Athematic Present Progressive Indicative Active (/μι Verbs)
Introduction
Verbs in this category use the following personal markers:
| singular | plural | |
| 1st person | /μι | /μεν |
| 2nd person | /ς | /τε |
| 3rd person | /σι | /ασι |
For details about personal markers, see here.
These verbs mark progressive aspect by reduplication with ι or /νυ/.
Finally, the vowel before the personal marker lengthens (/L/) in the singular:
| δι/δο/L/μι > δίδωμι | I give |
| δεικ/νυ/ασι > δεικνύασι | they show |
Intermediate
Athematic verbs do not use theme vowels to connect bases to personal markers. In the present and past progressive indicative active, the only verbs that fall into this category are so-called /μι verbs (and /νυ/μι verbs). These verbs follow a simple pattern in the present progressive indicative active.
(1) If the base ends in a vowel, the progressive aspect marker is reduplication with ι. However, if the base ends in a consonant, the progressive aspect marker is /νυ/ (see later in this page for a few important verbs that use neither):
| δο/ | δι/δο/ > διδο/ |
| θε/ | θι/θε/ > τιθε/ (the first θ deaspirates by Grassmann’s Law) |
| Jε/ | Jι/Jε/ > ἱε/ (word-initial J becomes a rough breathing) |
| στα/ | σι/στα/ > ἱστα/ (word-initial σ becomes a rough breathing) |
| δεικ/ | δεικ/νυ/ > δεικνυ/ |
| ὀλ/ | ὀλ/νυ/ > ὀλλυ/ (ν assimilates to λ) |
(2) In the singular, the last vowel of the stem—the vowel to which the personal marker is added—lengthens (/L/).
Lastly, (3) these verbs use the personal markers presented above.
As a result, we get these forms:
δο/
| singular | plural | |
| 1st person | δι/δο/L/μι > δίδωμι | δι/δο/μεν > δίδομεν |
| 2nd person | δι/δο/L/ς > δίδως | δι/δο/τε > δίδοτε |
| 3rd person | δι/δο/L/σι > δίδωσι | δι/δο/ασι > διδόασι* |
* /ασι usually doesn’t contract with the previous vowel. For instance, θι/θε/ασι > τιθέασι. But see στα/ and Jε/ below (ἱστᾶσι and ἱᾶσι, respectively).
στα/
| singular | plural | |
| 1st person | σι/στα/L/μι > ἵστημι | σι/στα/μεν > ἵσταμεν |
| 2nd person | σι/στα/L/ς > ἵστης | σι/στα/τε > ἵστατε |
| 3rd person | σι/στα/L/σι > ἵστησι | σι/στα/ασι > ἱστᾶσι |
Although ἵστησι and ἱστᾶσι look similar, we can see that ἵστησι is singular because of η (lengthened α, which marks the singular).
δεικ/
| singular | plural | |
| 1st person | δεικ/νυ/L/μι > δείκνυμι | δεικ/νυ/μεν > δείκνυμεν |
| 2nd person | δεικ/νυ/L/ς > δείκνυς | δεικ/νυ/τε > δείκνυτε |
| 3rd person | δεικ/νυ/L/σι > δείκνυσι | δεικ/νυ/ασι > δεικύασι |
Arguably the most challenging verb in Greek is Jε/. Its forms in the present progressive active indicative are these:
Jε/
| singular | plural | |
| 1st person | Jι/Jε/L/μι > ἵημι | Jι/Jε/μεν > ἵεμεν |
| 2nd person | Jι/Jε/L/ς > ἵης | Jι/Jε/τε > ἵετε |
| 3rd person | Jι/Jε/L/σι > ἵησι | Jι/Jε/ασι > ἱᾶσι |
Three common verbs (ἐσ/, ἰ/, and φα/) exist only in the progressive and future. They use a zero marker for the progressive aspect. Some of their forms are unexpected:
φα/
| singular | plural | |
| 1st person | φα/L/μι > φημι* | φα/μεν > φαμεν |
| 2nd person | φα/L/ς > φής | φα/τε > φατε |
| 3rd person | φα/L/σι > φησι | φα/ασι > φασι |
* When a form lacks an accent, it means that the form is enclitic. That is, it attaches to the end of the previous word and relies on that word’s accent. See here <link> for more.
ἰ/
| singular | plural | |
| 1st person | ἰ/L/μι > εἶμι* | ἰ/μεν > ἴμεν |
| 2nd person | ἰ/L/σι > εἶ** | ἰ/τε > ἴτε |
| 3rd person | ἰ/L/σι > εἶσι | ἰ/ασι > ἴασι |
* Regularly the singular is marked by lengthening the last vowel of the stem. In the case of ἰ/, the singular is marked by e-grade, where ἰ/ becomes εἰ/.
** The 2nd person singular uses the prehistoric 2nd person singular marker /σι. Intervocalic σ drops, though normally this does not happen when σ is the first letter of a marker.
ἐσ/
| singular | plural | |
| 1st person | ἐσ/μι > εἰμι* | ἐσ/μεν > ἐσμεν |
| 2nd person | ἐσ/σι > εἶ** | ἐσ/τε > ἐστε |
| 3rd person | ἐσ/τι > ἐστι*** | ἐσ/Ṇτι > εἰσι**** |
* When a form lacks an accent, it means that the form is enclitic. That is, it attaches to the end of the previous word and relies on that word’s accent. See here <link> for more.
** The 2nd person singular uses the prehistoric 2nd person singular marker /σι. The expected form ἐσσι appears upwards of 60 times in Homer. Presumably σσ is reduced to σ. Then σ drops because it is intervocalic.
*** Prehistoric /τι, seen here, is the origin of /σι in the same way that /οṆτι produces /ουσι. <LINK AND EXPLANATION.>
**** The marker /Ṇτι is what produces /ασι as in φασι (cf. Doric φαντι), ἴασι, and so forth. The expected ἔασι is found in Homer, while Doric has ἐντι. The form in Ionic and Attic is εἰσι, perhaps a product of *ἐνσι.
Advanced
Occasionally a /μι verb will use a thematic form, like:
δεικνύω (δεικ/νυ/ω) instead of δείκνυμι (δεικ/νυ/μι)
ὀμνύω (ὀμ/νυ/ω) instead of ὄμνυμι (ὀμ/νυ/μι)
φῄς (φα/εις) instead of φής (φα/L/ς)
reading morphologically 