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The Perfect System: Middle/Passive Voice

As we learned in our last lesson, the PERFECT MIDDLE/PASSIVE is formed by adding the PRIMARY MIDDLE ENDINGS directly to the PERFECT STEM. If the PERFECT STEM ends in a vowel (e.g. λέλυ-), the inflection pattern is straightforward. If the PERFECT STEM ends in a CONSONANT, however, a number of sound changes arise. Observe the following inflection of the PERFECT MIDDLE/PASSIVE of δείκνυμι.

The Perfect Indicative Middle/Passive of δείκνυμι, δείξω, ἔδειξα, δέδειχα, δέδειγμαι, ἐδείχθην (stem: δεικ-) (S 406; GPH p. 96)

The Perfect Middle/Passive Infinitive: δεδεῖχθαι

As you can see, when the final consonant of a PERFECT STEM (here –κ) encounters the initial sound of the middle/passive personal endings, a number of sound changes occur. Though at first blush these sound changes may appear random, they are in fact regular and predictable (S 82-87, 103). In some cases, however, no sound change could ever make the verb comfortable to pronounce in Greek. In such situations, Greek replaces the – to them – unpronounceable verb form with a PERIPHRASTIC form, here δεδειγμένοι εἰσί.

In most languages, certain verb tenses are expressed not by one inflected form, but by two or more words that together express a single verbal action. Such combinations of words are called PERIPHRASTIC (< Greek περίφρασις talking around or circumlocution).

For example, in the English present tense, we can say He goes and He does go.

• He goes: not periphrastic, since the action is expressed in one verb form.
• He does go: periphrastic, since both words together form one verbal action.

In English, some verb tenses are always periphrastic. In the future tense, for example, we say:

• He will go.

As we can see in the above inflection of δείκνυμι, Greeks did not even try to say the 3rd person plural form (which would require somehow pronouncing *δέ-δεικ-νται). For this person and number, Greek instead uses a PERIPHRASTIC verb form (S 599). We discuss how to create and inflect these forms later in the lesson.

For now, let us review the SOUND CHANGES that do regularly occur when PRIMARY or SECONDARY MIDDLE/PASSIVE ENDINGS meet consonant stems, i.e., stems that end in labials, palatals, dentals, or nasals. (Note: A handout of the following charts is available for download here: Perfect Middle Consonant Chart).

Or, to put it another way:

As you review these charts, note the following:

• –σ– drops out when between two consonants, e.g. φσθε → φθε (S 715).
• Stems ending in a NASAL (ν, μ) do not allow a form that has a personal ending beginning with σ (e.g. σαι, σο). For example, the 2nd person singular of the PERFECT MIDDLE/PASSIVE of φαίνω, φανῶ, ἔφηνα (stem: φαν-) should be *πέ-φαν-σαι. Though perhaps acceptable to an English speaker, Greeks avoided saying this form, and substituted a PERIPHRASTIC form instead (S 707a).
  • (*πέ-φαν-σαι →) πεφασμένος εἶ
• The MIDDLE/PASSIVE voice 3rd person plural endings (-νται and –ντο) do not appear on the chart. This is because Greeks ALWAYS rendered the middle 3rd person plural as a PERIPHRASTIC. (Again, we review how to form PERIPHRASTICS later in the lesson.)

Some Paradigms

Putting it all together, note the following inflections of the PERFECT MIDDLE for consonant stem verbs.

The Perfect Middle/Passive Infinitive: πεπεῖσθαι

Perfect Indicative Middle/Passive of ἄγω, ἄξω, ἤγαγον, ἦχα, ἦγμαι, ἤχθην (stem: ἀγ-) (S 406; GPH p. 96)

The Perfect Middle/Passive Infinitive: ἦχθαι

Perfect Indicative Middle/Passive of φαίνω, φανῶ, ἔφηνα, πέφηνα, πέφασμαι, ἐφάνην (stem: φαν-) (S 407)

The Perfect Middle/Passive Infinitive: πεφάνθαι

The Perfect System: Active Participles

The pattern of the PERFECT ACTIVE PARTICIPLE is as follows:

• MASCULINE and NEUTER: perfect stem + κ + οτ +  3rd declension endings
  • Gradual sound changes resulted in the NOMINATIVE MASCULINE SINGULAR ending –ώς, NEUTER  –ός (S 301 c)
• FEMININE: perfect stem + κ + –υι– + 1st declension endings (S 301 d)
  • 1st declension endings for the FEMININE are ᾰ in the nom. and acc. sing.
• The persistent accent is on the VOWEL sound immediately following the κ voice marker.

