Time

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Only indicative verbs have absolute time. Past, present, and future are categorized as either “past time” (past) or “not past time” (present, future) for reasons noted above. Past time is marked by the use of a past time personal marker and (usually, but not necessarily) a past time prefix ἐ/ (added before a consonant, called a “syllabic augment” because it adds a syllable to the word) or L/ (lengthening of a base-initial vowel, called a “temporal augment” because it increases the temporal quantity of the vowel).

Future time is marked by the addition of /σ/ or /ε/ to the end of a base. The use of thematic formation helps distinguish the sigmatic future from the sigmatic aorist, which in contrast regularly uses alpha formation.

The present time is marked not only by the use of not past time personal markers. It is also marked as present by the absence of a past time marker or a future time marker. In other words, the default time of a verb is present, and a verb should be assumed to be present unless some explicit time marker marks it as past or future.

Occasionally, a present time verb can refer to future time, like εἶμι (“I go” or “I will go,” from ἰ/). This is a remnant of an earlier stage of Greek before explicit time markers developed to mark the future.