Impersonal verbs

True impersonal verbs (932) have a grammatical subject in the personal ending; but the real subject is properly an idea more or less vague that is present to the mind of the speaker. Similar in nature are infinitives used in commands (2013).

The dative of the person and the genitive of the thing are used with the impersonals δεῖ (1400), μέτεστι, μέλει, μεταμέλει, προσήκει. Thus, μισθοφόρων ἀνδρὶ τυράννῳ δεῖ a tyrant needs mercenaries X. Hi. 8.10, ὡς οὐ μετὸν αὐτοῖς Ἐπιδάμνου inasmuch as they had nothing to do with Epidamnus T. 1.28, οὐχ ὧν ἐβιᾱ́σατο μετέμελεν αὐτῷ he did not repent of his acts of violence And. 4.17, τούτῳ τῆς Βοιωτίᾱς προσήκει οὐδέν he has nothing to do with Boeotia X. A. 3.1.31. ἔξεστί μοι it is in my power does not take the genitive. For the accusative instead of the dative, see 1400. Cp. 1344.

a. For δοκεῖ μοι it seems to me (mihi videtur), δοκῶ μοι (mihi videor) may be used. b. For other cases of the dative as direct complement see 1476, 1481.

A verb governing an oblique case rarely forms in Greek (unlike Latin) an impersonal passive: ἐμοὶ βεβοήθηται τῷ τε τεθνεῶτι καὶ τῷ νόμῳ my aid has been given to the deceased and to the law Ant. 1.31. The tense used is one from the perfect stem.

Greek uses impersonals from intransitives (corresponding to Lat. ambulatur, itur, curritur) only when the active is itself intransitive; as δέδοκται it has seemed good (cp. δοκεῖ).

B. Accusative Absolute.—When the participle has no definite subject (i.e. with impersonal verbs), the accusative absolute is used instead of the genitive absolute. Cp. 2076.

συνδόξαν τῷ πατρὶ καὶ τῇ μητρὶ γαμεῖ τὴν Κυαξάρου θυγατέρα on the approval of (lit. it seeming good to) his father and mother he married the daughter of Cyaxares X. C. 8.5.28.