28.199 Introduction to -μι verbs

Read Croy's introduction to the -μι verbs. As Croy explains, even though there are very few -μι verbs compared to the number of omega verbs, the -μι verbs are some of the most commonly used words in Biblical Greek. You will learn about the most important -μι verbs in Lessons 28, 29 and 30 which are the topic for Week 14.

When you learn a -μι verb, make sure you learn the principal parts! (Remember: you are learning the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 6th principal parts only - you can skip the 4th and 5th parts used to make the perfect forms). You will use the principal parts of -μι verbs to create the different forms of the verb. The formation of the verbs is actually not that different in the future or perfect systems - the only thing that is distinctive about the -μι verbs is the forms they take in the present system, and their second aorist forms.

In these chapters, Croy will focus on the forms of the -μι verbs that are different from what you would expect. If Croy does not provide information about a particular form, that is because you can use the principal part of the verb in order to create those forms, following the rules you have learned for the omega verbs.

Before you get started with the -μι verbs, you should make sure you understand the principal parts and what you create with each of them:

1st principal part: present active indicative. This is the basis for the present system of the verb, which includes: present indicative (active and middle/passive), present infinitives (active and middle/passive), present participles (active and middle/passive), present subjunctive (active and middle/passive), and present imperatives (active and middle/passive)

2nd principal part: future active indicative. This is the basis for the future tense (active and middle - but not passive).

3rd principal part: aorist past active indicative. This is the basis for the aorist system, which includes: aorist past indicative (active and middle), aorist infinitives (active and middle), aorist participles (active and middle), aorist subjunctive (active and middle), and aorist imperatives (active and middle).

[4th-5th principal parts: perfect system. You are not responsible for these parts this semester, although you should recognize the reduplication that is typical of the perfect system.]

6th principal part: aorist past passive indicative. This is the basis for the aorist passive and future passive forms, which include: passive aorist past indicative, passive aorist infinitive passive, passive aorist participle, passive aorist subjunctive, and passive aorist imperatives, along with the passive future indicative.