Chapter II
The Tenses.
[*] 19.
There are seven Tenses,—the present, imperfect,
perfect, pluperfect, aorist, future, and future perfect. The imperfect
and pluperfect occur only in the indicative; the futures are wanting in
the subjunctive and imperative.
[*] 20.
These tenses may express two relations. They may designate
the time of an action as
present, past, or
future; and also its character as
going on, finished, or simply
taking place. The latter relation is expressed
by the tenses in all the moods and in the infinitive and the participle;
the former is always expressed in the indicative, and to a certain
extent (to be explained below) in the dependent moods and the
participle.
[*] 21.
The tenses are divided into
primary tenses, which denote present or future time, and
secondary or
historical tenses, which denote past time. This distinction
applies properly only to the tenses of the indicative; but it may be
extended to any forms of the dependent moods which have the same
distinction of time as the tenses of the indicative.
The primary tenses of the indicative are the present (in its
ordinary uses), perfect, future, and future perfect. The secondary
tenses are the imperfect, pluperfect, and aorist (in its ordinary uses).
This distinction will be more fully explained at the end of
this chapter (
165-191). It must be noted that the historic present
(33) is a secondary
tense, and the gnomic aorist
(154) is a primary tense.
[*] 22.
In speaking of the time denoted by any verb, we must
distinguish between time which is present, past, or future with
reference to the time of speaking or writing (that is, time
absolutely present, etc.), and time which is
present, past, or future with reference to the time of some verb with
which the verbal form in question is connected (that is, time
relatively present, etc.) Thus, when we say
tou=to a)lhqe/s e)stin,
this is true,
e)sti/n is present with reference to the
time of speaking; but when we say
e)/fh tou=to a)lhqe\s ei)=nai or
ei)=pen o(/ti tou=to a)lhqe/s e)stin (or
ei)/h),
he said that this was true, (i.e.
he said “this is true”), the
present tense which we use denotes time present to the time of the
leading verb, i.e. time
absolutely past and
only
relatively present. The same
distinction is seen between the future in
tou=to genh/setai,
this will happen, and that in
e)/fh tou=to genh/sesqai or
ei)=pen o(/ti genh/setai
(
genh/soito),
he said that this would happen; where the
future in the first case is
absolutely
future, but in the other cases is only
relatively future and may be even
absolutely past. Again, in
tou=to e)ge/neto,
this happened, the aorist is absolutely past; but in
e)/fh tou=to gene/sqai, or
ei)=pen o(/ti tou=to
e)ge/neto (or
ge/noito),
he said that this had
happened, it denotes time past to the time of the past
leading verb, and so is
doubly past. But in
connection with a future expression an aorist, though relatively past,
may be absolutely future; as in
PLAT. Rep. 478
D,
“
to\ fane/n”
as subject of
e)/sesqai means
that which will
hereafter have appeared. So
diapraca/menos in
496 E. (
See 143.)
It is a special distinction between the Greek and the English
idioms, that the Greek uses its verbal forms much more freely to denote
merely relative time. Thus, we translate the Greek presents
ei)=nai and
e)sti/ after
e)/fh or
ei)=pen (above) by our
was; the
futures
genh/sesqai and
genh/setai by
would happen; and the aorists
gene/sqai and
e)ge/neto by
had happened. This distinction appears
especially in the indicative, optative, and infinitive of indirect
discourse; in future forms after past tenses in final and object clauses
with
i(/na, o(/pws, etc.;
and usually in the participle; but not in protasis.
I. Tenses of the Indicative: Present.
[*] 23.
The present indicative represents an action as
going on at the time of speaking or writing;
as
gra/fw,
I write, or
I am
writing.
An important exception occurs when the present indicative in
indirect discourse denotes time which is present relatively to the
leading verb. See above,
22;
669,
2;
674,
1.
[*] 24.
As the limits of such an action on either side of the present
moment are not defined, the present may express a
customary or
repeated action or
a
general truth. E.g.
-
“*(h pru/mna tou= ploi/ou
o(\ ei)s *dh=lon *)aqhnai=oi pe/mpousin,”
“the stern of the ship which the
Athenians send to Delos (every year).”
PLAT.
Phaed. 58A.
-
“*ti/ktei toi ko/ros
u(/brin, o(/tan kakw=| o)/lbos e(/phtai,”
“satiety begets insolence, whenever
prosperity follows the wicked.”
THEOG.
