Hellenistic Greek © 2008
Lesson 18: Future Tense Verbs

Grammatical Discussion

Usage of the Future Tense

The Greek future tense verb form conveys expectation. We have more than one way to convey expectation in English:

John will be here at 10:00am
John is coming at 10:00am

Both of these sentences convey the expectation that John will arrive at the stated time. Both could be expressed by the future tense form in Hellenistic Greek.

καὶ καλέσουσιν τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἐμμανουήλ
and they will call his name Emmanuel (Matthew 1:23)

κατακρινοῦσιν αὐτὸν θανάτῳ
They will condemn him to death
They are going to condemn him to death (Mark 10:33)

Present and Future Verb Endings (Again)

All Hellenistic Greek verbs form their future tense using the same endings as the present of Ω Conjugation verbs. You studied those endings in lesson 17. Take a moment to review them now.

Future tense verbs add a σ before these endings. For Ω Conjugation verbs, this σ (and the spelling changes it causes) will enable you to distinguish the future from the present tense. Distinguishing the future from the present of μι conjugation verbs is much easier since they do not use these endings for their present tense.

The Future Tense of Ω Conjugation Verbs

For many verbs, the addition of the σ to form the future tense causes little change and is easy to recognize. Observe the future tense forms of ἀκούω (I hear, I listen).

Exercise 1: Practice Recognizing Basic Future Tense Forms
Verbs to watch in this category: ἀκούω, ἀπολύω, πιστεύω

Spelling Changes Caused by the Σ Tense Sign

You saw in lesson 9 (The Aorist Tense and Aspect) that for verbs whose stems end with any one of several specific consonants, the addition of a σ to the end of the verb stem causes predictable spelling changes. The same changes that occur when the σ is added to produce the first aorist also apply to the future.

The Consonant Blends

Review the consonant blend grid introduced in lesson 9:

If the stem ends with a labial (a consonant produced using the lips), that labial will combine with the σ to produce ψ.

If it ends with a velar (a consonant produced by raising the back of the tongue toward the roof of the mouth), that velar with combine with the σ to produce ξ.

If the stem ends with a dental (a consonant produced by placing the tongue on or near the back of the teeth), that dental will be replaced by the σ.

Here are some examples of verbs whose stems end with a consonant from the consonant grid above:

Exercise 2: Practice Recognizing Future Tense Spelling Changes
Verbs to watch in this category: πέμπω, ἀνοίγω, ἄγω, συνάγω, πείθω.

Stems ending with a Sibilant

A siblilant is a consonant sound with a hissing effect, such as the sounds represented by the s in "sit," the z in "buzz," or the sh in "shell." Many languages exhibit special behavior to avoid two siblilants appearing together. In English, for example, a word that ends in a sibilant adds the sound combination /ɪz/ rather than /s/ or /z/ to form its plural.

Greek also has special rules governing the placement of sibilants. Stems that end with ζ, for example, loose the ζ when a σ is added to the end of the stem, but stems ending with double σ (σσ) change the sibilant to ξ.

Exercise 3:Stem Final Sibilants
Verbs to watch in this category: βαπτίζω, δοξάζω, σώζω, κηρὐσσω

Stems Ending with Liquid or Nasal Consonants

Verbs whose present tense stem ends with a liquid or nasal consonant (λ, ρ, μ, ν) also undergo predictable spelling changes. Just as with the σ for the first aorist, the σ for the future is omitted with these verbs. In stead of adding σ, the accent is moved from the verb stem to the ending. Double consonants are often reduced to a single consonant in the future tense, and other minor spelling changes may also occur. As you compare the forms below, pay special attention to where the accent marks are located.

Exercise 4: Stem-final Liquid and Nasal Consonants
Verbs to watch in this category: αἴρω, ἀποκτείνω, ἀποστέλλω, βάλλω, ἐγείρω, ἐκβάλλω, κρίνω

Contract Verbs

Stems ending with a vowel do not contract in the future tense. The addition of the future tense σ separates the stem vowel from the connecting vowel, preventing contraction. For most of these verbs, the stem-final vowel lengthens when the σ tense sign is added.

In a few cases, though, this lengthening of the stem-final vowel does not occur. In lesson 9 you learned the verb καλέω (καλῶ), for example. It's future active indicative first singular form is καλέσω, not καλήσω.

Exercise 5: Contract Verbs
Verbs to watch in this category: ἀγαπάω, αἰτέω, ἀκολουθέω, γεννάω, ἐπερωτάω, ἐρωτάω, ζητέω, θεωρέω, καλέω, λαλέω, μαρτυρέω, παρακαλέω, περιπατέω, πληρόω, ποιέω.

Verbs with Irregular Future Tense Stems

In any language, some verbs are "irregular." That is, they do not follow the standard pattern. This is the case with two Greek verbs you have already learned. One of these verbs (λέγω) has future tense forms built on a stem that is radically different from its present tense stem (ἐρῶ). Another verb (εὐρίσκω) looses the syllable -ίσκ- and adds η before the future tense σ (εὑρήσω).

These changes do not conform to the regular pattern discussed in this lesson. You must learn the future tense stem of these two verbs with special care. Study the chart on the right, then complete the exercise below. Notice that the future tense endings for λέγω / ἐρῶ look like those of a contract verb. The accent is on the ending rather than the stem. This does not happen with εὑρίσκω / εὑρήσω.

Exercise 6: Irregular Stems
Verbs to watch in this category: λέγω, εὑρίσκω

There are nine verbs in the Greek New Testament that use more than one verbal root. You will learn all of them in this course.

Future Tense of -μι Conjugation Verbs

The present tense of -μι conjugation verbs has a reduplicated stem. That is, an extra syllable with ι is added to the beginning of the stem: διδωμι, τιθημι, ἴστημι. (To review reduplication, see lesson 17.)

In the future tense, this reduplication is eliminated and the same endings are added as for all other future active indicative verbs—the primary endings (listed at the beginning of this lesson).

Unlike the present tense, though, the length of the stem vowel does not alternate between the singular and plural forms. It remains long throughout. Compare the present and future forms of δίδωμι:

Exercise 7: -μι Conjugation Verbs
Verbs to watch in this category: ἀφίημι, δίδωμι, ἴστημι, τίθημι.