Verbs

VOICE

Greek verbs have three voices: active, passive and middle.

1. Active
   • subject acts
   • represents the subject as the doer or performer of the action. 
   • e.g., in the sentence, "The boy hit the ball," the boy performs the action.
      
2. Passive
   • subject receives the action (is acted upon).
   • represents the subject as being the recipient of the action. 
   • e.g., in the sentence, "The boy was hit by the ball," the boy receives the action.
      
3. Middle
   • subject acts with reference to himself.  ("He Himself has said...")
   • indicates the subject performing an action upon himself (reflexive action) or for his own benefit. 
   • e.g., "The boy groomed himself."  Many verbs which occur only in middle voice forms are translated in English as having an active sense; these are called "deponent" verbs, and do not comply with the normal requirements for the middle voice.

The middle and passive are the same in form, EXCEPT in the future and aorist.

The context will generally make clear whether the middle or passive voice is meant.

The personal endings of the verb have to express:

1. The person of the verb. 
    
2. The number of the verb. That has to do with the subject.
    
3. The voice of the verb. 

In fact, they express everything   

Tense expresses the state of the action of the verb;
Mode gives the manner of affirmation of the verb, how it is made;
Voice tells how the action of the verb is related to the subject.

Verbs indicate affirmation by the personal endings.

ONLY in the "Indicative mode" do the tenses show time absolutely. The main idea of tense is the kind of action, the state of action.

Continued action or a state of incompletion, is denoted by the "present tense." = this kind of action is called "durative" or "linear."

The action of the verb is shown in progress, as "going on." (I am saying, you, he, we, ye, they, "ARE SAYING." = the Present Indicative Active. The Infinitive = "to be saying," "to say."

Present
represents a simple statement of fact or reality viewed as occurring in actual time.  In most cases this corresponds directly with the English present tense. Some phrases which might be rendered as past tense in English will often occur in the present tense in Greek.  These are termed "historical presents," and such occurrences dramatize the event described as if the reader were there watching the event occur.  Some English translations render such historical presents in the English past tense, while others permit the tense to remain in the present.

Aorist
is characterized by its emphasis on punctiliar action; that is, the concept of the verb is considered without regard for past, present, or future time.  There is no direct or clear English equivalent for this tense, though it is generally rendered as a simple past tense in most translations.

Second Aorist
tense is identical in meaning and translation to the normal or "first" aorist tense.  The only difference is in the form of spelling the words in Greek, and there is no effect upon English translation.

Imperfect
generally represents continual or repeated action.  Where the present tense might indicate "they are asking," the imperfect would indicate "they kept on asking." In the case of the verb "to be," however, the imperfect tense is used as a general past tense and does not carry the connotation of continual or repeated action. 

Future
corresponds to the English future, and indicates the contemplated or certain occurrence of an event which has not yet occurred.

Perfect
in Greek corresponds to the perfect tense in English, and describes an action which is viewed as having been completed in the past, once and for all, not needing to be repeated. Jesus' last cry from the cross, TETELESTAI ("It is finished!") is a good example of the perfect tense used in this sense, namely "It [the atonement] has been accomplished, completely, once and for all time."

1. Indicative
   is a simple statement of fact.  If an action really occurs or has occurred or will occur, it will be rendered in the indicative mood.
    
2. Imperative
   corresponds to the English imperative, and expresses a command to the hearer to perform a certain action by the order and authority of the one commanding.  Thus, Jesus' phrase, "Repent ye, and believe the gospel" (Mk.1:15) is not at all an "invitation," but an absolute command requiring full obedience on the part of all hearers.
    
3. Subjunctive
   is the mood of possibility and potentiality.  The action described may or may not occur, depending upon circumstances.  Conditional sentences of the third class ("ean" + the subjunctive) are all of this type, as well as many commands following conditional purpose clauses, such as those beginning with "hina."
    
4. Infinitive
   in most cases corresponds to the English infinitive, which is basically the verb with "to" prefixed, as "to believe." Like the English infinitive, the Greek infinitive can be used like a noun phrase ("It is better to live than to die"), as well as to reflect purpose or result ("This was done to fulfill what the prophet said").

Participles

Corresponds for the most part to the English participle, reflecting "-ing" or "-ed" being suffixed to the basic verb form.  The participle can be used either like a verb or a noun, as in English, and thus is often termed a "verbal noun."

Nouns

All nouns (substantive and adjectives) are declined in one of three declensions. Substantives of the second declension have "stems" in -o-. The stem of a word is that part of it which remains virtually unchanged in all its forms.

There are EIGHT CASES (appearing under five case-forms):

1. Nominative
        = case of the subject. 
    
2. Genitive
        = the specifying case (of) as expressed in Eng.
    
3. Ablative
        = the "whence" case (origin or separation): off, out, from, away, etc, in Eng.
    
4. Locative
        = the "IN" case: (in, on, among, at, by, etc.) In Eng.
    
5. Instrumental
        = the case of "means."= means or association.(with, by, etc.) In Eng.
    
6. Dative
        = the case of the personal interest (denoting advantage or disadvantage)
        In Eng. = to or for, or indirect object.
    
7. Accusative
        = case of extension (whether of thought or verbal action)
        = direct object in Eng.
    
8. Vocative
        = case of address.