153.
-
“*)en xro/nw| a)pofqi/nei
to\ ta/rbos a)nqrw/poisin,”
“in time timidity dies out in men.”
AESCH.
Ag. 857.
[*] 25.
The present denotes merely the continuance or progress of an
action, without reference to its completion. It may, however, be implied
by the context that the action is
not to be
completed, so that the present denotes an
attempted or
intended action.
Especially
di/dwmi, in the
sense of
offer, and
pei/qw,
try to
persuade, are thus used. E.g.
-
“*nu=n d' a(/ma t'
au)ti/ka polla\ didoi=,”
“he offers many things.”
Il.
ix. 519.
-
“*pei/qousi u(ma=s
e)nanti/a kai\ toi=s no/mois kai\ tw=| dikai/w|
yhfi/sasqai,”
“they are trying to persuade you to
vote contrary both to the laws and to justice.”
ISAE. i.
26.
This
conative signification is
much more common in the imperfect.
See 36 and the examples.
[*] 26.
The present is often used with expressions denoting past
time, especially
pa/lai, in
the sense of a perfect and a present combined. E.g.
-
“*kei=non i)xneu/w
pa/lai,”
“I have been tracking him a
long time (and still continue it).”
SOPH. Aj.
20.
-
“*ou) pa/lai soi le/gw
o(/ti tau)to/n fhmi ei)=nai;”
“i.e., have I not long ago told you
(and do I not still repeat) that I call it the same
thing?”
PLAT.
Gorg. 489 C
.
-
“*qeou\s ai)tw= ... froura=s e)tei/as mh=kos”
AESCH.
Ag. 1.
So
polu\n xro/non tou=to
poiw=. So in Latin,
iam
dudum loquor.
[*] 27.
The presents
h(/kw,
I am come, and
oi)/xomai,
I am gone, are used in the sense of the
perfect. An approach to the perfect sense is sometimes found in such
presents as
feu/gw, in the
sense
I am banished,
a(li/skomai,
I am
captured,
nikw=
and
kratw=,
I am victorious,
h(ttw=mai,
I am
conquered,
a)dikw=,
I have been unjust
(
I am
a)/dikos). So the Epic
i(/kw and
i(ka/nw, with
o)/llumai and sometimes
ti/ktw in tragedy. E.g.
-
“*oi)/xetai ei)s a(/la
di=an,”
“he is gone to the divine sea.”
Il.
xv. 223.
-
“*qemistoklh=s h(/kw
para\ se/,”
“I, Themistocles, am come to you.”
THUC. i.
137.
-
“*tou\s a)di/kws
feu/gontas dikai/ws kath/gagon,”
“they justly restored those who were
unjustly banished.”
PLAT. Menex. 242B.
-
“*)ili/ou a(liskome/nou,”
“after the capture of Ilium.”
THUC. vi.
2.
- So
“a(liskome/nou tou=
tei/xeos”
HDT. i.
85.
-
“*(/opisqe th=s
a)noigome/nhs qu/rhs,”
“behind the open door.”
HDT. i.
9.
-
“*ei) pa/nta tau=ta
e)lumai/neto toi=s o(/lois, e(/ws a)ne/treye, ti/
*dhmosqe/nhs a)dikei=;”
“ how is Demosthenes to blame?”
DEM.
xviii. 303.
-
“*pu/rgwn o)llume/nwn e)n
nausi\n e)/ban,”
“I embarked after the towers had been
destroyed.”
EUR. I.T.
1108.
-
“*(/hde ti/ktei se,”
“this woman is thy mother.”
Id. Ion.
1560.
Present participles are given in some examples here where
they illustrate the meaning of the tense.
[*] 28.
The Greek, like other languages, often uses such presents as
I hear,
I
learn,
I say, even when their
action is finished before the time to which they strictly refer. E.g.
*ei) stasia/zousin, w(/sper
punqano/meqa,
“if they (the Sicilians) are in discord, as we
learn.”
THUC. vi. 16.
“
*)epi\ po/leis, w(s e)gw\
a)koh=| ai)sqa/nomai, me/llomen i)e/nai mega/las,”
Id. vi. 20.
[*] 29.
*ei)=mi as
Future. The present
ei)=mi,
I am going, and its compounds, have a
future sense.
*ei)=mi thus
became a future of
e)/rxomai, the future
e)leu/somai not being in good use in Attic prose. E.g.
