17.10 The next most common type of contraction in verbs involves –α. These verbs contract with thematic vowels in a similar fashion to έω verbs, though with some differences:
17.11 The Present Indicative Active of ἐρωτάω, ἐρωτήσω (cf. S 385).
Note that -άεις and -άει contract to -ᾷς and -ᾷ, respectively. This makes sense, for once the α and ε contract to form ᾱ, the ι then must become an iota subscript. That said, the anticipated form of the present infinitive, ἐρωτᾷν, has no iota subscript. It is as though Greek speakers dropped the ι of the –ειν infinitive ending before the contraction. Note the same process occurs for the present active infinitive of –όω verbs, below. Whether this also happened in –έω present infinitives is difficult to tell; both ε + ειν and ε + εν result in -εῖν.
