Contract and -μι verbs

When a verb does not look like itself

Sooner or later you look up a word, and the form in the verse does not match the dictionary. Take John 3:2.

ποιεῖς (poieis) means "you do", and ποιεῖν (poiein) means "to do". But the dictionary word is ποιέω, and you will not find ποιέω in the verse. This lesson is only about recognising the two families that behave like this. There are no new labels: you read the tense, voice, mood and person exactly as you already learned. And you do not have to memorise anything, because the panel's lexicon form takes you back to the dictionary word.

Contract verbs

Many verbs have a stem ending in the vowel α, ε or ο. When an ending is attached, the two vowels merge, or "contract". The commonest group is the ε group, and ποιέω is the standard example.

The rule of thumb: ε + ε usually gives ει, ε + ο usually gives ου, and the merged vowels often carry the rounded (circumflex) accent (ῖ, οῦ). In Matthew 7:7, ζητεῖτε (zēteite) is "seek!", and its lexicon form is ζητέω. In 1 John 1:2, μαρτυροῦμεν (marturoumen) is "we bear witness", from μαρτυρέω. The same pattern gives λαλοῦμεν (laloumen), "we speak", in John 3:11, from λαλέω.

In the present tense the vowels merge. In the aorist (and the future) the stem vowel usually lengthens instead. ἐποίησεν (epoiēsen), "did", has ε lengthened to η, and the same happens in ἠγάπησεν ("loved", John 3:16) from ἀγαπάω, where α lengthens to η. If you remember only this much, you will recognise both shapes as one verb. The detailed merging rules can wait. Verbs with stems in α and ο merge in their own ways, but you will not need those rules to read: the lexicon form and the labels in the panel already tell you what you are looking at. Think of contraction as a spelling habit, not a new kind of grammar.

The -μι verbs

The other family gets its name from the dictionary form, which ends in -μι. You have already met one in εἰμί. Typically a -μι verb has an extra short syllable with ι at the front of the stem (δί-δω-μι, τί-θη-μι, ἵ-στη-μι) and a long vowel (ω, η) in the stem. These verbs are very common and their forms vary a lot, which is why they feel harder than they are. Most of what changes is the stem, not the meaning of the labels. An aorist is still an aorist and an imperative is still an imperative, however the stem looks.

The best-known example is ἔδωκεν (edōken), "He gave", in John 3:16, the aorist of δίδωμι (about 415 times). After the augment ἐ- you can see the long stem δω and the κ that marks this aorist. δὸς (dos), "give", in the Lord's Prayer is the same verb, and in Matthew 7:7 δοθήσεται (dothēsetai), "it will be given", is its future passive. One verb, three very different looks, and even the stem changes length, δω in ἔδωκεν and δο in δός and δοθήσεται: that is the -μι family.

In the forgiveness petition, ἄφες (aphes), "forgive", is an imperative of ἀφίημι, and ἀφήκαμεν (aphēkamen), "we have forgiven", is its aorist. The basic idea of ἀφίημι is "let go", so besides "forgive" (about 47 times in that sense) it often means "leave, let be" (about 72 times). In Matthew 4:20 the disciples, ἀφέντες (aphentes) τὰ δίκτυα, "left their nets" and followed Jesus; this ἀφίημι is the one in this lesson's word list. In 1 Corinthians 15:3, παρέδωκα (paredōka), "I delivered", is the aorist of παραδίδωμι, which is παρά joined to δίδωμι; the augment ἐ- goes after the prefix. In John 10:11 τίθησιν (tithēsin), "lays down", is from τίθημι, and in John 1:26 ἕστηκεν (hestēken), is the perfect of ἵστημι. For this verb the perfect describes a present state, "stands", which is how the BSB renders it.

What to do with an unfamiliar form

The practical advice is short. When a form looks strange, do not try to rebuild the rule. Look at the panel's lexicon form. If it is ποιέω, ζητέω or λαλέω, you are looking at a contract verb. If it ends in -μι, it is a -μι verb. The panel already gives the tense, voice, mood and person, so read those labels the way you have learned to. The verbs of this lesson (ποιέω, λαλέω, ζητέω, δίδωμι, ἵστημι, τίθημι, ἀφίημι, παραδίδωμι) appear constantly (ποιέω about 556 times in the sense "do" alone), so every strange form you recognise makes reading faster.

Words in this lesson

• ποιέωpoieōto do/make: do556 times in the NT
• λαλέωlaleōto speak294 times in the NT
• ζητέωzēteōto seek117 times in the NT
• δίδωμιdidōmito give415 times in the NT
• ἵστημιhistēmito stand154 times in the NT
• τίθημιtithēmito place100 times in the NT
• ἀφίημιaphiēmito release: leave72 times in the NT
• παραδίδωμιparadidōmito deliver119 times in the NT

Practice