Thematic Present Progressive Indicative Active
Introduction
The progressive aspect emphasizes the ongoing or repetitive state of an action. It may be translated “I am verb-ing,” simply “I verb,” or even “I do verb.” Context will tell you which translation is more appropriate.
There are seven available markers of progressive aspect: nothing, /J/, nu suffix (sometimes with nu infix), /τ/, basic e-grade, reduplication with ι, and /(ι)σκ/. Most are attached to the end of the base, but nu infix and basic e-grade are internal to the base and reduplication with ι is a prefix:
ACTIVE
| PREFIX reduplication | BASE INTERNAL nu infix basic e-grade | SUFFIX nothing /J/ nu suffix /τ/ /(ι)σκ/ | PERSONAL MARKERS /ω /ομεν /εις /ετε /ει /ουσι |
Occasionally but rarely a verb may use different progressive aspect markers. For instance, μεν/, “stay,” may be μένω or μίμνω in the present progressive indicative active. However, verbs are usually consistent with the marker(s) they use to mark progressive aspect. While occasionally there are clues that help you predict what markers a verb will take, the only way to know for sure is by memorizing the first principal part.
For how asigmatic aorist bases mark the progressive aspect, see here.
Intermediate
Zero Marker
Some verb bases are progressive by default. This means that personal markers may be added directly to the base without an explicit progressive aspect marker. When the addition of nothing marks something, nothing does the progressive aspect here, the technical term for nothing is zero marker.
| ἀκου/ει > ἀκούει λεγ/ω > λέγω λυ/ουσι > λούουσι ἀγ/ετε > ἄγετε | she/he/it listens / is listening I say / am saying they loosen / are loosening you (plural) lead / are leading |
Because these bases use nothing to mark the progressive aspect, they must use something to mark aorist aspect. In most instances they are sigmatic. For instance:
| L/ἀκου/σ/ε > ἤκουσε ἐ/λεγ/σ/α > ἔλεξα ἐ/λυ/σ/αν > ἔλυσαν | she/he/it listened I said they loosened |
The base ἀγ/ is a notable exception. It forms the aorist with reduplication instead of /σ/:
| L/ἀγ/αγ/ετε > ἠγάγετε | you (plural) led |
Yod (/J/)
Progressive aspect may be marked by adding /J/ to the end of a base. The symbol J is not a Greek letter. Rather, it is the Hebrew letter called yod and represents the glide /y/. (We use yod instead of the Latin letter y to avoid confusion with the Greek letter gamma, γ.)
Yod regularly combines with dental stops (τ, δ) to produce ζ:
| ἐλπιδ/J/ω > ἐλπίζω θαυματ/J/ω > θαυμάζω νομιδ/J/ω > νομίζω | I expect, hope I am amazed I think |
The yod progressive aspect marker is often used to make verbs from nouns. The term for this is deverbal. In this context, J originally had the meaning, “be in the state of [base]” or “act as [base]” or “do [base].” This is clear in the first two verbs above, where ἐλπίδ/ ἡ is a noun that means “expectation, hope” and θαυμάτ/ τό “amazement.” However, sometimes a verb has undergone a semantic shift that obscures the original meaning of J. For instance, νομίζω originally meant “I use customarily, practice,” but in Classical Greek it means “I think.”
The resultant ζ so clearly marks progressive aspect that it can be applied to bases that don’t end in a stop consonant, as if /ζ/ were the progressive aspect marker, like σω/ζ/ω > σώζω, “I save.”
