Ingressive aorist

Infinitive (not in indirect discourse).—The tenses of the infinitive (without ἄν) not in indirect discourse have no time of themselves and express only the stage of the action; their (relative) time depends on the context and is that of the leading verb (present, past, or future). The infinitive may have the article (2025 ff.).

a. Present (continuance): οὐδὲ βουλεύεσθαι ἔτι ὥρᾱ, ἀλλὰ βεβουλεῦσθαι it is time no longer to be making up one's mind, but to have it made up P. Cr. 46a.

b. Aorist (simple occurrence): τοῦ πιεῖν ἐπιθῡμίᾱ the desire of obtaining drink T. 7.84, ἤρξατο γενέσθαι began to be 1. 103, but ἤρχετο γίγνεσθαι 3. 18 (the tense of γίγνομαι depends on that of ἄρχομαι; not ἤρξατο γίγνεσθαι), δεῖ τοὺς ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ λέγοντας μῑσῆσαι (ingressive) one must conceive an aversion for those who speak in his behalf D. 9.53.

c. Perfect (completion with permanent result): see a. Often of certainty of action.

d. Future.—When the context shows that stress is laid on the idea of futurity, the future infinitive, referring to future time relative to the main verb, is sometimes used instead of the present or aorist: οὐκ ἀποκωλῡ́σειν δυνατοὶ ὄντες not being able to prevent T. 3.28, πολλοῦ δέω κατ᾽ ἐμαυτοῦ ἐρεῖν I am far from intending to speak to my own disadvantage P. A. 37b. On the future infinitive with μέλλω see 1959.

N. 1.—The action set forth by a dependent present or aorist infinitive (without ἄν) not in indirect discourse has no time except that which is implied by the context. With verbs signifying to advise or to command, and when the infinitive expresses purpose, the reference is to future time. Usually the action of the present and aorist is coincident with or antecedent to that of the main verb. The action of an aorist infinitive with the article and a subject is not always relatively past. The perfect (without ἄν) has no time apart from the context; its action is usually antecedent.

N. 2.—On the use of the present and aorist with verbs of promising, etc., see 1868; with μέλλω, see 1959.

N. 3.—Observe that verbs denoting continuance (as μένω remain) often appear in the aorist, while verbs of transitory action (as ῑ̔έναι send, hurl) often appear in the present.

N. 4.—Present and aorist occasionally occur in close conjunction without any great difference in meaning, as προσήκει ῡ̔μῖν τούτου καταψηφίζεσθαι . . ., δεῖ ῡ̔μᾶς θάνατον αὐτοῦ καταψηφίσασθαι it is fitting that you vote against him, it is necessary that you pass a vote of death against him L. 13.69; cp. ναυμαχῆσαι and ναυμαχεῖν T. 2.83, βασανιστὴς γίγνεσθαι and γενέσθαι Ant. 1.10, 1. 11.

Participle (not in indirect discourse).—The participle, as a verbal adjective, is timeless. The tenses of the participle express only continuance, simple occurrence, and completion with permanent result. Whether the action expressed by the participle is antecedent, coincident, or subsequent to that of the leading verb (in any tense) depends on the context. The future participle has a temporal force only because its voluntative force points to the future.

a. Present (continuative). The action set forth by the present participle is generally coincident (rarely antecedent or subsequent) to that of the leading verb: ἐργαζόμεναι μὲν ἠρίστων, ἐργασάμεναι δὲ ἐδείπνουν the women took their noonday meal while they continued their work, but took their supper when they had stopped work X. M. 2.7.12.

1. Antecedent action ( = imperf.): οἱ Κῡ́ρειοι πρόσθεν σὺν ἡμῖν ταττόμενοι νῦν ἀφεστήκᾱσιν the forces of Cyrus that were formerly marshalled with us have now deserted X. A. 3.2.17, τοὺς τότε παρόντας αἰτιᾱ́σονται συμβούλους they will accuse those who were their counsellors at that time P. G. 519a, οἱ Κορίνθιοι μέχρι τούτου προθῡ́μως πρᾱ́σσοντες ἀνεῖσαν τῆς φιλονεικίᾱς the Corinthians, who up to that time had been acting zealously, now slackened in their vehemence T. 5.32. An adverb (πρότερον, πρόσθεν, τότε, ποτέ) often accompanies the participle, which is sometimes called the participle of the imperfect.

