IV. The last formation is also the most complex one.

In the Active there are not very many verbs, but for the Medio-Passive this is the only formation. What makes this type complex, is that the endings, mostly beginning with a consonant, are stuck immediately onto the stems, which naturally often end in a consonant. This brings two consonants next to one another and frequently this entails developments. These developments (assimilations) will be given in the table below. In the first column you will find all the existing consonant stem endings, grouped according to sort; in the top row you will find the divers initial consonants of the endings; under these consonants you will find a column of resulting combinations of the consonant in the first column and that in the top row; so if you want to know (for example) what, if any, assimilations take place when a –φ- comes up against –σθ-, you look in the row –φ- and the column –σθ- and find as result –φθ-, and so forth.  In the last column you will find an array of possible lexical forms corresponding with the stem endings of the first column. The bottom row states in which types of form the assimilations occur.

The second & third columns have of course nothing to do with perfect, but have been added as a matter of interest in this place which seemed most convenient, so that here you have a conspectus of relevant consonantal assimilations

 

-j-

-θ-

-τ-

-σθ-

-σ-

-μ-

-κ-

 

-β-

-πτ-

-φθ-

-πτ-

-φθ-

-ψ-

-μμ-

-

-βω, -πτω

-π-

-πτ-

-φθ-

-πτ-

-φθ-

-ψ-

-μμ-

-

-πτω, -πω

-φ-

-πτ-

-φθ-

-πτ-

-φθ-

-ψ-

-μμ-

-

-πτω, -φω

-μ-

-μν-

-νθ-

-ντ-

-νθ-

~μ-*

-μμ-

-

-μνω, -μω

-γ-

-ζ/ττ-

-χθ-

-κτ-

-χθ-

-ξ-

-γμ-

-γκ-

-γω, -ζω, -ττω

-κ-

-ττ-

-χθ-

-κτ-

-χθ-

-ξ-

-γμ-

-

-κω, -ττω

-χ-

-ττ-

-χθ-

-κτ-

-χθ-

-ξ-

-γμ-

-

-ττω, -χω

-δ-

-ζ-

-σθ-

-στ-

-σθ-

-σ-

-σμ-

-κ-

-δω, -ζω

-τ-

-ττ-

-σθ-

-στ-

-σθ-

-σ-

-σμ-

-κ-

-τω, -ττω

-θ-

-ττ-

-σθ-

-στ-

-σθ-

-σ-

-σμ-

-κ-

-θω, -ττω

-ν-

-ιν-

-νθ-

-ντ-

-νθ-

~ν-*/-νσ-

-σμ-

-γκ-

-(ι)νω

-σ-

---/-ι-

-σθ-

-στ-

-σθ-

-σ(σ)-

-σμ-

-κ-

-(ι)ω

-Ϝ-

---/-ι-

-υθ-

-υτ-

-υθ-

-υσ-

-υμ-

-υκ-

-(ι)ω

-λ-

-λλ-

-λθ-

-λτ-

-λθ-

~λ-*/-λσ-

-λμ-

-λκ-

-λλω

-ρ-

-ιρ-

-ρθ-

-ρτ-

-ρθ-

~ρ-*/-ρσ-

-ρμ-

-ρκ-

-(ι)ρω

 

dur 3

aorIV

endings

–ται &

-το

endings

–σθε &

-σθαι

fut 1.

aor II & 3.

endings

–σαι & -σο

endings

–μαι,

-μην,

-μεθα,

-μεν(ος)

perfect I.

 

*~ means that the vowel preceding the μ/ν/λ/ρ is lengthened (α>η/ᾱ, ε>ει, ι>ῑ, υ>ῡ), as described under aorist III. The σ does not disappear from perfect forms.

--- means that the σ/Ϝ drops out without a trace.

One may have noticed that nothing has been said of the endings –νται & -ντο: this is due to the fact that the ind 3rd pl is either made with the endings –αται/-ατο,  or periphrastically by combining the copulative εἰμί with the pf ptc.

When analyzing forms from a text one starts of course with a suspected perfect form such as τετραμμένοι, which opens up the possibilities τραβ/π/φ/μ for the stem and τραβω, τραπτω, τραπω, τραφω, τραμω, τραμνω as possible duratives; none of these exist, so one must then turn to the list of verb stems, where two possibilities are found: τραπ- (τρέπω) & τραφ- (τρέφω); but τραφ- only has τέτραφθε and few other forms, so one is left with τραπ- .