TENSE-SUFFIXES, THEMATIC VOWEL, MOOD-SUFFIXES
[*] 455.
Tense-Suffixes.—The tense-suffixes, which are added to the verb-stem to form the tense-stems, consist of the thematic vowel and certain other letters. No tense-suffixes are added to the verb-stem (1) in the second aorist active and middle, and second perfect and pluperfect, of
μι-verbs; (2) in the perfect and pluperfect middle of verbs in
-ω and
-μι. The tense-suffixes are as follows:—
1. Present system,
-όε-, -τόε-, -[ιγλιδε]όε-, -νόε-, -ανόε-, -νεόε-, -να-, -νυ-, -(
ι)
σκόε; or none, as in
φα-μέν.
2. Future system,
-σόε-.
3. First aorist sytem,
-σα-.
4. Second aorist system,
-όε-; or none, as in
ἔ-στη-ν.
5. First perfect system,
-κα- (plupf.
-κη- from
-κεα-; -κει- from
-κεε-; -κε-).
6. Second perfect system,
-α- (plupf.
-η-, -ει-, or
-ε-); or none, as in
ἕ-στα-τε.
7. Perfect middle system, none (future perfect
-σόε-).
8. First passive system,
θη-, -θε- (future passive
-θησόε-).
9. Second passive system,
η, -ε- (future passive
-ησόε-).
N.—
-α in the aorist is properly a relic of the personal ending (
666).
[*] 455. D. For the Doric future
-σεόε-, see
540.—For the Epic first aorist
-σόε-, see 542 D.—For the doubling of
ς in the future and first aorist, see 534 b. D., 544 b. D.
[*] 456.
Thematic Vowel.—The thematic, or variable, vowel appears at the end of the tense-stems in the present, imperfect, and second aorist active and middle of
ω-verbs, and in all futures and future perfects. The thematic vowel in the indicative is
ο before
μ or
ν (and in the optative of the tenses mentioned); elsewhere it is
ε. Thus,
λυ_όε-, λιπόε-, λυ_σόε-, λυθησόε-, λελυ_σόε-; λύ_ο-ι_-μι. In the subjunctive it is
ώη.
a. Attic inscriptions have both
-εσθων and
-οσθων in the imperative.
[*] 457.
Subjunctive.—In the subjunctive of all verbs the thematic vowel is
ώη-. Thus,
λύ_ω-μεν, λύ_η-τε, λύ_σω-μεν, στείλη-τε.
a. Verbs in
-νυ_μι form their subjunctive like
ω-verbs.
[*] 457 D. Hom. has
-όε- instead of
-ώη-, especially in the 1 aor., 2 aor. of
μι- verbs, and 2 aor. pass. (
ἐρύσσομεν, δώομεν, τραπείομεν; also in
ἴομεν, εἴδομεν). These forms do not occur in the sing. or 3 pl. active. Verbs in
ω rarely show this
όε in the present. (Other examples 532, 667 D., 682 D.)
[*] 458. In the present and second aorist of
μι-verbs, and in the aorist passive,
ώη is added to the tense stem. Thus
τιθῶμεν from
τιθέ-ω-μεν, θῶ from
θέ-ω, τιθῆτε from
τιθέ-η-τε, λυθῶ from
λυθέ-ω.
[*] 459.
Suffix of the Optative.—The optative adds the mood suffix
-ι_-, or
-ιη- which contracts with the final vowel of the tense-stem:
λύ_οιμι for
λύ_ο-ι_-μι, φιλοίην for
φιλεο-ίη-ν, τιθείην for
τιθε-ίη-ν. -ιη- occurs only before active endings. When the suffix is
-ιη-, the 1 pers. sing. ends in
-ν; as
τι_μαο-ίη-ν ῀ τι_μῴην; when it is
-ι_-, the 1 pers. sing. ends in
-μι, as
τι_μάο-ι_-μι ῀ τι_μῷμι.
[*] 460.
ιη is used as follows (in all other cases
-ι_-):—
a. In contracted verbs in the singular, rarely in the dual and plural.
-ι_- appears in the dual and plural, rarely in the singular.
b. In liquid verbs in the future active singular:
φανοίη-ν for
φανεο-ίη-ν. In the dual and plural
-ι_-:
φανοῖτον, φανοῖμεν for
φανεό-ι_-τον, φανεό-ι_-μεν.
c. In the singular of
μι-verbs:
τιθείην for
τιθε-ίη-ν, διδοίην for
διδο-ίη-ν, θείην for
θε-ίη-ν. Here the modal sign is added to the tense-stem without any thematic vowel.
-ι_- is more common in the dual and plural:
τιθεῖμεν for
τιθέ-ι_-μεν, διδοῖμεν for
διδό-ι_-μεν, θεῖτε for
θέ-ι_-τε. Verbs in
-νυ_μι make their optatives like
λύ_ω.
d. In the aorist passive:
λυθείην for
λυθε-ίη-ν, φανείην for
φανε-ίη-ν. In the dual and plural
-ι_- is more common:
λυθεῖμεν for
λυθέ-ι_-μεν, φανεῖτε for
φανέ-ι_-τε.
e. In some second perfects, as
προεληλυθοίης, and in the second aorist
σχοίην from
ἔχω (but
-σχοῖμι in composition).
N.—In the 3 pl.
-ιε- is regular before
-ν:
λύ_ο-ιε-ν, τιθε-ῖε-ν, λυθε-ῖε-ν.
[*] 460 D.
-ιη- is very rare in Hom. in the dual and plural.
[*] 461.
a. In the 1 aor. opt. act. of
ω-verbs the endings
-ειας, -ειε, and
-ειαν are more common than
-αις, -αι, -αιεν.
b. In the aor. opt. passive of all verbs and in the opt. of
μι-verbs and of contract verbs
-ιτον, -ιτην, -ιμεν, -ιτε, -ιεν are commoner than
-ιητον, -ιητην, -ιημεν, -ιητε, -ιησαν. Prose writers use either the shorter or the longer forms; poets use only the shorter forms. Except in contract verbs
-ιητε is very common in the 2 pl. and is sometimes the only form in the Mss., as
δοίητε, θείητε, γνοίητε, -βαίητε, λυθείητε, φανείητε; but the forms in question occur in prose writers and their genuineness is therefore unsupported by metrical evidence.