NT / Koine Greek, 1st year, #17: Basics of Biblical Greek Grammar, Mounce, chap 17: Contract Verbs

Lecture #17 in New Testament or Koine Greek, a first year Greek at a college or seminary level taught by independent Baptist professor Thomas Ross, covers chapter 17, on contract verbs, in Dr. Bill Mounce's Basics of Biblical Greek Grammar, along with sections on conversational Koine in T. Michael W. Halcomb, Speak Koine Greek: A Conversational Phrasebook & Halcomb's 800 Words and Images: A New Testament Greek Vocabulary Builder.

Contract verbs are simply verbs whose stem ends in an alpha, epsilon, or omicron. For alpha-contract verbs, the class will use ἀγαπάω (I love); for epsilon-contract verbs, ποιέω (I do or make) will be used; and, finally, for omicron-contract verbs, we will use πληρόω (I fill or fulfill). So we are going to be learning the inflectional patterns for ἀγαπάω, ποιέω, and πληρόω. There are distinct rules that specify what happens when these vowels come up against each other: “rules of contraction.” You can parse these forms without knowing the rules (so that is good), but it can be hard to find the lexical forms without knowing what the rules are, so you should still learn the rules of contraction.

There are eight rules of contraction all together—the first five are the most important (we can call those the “Big Five"). Rule #1 has to do with the form omicron-upsilon (ου). The rule states that ου is formed from εο, or (switch the letters around) οε, or οο. So this rule has to do with the formation of the diphthong ου.

The second rule of contraction has to do with the diphthong ει. This dipthong is formed from out of the combination of epsilon-epsilon (εε). So this takes care of 2nd person plural forms of epsilon-contract verbs; instead of ποιεετε, the form will be ποιεῖτε.

Rule number three has to do with ω. (This rule could be called the “big bully rule,” because ω’s swallow up everything in their path.) The rule states that ω is formed from almost any combination of omicron or omega with any other vowel, except for the situation in rule 1. So, for example, if you have the 1st person plural form of ἀγαπάω, you would have without contraction ἀγαπαομεν, which, with contraction, goes to ἀγαπῶμεν.

Contraction rules #4 and 5 are flip-sides of each other. Rule #4 states that α is formed from αε. Then, if you switch the order, rule #5 states that η is formed from εα. So, in a sense, it is “whoever gets there first” or “the first one wins.” What is the first vowel? If it is an α, then the combination becomes a long α, while if it is an ε, it lengthens to a long η. If the alpha is first (αε), they form a long alpha. If the epsilon is first (εα), they form an eta (which you can think of as being a long epsilon).

Those are the “Big Five” rules!

The final three rules are not part of the "big five," but they are still important.

Rule #6 has to do with omicron-iota (οι). An οι is formed from the combination οει. The reason that is important is because it explains the second and third person forms of omicron-contract verbs, and, of all the forms you are going to be looking at, these ones are the most confusing. In fact, if you see these and you do not recognize that they are a contract verb, you can get stuck trying to figure out what they are.

Rule #7 concerns a single vowel followed by a diphthong. Contractions work from left to right in a word. So first the single vowel and the first vowel of the diphthong will look at each other and do something, and then after that is done then the final vowel of the diphthong does something with whatever has happened already with the initial single vowel and the first vowel of the diphthong. So contractions happen from left to right. With that premised, the basic rules for diphthongs follow. Whatever happens is based upon whether or not the single, first vowel is the same as the initial vowel of the diphthong or different from that initial vowel in the diphthong. When you have a single vowel followed by a diphthong, if the single vowel and the first vowel of the diphthong are the same, then they simplify. One of them drops out.

However, the single vowel is different from the first vowel of the diphthong, then those two different vowels contract according to the rules that we have already looked at. What happens to the final vowel of the diphthong? If it is υ, it simply is dropped or goes away. If it is ι, then it subscripts. So that is how the rule works out if the single vowel and the first vowel of the diphthong are different.

Rule #8 simply states that contract verbs contract as if the true personal endings are those visible in the present active indicative. That is, the contraction does not take place with the true personal endings, but with the altered personal endings. If you take the stem of the word and follow the rules through, use -ω, -εις, -ει, -ομεν, -ετε, -ουσι(ν), not [nothing], ς, ι, μεν, τε, νσι. The rules will work and explain what is going on if you use the altered personal verb endings, not the true personal endings.