2. Subsequent action (especially when the leading verb denotes motion): ἔπεμψαν πρέσβεις ἀγγέλλοντας τὴν τοῦ Πλημυρίου λῆψιν they despatched messengers to announce the capture of Plemyrium T. 7.25. An attributive present part. w. νῦν may refer to the absolute present, though the main verb is past: τὴν νῦν Βοιωτίᾱν καλουμένην ᾤκησαν they settled in the country now called Boeotia T. 1.12.

3. The present participle denotes that an action is in process, is attempted, or is repeated.

b. Future (chiefly voluntative): οὐ συνήλθομεν ὡς βασιλεῖ πολεμήσοντες we have not come together for the purpose of waging war with the king X. A. 2.3.21.

c. Aorist (simple occurrence). The action set forth by the aorist participle is generally antecedent to that of the leading verb; but it is sometimes coincident or nearly so, when it defines, or is identical with, that of the leading verb, and the subordinate action is only a modification of the main action.

1. Antecedent: δειπνήσᾱς ἐχώρει after supper he advanced T. 3.112, τοὺς ἐλευθέρους ἀποκτείναντες ἀνεχώρησαν after killing the free men they withdrew 5. 83. ἐπομόσᾱς ἔφη he took an oath and said X. C. 4.1.23, ἤδη δ᾽ ἐπὶ ταῦτα πορεύσομαι τοσοῦτον αὐτὸν ἐρωτήσᾱς I shall at once proceed to this matter after having put to him certain questions D. 18.124. The aorist participle is often thus used when it takes up the preceding verb: νῦν μὲν δειπνεῖτε· δειπνήσαντες δὲ ἀπελαύνετε take your supper now, and when you have done so, depart X. C. 3.1.37.

2. Coincident: μή τι ἐξαμάρτητε ἐμοῦ καταψηφισάμενοι do not commit the error of condemning me P. A. 30d, εὖ γ᾽ ἐποίησας ἀναμνήσᾱς με you did well in reminding me P. Ph. 60c ( = ἀνέμνησάς με εὖ ποιῶν). So also when an aorist participle is used with a future finite verb, as ἀπαλλαχθήσομαι βίου θανοῦσα by dying I shall be delivered from life E. Hipp. 356. See also 2103.

3. The action of an attributive aorist participle is rarely subsequent to that of the leading verb. When this is the case, the action of the participle is marked as past from the point of view of the present (like the aor. indic.): οἱ Ἕλληνες ὕστερον κληθέντες οὐδὲν πρὸ τῶν Τρωϊκῶν ἁθρόοι ἔπρᾱξαν the people later called Hellenes carried out no joint enterprise prior to the Trojan war T. 1.3, Σάτυρος καὶ Χρέμων, οἱ τῶν τριᾱ́κοντα γενόμενοι, Κλεοφῶντος κατηγόρουν Satyrus and Chremon, who (afterwards) became members of the Thirty, accused Cleophon L. 30.12; cp. γενόμενος T. 2.49, 4. 81.

4. The aorist participle is often ingressive or complexive (1924, 1927).

d. Perfect (completion with permanent result): καταλαμβάνουσι Βρᾱσίδᾱν ἐπεληλυθότα they found (historical present) that Brasidas had arrived T. 3.69. A perfect participle may have the force of a pluperfect if accompanied by an adverb like πρόσθεν (cp. 1872 a. 1): ὁ πρόσθε κεκτημένος he who possessed it before S. Ph. 778.

Ingressive Aorist.—The aorist of verbs whose present denotes a state or a continued action, expresses the entrance into that state or the beginning of that action.

a. This holds true of the other moods. Greek has no special form to denote entrance into a state in present time (1853).

Most of the verbs in question are denominatives, and the forms are chiefly those of the first aorist:—

a. Rarely with the second aorist: ἔσχον took hold, took possession of, got, as Πεισιστράτου τελευτήσαντος Ἱππίᾱς ἔσχε τὴν ἀρχήν when Peisistratus died Hippias succeeded to his power T. 6.54. So ᾐσθόμην became aware, ἔστην took my stand (perfect ἕστηκα am standing).

b. The aorist of these verbs denotes also a simple occurrence of the action as an historical fact: ἐβασίλευσα was king, ruled, ἐνόσησα was ill. Thus, ἐκεῖνοι πέντε καὶ τετταράκοντα ἔτη τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἦρξαν they held the supremacy over Greece for forty-five years D. 3.24 (cp. 1927 b).

The present subjunctive views an act as continuing (not completed); the aorist subjunctive as simply occurring (completed). Neither tense has any time of itself. The aorist subjunctive may mark the action of the protasis as completed before the action of the principal clause (cp. the Lat. future perfect). Ingressive aorists (1924) retain their force in the subjunctive.