21.1 So far, all verbs that we have discussed have been in the ACTIVE VOICE. In this lesson, we introduce the MIDDLE VOICE. Voice, you will recall, indicates the role that the subject plays in the action of the verb.
- ACTIVE VOICE: The subject causes the action.
- I move the stone.
- She is buying a cup.
- PASSIVE VOICE: The subject receives the consequences of the action.
- The stone was moved by me.
- The cup was bought by her.
- MIDDLE VOICE: The subject is acting on – or for the benefit of – him/her/itself. In other words, the subject is both the cause and the focus, the agent and experiencer, of a verbal action.
- I moved.
- She is buying (herself) a cup.
Verbs in the MIDDLE VOICE are extremely common in Greek and appear in most Greek sentences. At first blush this may seem alarming for speakers of English who have been taught that there are only two voices: active and passive. But is this true even in English? What voice is used, for example, in the following sentences?
- The bread is baking in the oven.
- She takes good pictures.
- He got himself fired today.
- Her paintings sell well.
- This table cleans easily.
A clearer picture of how the MIDDLE VOICE works can be seen if we compare it to the other two voices.