28.1 So far, we have learned verbs in PRIMARY TENSES, meaning that the tenses refer to action in the present or future. We have also learned one of the SECONDARY TENSES (tenses that refer to past): the IMPERFECT tense. This unit introduces us to the most common secondary tense: the AORIST. Both the imperfect and aorist tenses describe actions of the PAST TENSE. They differ in meaning by what is called ASPECT. Before discussing how to form the aorist tense, it is important to understand what we mean by the grammatical terms, TENSE and ASPECT.
TENSE as a grammatical term locates the action of a verb in time, relative to the time of the speaker. The basic tenses are:
- Past
- Present
- Future
ASPECT is a grammatical term that expresses the internal PASSAGE OF TIME of an action, regardless of its grammatical tense. For example, ASPECT describes whether the action is:
- ONGOING: an ongoing, open, or habitual action.
- SIMPLE: a simple, closed action, or unmarked as to the passage of time.
- COMPLETED: a past action that results in a current or lasting state. We discuss this aspect in a later lesson.
Greek verbs and infinitives can express all three aspects, but by far the most common are:
- ONGOING
- SIMPLE
TENSE and ASPECT are important concepts to understand when encountering Greek verb forms, for:
- ASPECT is often expressed by one part of the morphology (usually the stem)
- TENSE is often expressed with other markers (such as added augments, primary or secondary endings, etc.).
It is also important to note that the term TENSE is most often used in a second (though related!) way in many grammars and textbooks, including this one: as a morphological term to describe a particular form of a verb (e.g., "present tense"). For example, when we consider the verb form ἔβαινε (from βαίνω):
- Its (MORPHOLOGICAL) TENSE is imperfect.
- Its ASPECT is ongoing.
- As we will see below, this is expressed by the use of "present tense" stem
- Its GRAMMATICAL TENSE is past.
- This is expressed by the temporal augment and secondary endings.
As we learned, the IMPERFECT always conveys past activity that was more than a single action in some way (ongoing aspect). The AORIST, on the other hands, always conveys a single, discreet action (simple aspect).
- Aorist: I walked
- Imperfect: I walked (often)/was walking/used to walk
The AORIST and IMPERFECT are secondary tenses, so an AUGMENT precedes the stem for both in the INDICATIVE mood. They both also use SECONDARY ENDINGS. The two tenses differ, however, in the STEM they use. Therefore, it is essential to identify the stem correctly in order to tell if a particular verb form is imperfect or aorist.
Remember: there are two kinds of stems in Greek:
- The TENSE STEM, to which primary or secondary endings are added:
- δεικνυ (present tense stem)
- λυ (present tense stem)
- λαμβαν (present tense stem)
- The VERB STEM, from which all tense stems are derived. Verb stems are sometimes identical to a tense stem:
- δεικ
- λυ (same as present tense stem)
- λαβ
The IMPERFECT tense almost always uses the PRESENT TENSE STEM for a given verb. This is because PRESENT TENSE STEMS are generally used in GREEK to reflect ONGOING ASPECT. (It would not be wrong, in fact, to consider them ONGOING ASPECT STEMS). VERB STEMS, on the other hand, often are used to reflect SIMPLE ASPECT (and so could also be considered SIMPLE ASPECT STEMS).
It is no surprise, then, that the AORIST almost always uses the VERB STEM.
Some verbs add a MARKER to the verb stem when forming the AORIST, others do not.
- If the verb adds the aorist marker –σα– to the verb stem, it is called the FIRST AORIST.
- If the verb uses the verb stem without this marker, it is called the SECOND AORIST.
Whether the aorist of a given verb is FIRST or SECOND AORIST is a matter of vocabulary, though there are some patterns that we discuss below.