
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αγαπςέτε, love
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- To form the continuous imperative, -ε for the singular and -(ε)τε for the plural replace the -o of the present.
singular
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plural
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βλέπε, keep on seeing
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βλέπ(ε)τε, keep on seeing
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αγαπέ, keep on loving
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αγαπέτε, keep on loving
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- 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
- Class II
- 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
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ίμε βλέποντ, I am seeing, etc.
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past
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ίμουν βλέποντ, I was seeing, etc.
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future
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θα ίμε βλέποντ, I shall be seeing, etc.
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present perfect
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έχω ίμεν βλέποντ, I have been seeing, etc.
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past perfect
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ίχα ίμεν βλέποντ, I had been seeing, etc.
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future perfect
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θα έχω ίμεν βλέποντ, I will have been seeing, etc.
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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
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singular
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plural
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1.
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βλέπιλω, I am seen
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βλεπίλουμε, we are seen
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2.
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βλέπιλις, you are seen
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βλεπίλετε, you are seen
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3.
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βλέπιλι, he, she, it is seen
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βλέπιλουν, they are seen
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singular
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plural
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1.
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θέλινω, I am wanted
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θελίνουμε, we are wanted
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2.
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θέλινις, you are wanted
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θελίνετε, you are wamted
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3.
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θέλινι, he, she, it is wanted
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θέλινουν, they are wanted
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singular
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plural
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1.
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αγαπιλώ, I am loved
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αγαπίλάμε, we are loved
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2.
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αγαπιλάς, you are loved
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αγαπιλάτε, you are loved
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3.
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αγαπιλά, he, she, it is loved
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αγαπιλάν, they are loved
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The Future Tense
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singular
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plural
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1.
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θα βλέπιλω, I shall be seen
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θα βλεπίλουμε, we shall be seen
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2.
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θα βλέπιλις, you will be seen
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θα βλεπίλετε, you will be seen
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3.
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θα βλέπιλι, he, she, it will be seen
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θα βλέπιλουν, they will be seen
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The Past Tense
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singular
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plural
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1.
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βλέπιλα, I was seen
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βλεπίλαμε, we were seen
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2.
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βλέπιλες, you were seen
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βλεπίλατε, you were seen
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3.
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βλέπιλα, he, she, it was seen
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βλέπιλαν, they were seen
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The Perfect Tenses
The perfect tenses are formed by using the appropriate tense of έχω with the passive participle of ιμε.
present
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έχω ίμεν βλεπομέν, I have been seen, etc.
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past
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ίχα ίμεν βλεπομέν, I had been seen, etc.
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future
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θα έχω ίμεν βλεπομέν, I shall have been seen, etc.
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The Passive Participle
- The passive participle is formed by adding an ending to the present stem.
- Class I
- Class II
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.
Prepositions
Suffixes
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.