New Testament Greek for Beginners

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

References

308. In indirect discourse in Greek, in part contrary to the English usage, the same mood and tense are retained as those which stood in the direct discourse lying back of the indirect.

Examples:

(1) λέγει ὅτι βλέπει τὸν ἀπόστολον, he says that he sees the apostle. Here the direct discourse lying back of the indirect is I see the apostle, for such are the actual words of the speaker; such are the words which would have stood in the quotation if quotation marks had been used. In this sentence there is no difference between the Greek and the English usage.

(2) εἶπεν ὅτι βλέπει τὸν ἀπόστολον, he said that he saw the apostle. Here βλέπει is in the present tense because the direct discourse lying back of the indirect discourse is I see the apostle - those were the actual words of the speaker. The tense of the direct discourse, I see, is retained in the indirect discourse (though of course the person is changed). English, on the other hand, changes the tense in the indirect discourse, when the leading verb is in past time. Thus, although a perfectly literal translation was possible in (1) it is impossible in (2).

(3) εἶπεν ὁ μαθητὴς ὅτι εἶδεν τὸν ἀπόστολον, the disciple said that he had seen the apostle. Here the direct discourse was I saw the apostle, or I have seen the apostle. English throws the tense in the indirect discourse a step further back (had seen instead of saw or has seen); Greek retains the same tense.

(4) εἶπεν ὅτι ὄψεται τὸν ἀπόστολον, he said that he would see the apostle. The direct discourse was I shall see. English changes shall to would (or should with the first person); Greek retains the same tense.