New Testament Greek for Beginners

(Based on the book with the same title by Gresham Machen, The MacMillan Company, 1923)

References

251. It will be remembered that the augment appears only in the indicative mood. It must therefore be dropped from the third of the principal parts before the aorist participle can be formed. In irregular verbs like βλέπω (ὁράω) the dropping of the augment in the second aorist sometimes gives difficulty. The third of the principal parts of βλέπω (ὁράω) is εἶδον. Without the augment the second aorist stem is ιδ-, for ι was here irregularly augmented to ει. On the other hand, the second aorist participle of λέγω is εἰπών (εἶπον being the second aorist indicative), because here εἰπ- was the second aorist stem and being regarded as long enough already was not changed at all for the augment.

252. Except in the case of a few such verbs, where the dropping of the augment from the third of the principal parts in order to get the aorist stem to which the -ων is added to form the participle, might give difficulty, the student is expected to perform the necessary processes for himself. Thus if a form ἀποθανών is found in the exercises, the student is expected to see that this form is the participle of a second aorist of which the indicative (with the augment) is ἀπέθανον. This form, since the verb is irregular, will be found in the general vocabulary.