COMPOSITE VERBS

As  stated in the pages on augment and reduplication, Greek often composes its verbs with words or elements,

comparable to English “forgive”, “overcome”, etc.

1) First there are composites with words that are otherwise used as prepositions (or adverbs). Frequently there is cause

for modifications by the attachment:

a) the prepositions often end in vowels, while the verb begins with a vowel: in that case the concluding vowel of the

preposition mostly disappears: ἀπο-εἰμι > ἀπειμι; if the verb commenced with an aspirated vowel, the ultimate

consonant of the preposition takes on its aspirated form, if there is one. A table illustrating the modifications of the

prepositions ending in a vowel:

One will have noted that περι and προ behave differently from the others: they never lose their vowel;

sometimes προ contracts with following vowel: προέβαλλε > προὔβαλλε (the ᾿ over the υ is the sign of this contraction, called “coronis”)

b) Prepositions ending in a consonant are the following: εἰς (ἐς), ἐκ (ἐξ), ἐν, πρὸς, συν, ὑπὲρ; of these εἰς/ἐς, προς and

ὑπερ are not modified except for accent and ς/σ. Before vowel ἐκ takes on the form ἐξ, as it does in prepositional use.

For ἐν and συν a table will provide the information:

c) As regards augmented forms of these compounds: it is the original verb that is augmented, not the united couple

of preverb+verb. Before augment the vowel-ending preverbs lose their concluding vowel, ἐν & συν resume their

unmodified form, ἐκ becomes ἐξ. Examples:

ἀποβάλλω, du A pa-ind 1^st sg: ἀπέβαλλον

συλλαμβάνω, ao A pa-ind 1^st sg: συνέλαβον

ἐκλείπω, du A pa-ind 3^rd sg: ἐξέλειπεν

καθίστημι, ao A pa-ind 3^rd sg: κατέστη.

When working back from a given form to the lexical source word all this must of course be taken into account.

N.B. Of composites with ἐκ, ἐν, ἐπι, ἐς (εἰς) the initial ἐ- could easily be mistaken for an augment, e.g. ἐνέπεσον: which ε (if any) is the augment?

Compounds with preposition (most often with ἀνα) sometimes get augmented twice: the preposition and the verb itself: ἀνέχομαι,

ao M pa-ind 1^st sg: ἠνεσχόμην, ἠνώρθωσα <ἀνορθόω, ἠνώχληκα <ἐνοχλέω.

If the simple verb has passed from use (as with εὕδω, ἕννυμι), composites are often not felt as such and augmented accordingly:

ἐκάθευδον, ἠμφιέννυν.

2) Composites with elements other than the prepositions are treated as non-composite verbs.

ἀπορέω, du A pa-ind 1^st sg: ἠπόρουν, εὐπορέω, du A pa-ind 1^st sg ηὐπόρουν, δυστυχέω, ao A pa-ind 1^st sg: ἐδυστύχησα.

 N.B. These pages are designed to get you through your first readings. It may be years before you encounter anything that

does not conform, but do not be surprised if you do.