Yod combines with velar stops (κ, γ) to produce σσ in Ionic. In Attic, σσ becomes ττ:
| ἀπαλλαγ/J/ω > ἀπαλλάσσω or ἀπαλλάττω ταγ/J/ω > τάσσω or τάττω φυλακ/J/ω > φυλάσσω or φυλάττω | I go away I arrange, order I guard |
When a base ends in -ν/ or -ρ/, yod switches place with it by a process called phonemic metathesis (literally “sounds changing places”):
| ἀερ/J/ω > ἀείρω τεν/J/ω > τείνω φαν/J/ομαι > φαίνομαι φθερ/J/ω > φθείρω | I lift, raise up I stretch I seem, appear I destroy |
And when a base ends in -λ/, yod assimilates:
| ἀγγελ/J/ω > ἀγγέλλω | I announce, report, bring a message |
Nu Suffix (/ν/, /αν/, /νε/, /νυ/)
Sometimes a /ν/ progressive aspect marker is added to the end of the base:
| δυ/ν/ω > δύνω τεμ/ν/ω > τέμνω | I enter I cut |
When the base ends in -λ/, ν assimilates:
| βαλ/ν/ω > βάλλω | I throw |
When the base ends in a stop consonant, the nu suffix is /αν/:
| αἰσθ/αν/ομαι > αἰσθάνομαι | I perceive |
Usually these bases also take a nu infix. That is, /ν/ is also added within the base. Assimilation often occurs:
| λαβ/ | λα[ν]β/αν/ω > λαμβάνω (ν assimilates to labial μ before a labial stop) | I take |
| λαθ/ | λα[ν]θ/αν/ω > λανθάνω (both ν and θ are dentals, so no assimilation occurs) | I escape notice |
| λαχ/ | λα[ν]χ/αν/ω > λαγχάνω (ν assimilates to the velar angma before a velar stop) | I obtain by lot or fate |
| μαθ/ | μα[ν]θ/αν/ω > μανθάνω (both ν and θ are dentals, so no assimilation occurs) | I learn |
| πυθ/ | πυ[ν]θ/αν/ομαι > πυνθάνομαι (both ν and θ are dentals, so no assimilation occurs) | I learn by hearsay |
| τυχ/ | τυ[ν]χ/αν/ω > τυγχάνω (ν assimilates to the velar angma before a velar stop) | I happen |
Occasionally the nu suffix looks like /νε/ or /υν/:
| ἱκ/νε/ομαι > ἱκνέομαι | I arrive |
| ἐλα/υν/ω > ἐλαύνω | I drive |
A special category of verbs regularly use /μι instead of /ω to mark the first person singular present progressive active. They are called /μι verbs and are discussed in greater detail here <link>. If the base ends in a consonant, these verbs use a /νυ/ progressive aspect marker:
| δεικ/νυ/μι > δείκνυμι | I show |
| ὀλ/νυ/μι > ὄλλυμι | I destroy |
| ὀμ/νυ/μι > ὄμνυμι | I swear |
Tau (/τ/)
Some bases add /τ/:
| κοπ/τ/ω > κόπτω | I strike, beat, cut |
| σκωπ/τ/ω > σκώπτω | I mock |
| θαφ/τ/ω > θάπτω | I bury |
Basic e-grade
A number of asigmatic aorist bases are zero-grade. Many of them mark progressive aspect by shifting the vowel grade from zero to basic e-grade:
| ϝιδ/ | εἴδω | I see (the progressive is found only in compounds) |
| λιπ/ | λείπω | I leave behind |
| πιθ/ | πείθω | I persuade |
| φυγ/ | φεύγω | I flee |
| σπ/ | ἕπομαι | I follow (word-initial σ in σέπομαι becomes a rough breathing) |
| σχ/ | ἔχω | I have, hold (σχ/ is the zero grade version of the base we normally see as ἐχ/ <link to dictionary?>) |
Reduplication with ι
Some asigmatic aorist bases are e-grade in the aorist. These mark progressive aspect by reduplicating the word-initial consonant of the base with ι and shifting to zero grade:
| γεν/ | γι/γν/ομαι > γίγνομαι (Ionic γίνομαι) | I become |
| πετ/ | πι/πτ/ω > πίπτω | I fall |
Inceptive or Iterative /σκ/ and /ισκ/
The progressive aspect marker /σκ/ identifies an action as beginning (inceptive) or repetitive (iterative):
| παθ/σκ/ω > πάσχω (the dental stop θ drops before σ, but the aspiration remains and infects κ) | I experience, suffer |
| διδακ/σκ/ω > διδάσκω (the consonant cluster -κσκ- is reduced to -σκ- for ease of pronunciation) | I teach |
Sometimes the marker is /ισκ/:
| ἁλ/ισκ/ομαι > ἁλίσκομαι | I get caught, captured |
| εὑρ/ισκ/ω > εὑρίσκω | I find |
| ἀπο/θνα/ισκ/ω > ἀποθνῄσκω (θνα/ is the same base as θαν/. See here for details. Verbs of dying are regularly prefixed with ἀπο/.) | I die |
Combinations
Sometimes a base takes several progressive aspect markers:
| βα/ν/J/ω > βαίνω (/ν/ and /J/ switch places by phonemic metathesis) | I go |
| γι/γνο/σκ/ω > γιγνώσκω (short vowels regularly lengthen when markers are added to them) | I come to know, recognize |
| μι/μνα/σκ/ω > μιμνήσκω | I recall, remind |
| τμ/ν/ω > τέμνω | I cut |
reading morphologically 