Thematic Infinitive Progressive Active
Introduction
The progressive active infinitive is translated “to [verb]” or “to be [verb]ing”:
| μέλλουσιν ἄριστοι βουλὰς βουλεύειν | the nobles are likely to be deliberating plans |
The thematic active infinitive marker is /ειν (a contraction of the theme vowel /ε/ and the default infinitive marker /εν). The accent falls on the last syllable of the progressive stem:
λέγ/ειν > λέγειν
λα[ν]β[άν]/ειν > λαμβάνειν
πι/πέτ/ειν > πίπτειν
| BASE | progressive aspect marker(s) | /ειν |
For uses of the infinitive, see here.
Intermediate
When /ειν is added to bases that end in vowels, contraction regularly occurs:
τιμα/ειν > τιμᾷν
καλε/ειν > καλέειν (uncontracted Ionic) and καλεῖν (contracted Attic)
δηλο/ειν > δηλοῦν*
* How we get δηλοῦν is relatively simple when we remember that the infinitive marker /ειν is a contraction of /εεν. So what we have here is really δηλόεεν > δηλοῦεν (οε contracts to ου) > δηλοῦν (ουε contracts to ου).
Advanced
In Homer and some other dialects, we also find the active infinitive marker /έμεν:
ἀλεξ/έμεν > ἀλεξέμεν
To this may be added /αι, another active infinitive marker seen for instance in the athematic progressive active infinitive and the sigmatic aorist active infinitive:
ἀλεξ/έμεναι > ἀλεξέμεναι
reading morphologically 