To sum up, the ending NOMINATIVE SINGULAR of PERFECT ACTIVE participles (S 301 c, d) is as follows:

• Masculine: –κώς (ending stem: –κοτ)
• Feminine: –κυῖα (ending stem: κυι)
• Neuter: –κός (ending stem: –κοτ)

Perfect Active Participle of λύω loosen (S 309; GPH p. 196)

Singular:

Plural:

The Perfect System: Middle Participles

Recall that the pattern for ALL PARTICIPLES in the MIDDLE voice is:

• tense stem + μεν + 2-1-2 adjective endings

For the PERFECT MIDDLE PARTICIPLE, note the following:

• The accent remains fixed on the –μέν– marker (PENULT).
• Thematic verbs do NOT add a thematic vowel before the –μένος, μένη, μένον ending.
• The addition of the –μέν– marker to consonant stems results in the same sound changes expressed in the charts above.

For example (S 716; GPH p. 197):

• λελυμένος, λελυμένη, λελυμένον
• δεδειγμένος δεδειγμένη δεδειγμένον
• γεγραμμένος, γεγραμμένη, γεγραμμένον
• πεπεισμένος, πεπεισμένη, πεπεισμένον
• ἠγμένος, ἠγμένη, ἠγμένον
• πεφασμένος, πεφασμένη, πεφασμένον

Periphrastic Verbs

Now that we have learned the PERFECT PARTICIPLE, we can turn to the PERIPHRASTIC construction.

English lacks a single verb form that is both PERFECT and PASSIVE. Instead it uses combinations of a PARTICIPLE and AUXILIARY verb to convey the PERFECT PASSIVE. In English, for example, we say:

• The ball has been kicked.

Greek also has a PERIPHRASTIC construction that it uses sometimes to express the PERFECT PASSIVE. To form the PERIPHRASTIC of the perfect tense in the MIDDLE or PASSIVE voice, Greek uses:

• The form of the PERFECT MIDDLE PARTICIPLE that matches the GENDER and NUMBER of the subject.
• The PRESENT tense form of εἰμί that matches the PERSON and NUMBER of the subject.

As discussed above, Greek prefers to have a PERIPHRASTIC construction for the 3rd person plural of PERFECT MIDDLE/PASSIVE CONSONANT STEM verbs. Note, though, that even when Greek has a PERFECT MIDDLE/PASSIVE that can be expressed in one form, it is not unusual for some authors to use a PERIPHRASTIC construction for all persons and numbers, particularly if the middle/passive form is being used for the PASSIVE voice. Context will usually let you know whether the voice is intended to be MIDDLE or PASSIVE.

The Perfect System: Passive Voice

• ὁ νόμος γέγραπται or ὁ νόμος γεγραμμένος ἐστίν.
  • The law has been written down.
  • The participle γεγραμμένος is nominative masculine singular, matching the subject, ὁ νόμος. Since the subject is 3rd pers. sing., so is the form of εἰμί: ἐστίν.
• οἱ νόμοι γεγραμμένοι εἰσίν.
  • The laws have been written down.
  • The participle γεγραμμένοι is nominative masculine plural, matching the subject, οἱ νόμοι. Since the subject is 3rd pers. pl., so is the form of εἰμί: εἰσί.

The Perfect System: Middle Voice

• ὁ παῖς δέδεικται.
  • The boy has shown himself.
• οἱ παίδες δεδειγμένοι εἰσί.
  • The boys have shown themselves.
  • The participle δεδειγμένοι is nominative masculine plural, matching the subject, οἱ παίδες. Since the subject is 3rd pers. pl., so is the form of εἰμί: εἰσί.
• αἱ γυναῖκες δεδειγμέναι εἰσί.
  • The women have shown themselves.
  • The participle δεδειγμέναι is nominative feminine plural, matching the subject, αἱ γυναῖκες. Since the subject is 3rd pers. pl., so is the form of εἰμί: εἰσί.

– τὸ τέλος –