Voices Ancient Greek verbs

1 voices

1.1 active voice
1.2 middle voice
1.3 deponent verbs
1.4 passive voice

voices

the ancient greek grammar has 3 voices. middle , passive voice same except in future , aorists.

active voice

an active voice verb verb has endings of -ω or -μι verbs described above. can intransitive, transitive or reflexive (but intransitive common):

εἰς Ἀθήνᾱς ἔπλευσε.
eis athḗnās épleuse.
he sailed athens.


ἐφύλαττον τὰ τείχη.
ephúlatton tà teíkhē
they guarding walls.


αὐτὸς αὑτὸν διέφθειρεν.
autòs hautòn diéphtheiren.
he killed himself.

middle voice

in addition active endings (-ω -ō , -μι -mi) described above, many verbs have set of endings in -ομαι (-omai) or -μαι (-mai) can either passive or non-passive in meaning. when meaning of such verb not passive, known middle voice verb.

middle voice verbs intransitive, can transitive. middle endings make transitive verb intransitive:

παύομαι (paúomai) stop (intransitive)
ἵσταμαι (hístamai) stand (intransitive)

sometimes there reflexive meaning or idea of doing 1 s own benefit:

λοῦμαι (loûmai) wash myself
αἱρέομαι (hairéomai) take myself, choose
μεταπέμπομαι (metapémpomai) send

sometimes there can reciprocal meaning:

σπονδὰς ποιεῖσθαι (spondàs poieîsthai ) make treaty

quite number of verbs active in present tense become middle in future tense, e.g.:

λήψομαι (lḗpsomai) take
ἀκούσομαι (akoúsomai) hear
ἔσομαι (ésomai) .

deponent verbs

a number of common verbs ending in -ομαι (-omai) or -μαι (-mai ) have no active-voice counterpart. these known deponent verbs.

deponent middle verbs include verbs such following:

ἀφικνέομαι (aphiknéomai ) arrive
ἀποκρίνομαι (apokrínomai) answer
γίγνομαι (gígnomai) become
δέχομαι (dékhomai) receive
ἔρχομαι (érkhomai ) come
μάχομαι (mákhomai) fight
πυνθάνομαι (punthánomai ) find out
ὑπισχνέομαι (hupiskhnéomai promise

some middle deponent verbs have weak aorist tense formed -σα- (-sa-), e.g. ἐδεξάμην (edexámēn), have strong aorist middle such ἀφικόμην (aphikómēn) arrived or ἐγενόμην (egenómēn ) became . (ἔρχομαι (érkhomai) come irregular in uses strong aorist active ἦλθον (êlthon ) came aorist tense.)

all above, since have aorist in middle voice, known middle deponents. there deponent passive verbs aorists in -θη- (-thē-), such following:

δύναμαι (dúnamai) able
βούλομαι (boúlomai) minded to, want
οἴομαι (oíomai ) think

some examples of deponent verbs in use following:

τὰ δῶρα ἐδέξατο.
tà dôra edéxato.
he received gifts.


ἐγγὺς δὲ γενομένων τῶν Ἀθηναίων, ἐμάχοντο.
engùs dè genoménōn tôn athēnaíōn, emákhonto.
when athenians came near, 2 sides began fighting.


οὐκέτι ἐδυνήθη πλείω εἰπεῖν
oukéti edunḗthē pleíō eipeîn
he became unable more.

passive voice

occasionally verb ending in -ομαι (-omai) has clear passive sense. if so, said in passive voice:

ἡ πόλις ὑπὸ τῶν Λακεδαιμονίων ἤρχετο.
hē pólis hupò tôn lakedaimoníōn ḗrkheto.
the city being ruled spartans.


ἐν τῷ νόμῳ γέγραπται.
en tôi nómōi gégraptai.
it written in law. (lit. has been written)

usually when used passively, -ομαι (-omai) verbs have aorist tense containing -θη- (-thē-) in ending:

ἐκεῖνοι κατ’ ἀξίᾱν ἐτιμήθησαν.
ekeînoi kat’ axíān etimḗthēsan.
those men deservedly honoured.

occasionally, aorist passive can have ending -η- (-ē-). known 2nd aorist or strong aorist passive, , uses different verb-stem present. in example below, stem φθαρ- instead of present stem φθειρ-:

οἱ πολλοὶ ἐφθάρησαν.
hoi polloì ephthárēsan.
the majority killed.

deponent middle verbs can made passive in tenses. αἱρέομαι (hairéomai) choose has aorist passive ᾑρέθην (hēiréthēn) chosen :

στρατηγὸς ὑπ’ αὐτῶν ᾑρέθη.
stratēgòs hup’ autôn hēiréthē.
he chosen them general.

the endings -θη- (-thē-) , -η- (-ē-) intransitive actives rather passives , have intransitive meaning in classical greek. example, ἐσώθην (esṓthē) (from σῴζω sōízō save ) means got safely rather saved :

οὐκ ἐσώθη ἡ ναῦς εἰς τὸν Πειραιᾶ.
ouk esṓthē hē naûs eis tòn peiraiâ.
the ship did not safely piraeus.




^ xenophon, hellenica 1.1.8
^ xenophon, hellenica 4.4.14
^ xenophon, hellenica 7.4.19
^ smyth. greek grammar colleges. §§ 1719, 1721. 
^ smyth. greek grammar colleges. §§ 1722, 1726. 
^ smyth. greek grammar colleges. § 1728. 
^ smyth. greek grammar colleges. § 810. 
^ smyth. greek grammar colleges. §§ 811, 812. 
^ xenophon, hellenica 7.1.38
^ xenophon, anabasis 6.6.5
^ xenophon, cyropaedia 5.4.31
^ lysias, 26.2
^ isaeus, 6.63
^ aeschines, 3.118
^ smyth. greek grammar colleges. § 1739. 
^ thucydides, 2.99.5
^ lysias, 12.65
^ smyth. greek grammar colleges. §§ 1739, 1740. 
^ demosthenes, 56.41