Hellenistic Greek © 2009, 2015
Lesson 10: First Aorist of Compound Verbs

Grammatical Discussion

Several verbs in Greek are formed from a combination of a simple verb stem plus a preposition. The preposition is added to the beginning of the verb stem. The verb παρακαλέω (I comfort, urge), for example, is made up of the preposition, παρά plus the simple verb, καλέω.

The meaning of such compound verbs is sometimes obvious from the meanings of their two parts, but this is not always the case. Sometimes the preposition simply intensifies the meaning of the verb to which it is added.

Augments with Compound Verbs

Compound verbs present a particular challenge for recognizing their aorist forms. The augment is slightly more difficult to find because it is not located at the beginning of the word, but once you realize what is happening, it is quite easy to do. The augment is added at the beginning of the simple verb stem, not at the beginning of the preposition. Compare the present and aorist forms of the following verbs.

In addition to the placement of the augment, notice that the σ is missing from the aorist form ἀπέκτεινα. This omission is explained below.

Notice that the final vowel of παρά and ἀπό is omitted in the aorist forms of these verbs. The augment takes the place of this final vowel for all prepositions that end in vowels, except περί (around, about, concerning) and πρό (in front of, before).

While there were very many prepositions in Hellenistic Greek, only sixteen could be added to a verb to form a compound verb. You are not expected to understand all sixteen yet, but I've included the complete list below. As compound verbs are introduced in the vocabulary lists, the prepositions they use are also introduced.

Exercise 2: Find the Augment

Click here to practice finding the augment in the aorist form of compound verbs.

Spelling Changes Caused by the Aorist Σ

Compare the present and aorist forms of the following verbs as examples of this process:

Exercise 3: Consonant Blends and the Greek Aorist

Click here to practice recognizing the aorist forms of verbs whose stem-final consonant is one of the nine discussed in this section.

Sibilants, Liquid, and Nasal Consonants

Verbs whose stem ends in a sibilant (an “s” or “z” sound) also undergo a spelling change for the aorist tense. When the aorist σ is added, the sibilant at the end of the stem is usually deleted (Compare τ, δ, and θ in the chart above). If the sibilant is double, however, it will be treated like κ, γ, and χ in the chart above. Compare the present and aorist forms of βαπτίζω (stem: βαπτίζ-) and κηρύσσω (stem: κηρύσσ-).

Verbs with stems that end in λ orρ (“liquid” consonants) or μ or ν (“nasal” consonants) do not add the σ tense sign for the aorist tense. Many of these verbs make a slight change to the spelling of their stem to signal the aorist tense. Often the vowel in the middle of the stem will be lengthened. Compare the present and aorist tense forms of ἀπαγγέλλω (I announce), ἐγείρω (I raise up), and ἀποκτείνω (I kill). Look carefully at the spelling of the stems.

Exercise 4: Sibilant, Liquid, and Nasal Consonants and the Greek Aorist

Click here to practice recognizing the spelling changes associated with sibilant, liguid, and nasal consonants.