LESSON IX
Infinitive Mood and Participles
The infinitive mood gives the action of the verb substantively as we use the participle inseeing is a good thing, but in Greek, as in Latin, always the infinitive, as καλὸν τὸ ὁρᾶν, and declined with the article like a noun, through all the cases, of course neuter, as the gender does not lie in the action, but in the actor. Its normal ending in the active voice is ειν, as in the present βάλλειν,to throw, and second aorist βαλεῖν; but in first aorist its termination is αι, as κόψαι, from κόπτω. Pure verbs follow their vowel, as τῑμᾶν,to honour; φιλεῖν,to love.
Like substantives, verbal infinitives are governed by prepositions through all the cases, as περί,about; παρά,from beside; μετά,with; ἐν,in, and εἰςinto—as περὶ τοῦ καπνίζειν λέγω μέτρον ἄριστον,about smoking I say moderation is best.
Participles are verbal adjectives declined as such, and signifying the quality or accident of a certain state of being or action belonging to an agent.
The participles of the present and of the second aorist are declined in masculine and neuter according to the type of the second declension, in feminine according to the first, as—
The first aorist participle bears the type of the third declension, as in γίγας, γίγαντος,a giant—so ποιήσας,having made; feminine ποιήσᾱσα, neuter ποιῆσαν.
Pure verbs have a long vowel or diphthong: thus, from
ἆράγε εἶδες ἐκεῖνον τὸν παῖδα ἐν τῷ κήπῳ περιπατοῦντα;did you see that boy walking in the garden?εἶδον,I did.καλὸν τὸ περιπατεῖν καὶ ὑγιές, οὐ τοιοῦτον δὲ τῷ κλέψαντι τὰ μῆλα,walking is good and healthy, but not for him who stole the apples.τῑμῶσα τὴν βασίλισσαν τῑμᾷς τὴν πόλιν ἧς δὴ ἐκείνη κεφαλὴ ἐστίν,in honouring the queen you honour the state of which she is the head.περὶ τοῦ ὑπνοῦσθαι οὐδὲν ἀκριβῶς ἐπιτάττω·ἓν μόνον λέγω, οὐχ ὑγιὲς τὸ ὑπερβάλλειν ὀκτὼ ὥρας ἐν τῇ κοίτῃ,about sleeping I prescribe nothing curiously;only this one thing I say, that to lie in bed morethan eight hours is not healthy.ἀληθῆ λέγεις,you say well.τοῖς γε ὑγιὲς ἔχουσι τὸ σῶμα,at least for those who have a healthy body.τὸ γὰρ ἀργεῖν διαφθείρει τό τε σῶμα καὶ τὴν ψυχήν,for lying idle damages both body and soul.μάλιστα· καὶ τὸ πράττειν ὁτιοῦν ἐναντίον τῷ συστήματι τοῦ ὅλουδιαφθείρει τὴν ψυχήν, ὡς λέγει ὁ τῶν καλῶν ἔργων ἀπόστολος, ὁἸάκωβος· εἰδότι τὸ καλὸν καὶ μὴ ποιοῦντι, αὐτῷ ἁμαρτία ἐστίν,certainly, for to do anything contrary to the system of the universedestroys the soul, as James the apostle of good works says,“to him that knoweth what is good and doeth it not, to him it is sin.”τῷ λαλοῦντι πολλὰ πολὺς ὁ κίνδῡνος,to the great talker there is great danger.ἐν δὲ τῷ ὀλίγα λέγειν μεγάλη ἡ σωτηρία,but in speaking little there is great safety.μεγάλη βιβλιοθήκη χρησίμη ἐστὶν εἰς τὸ πολλὰ εἰδέναι,a good library is useful to get great knowledge.πῶς γὰρ οὔ; ὅμως οὐκ ἀεὶ εἰς τὸ σοφῶς βιῶναι,certainly, but not always for wise living.πολλὰς βίβλους δυνατὸν τοὺς ἀσθενεῖς ἐγκεφάλους κυκᾶν,it is possible that many books may confound weak brains.τὸ λεγόμενον, πολλοὶ ὄντες οἱ μάγειροι διαφθείρουσι τὸν ζωμόν,as they say, many cooks spoil the broth.καὶ κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον παμπλήθη ἔπιπλα ὑπὲρ τὸ πρέπον καὶ τὸ ἡδὺ ἐκπληροῖ τὸ οἴκημα καὶ ταράττει τοὺς εἰσβαίνοντας,and in the same way, a great quantity of furniture, beyond what is proper and comfortable, fills up the room, and inconveniences those who enter.σοφῶς. ἀεὶ κακὸν τὸ ὑπερβαίνειν,wise. All excess is bad.τὴν σοφίαν λέγεις τοῦ Ἀριστοτέλους· ἐν τῷ μέσῳ ἀεὶ ἡ σωτηρία,the wisdom of Aristotle: safety lies in the mean.
ἆράγε εἶδες ἐκεῖνον τὸν παῖδα ἐν τῷ κήπῳ περιπατοῦντα;did you see that boy walking in the garden?
εἶδον,I did.
καλὸν τὸ περιπατεῖν καὶ ὑγιές, οὐ τοιοῦτον δὲ τῷ κλέψαντι τὰ μῆλα,walking is good and healthy, but not for him who stole the apples.
τῑμῶσα τὴν βασίλισσαν τῑμᾷς τὴν πόλιν ἧς δὴ ἐκείνη κεφαλὴ ἐστίν,in honouring the queen you honour the state of which she is the head.
περὶ τοῦ ὑπνοῦσθαι οὐδὲν ἀκριβῶς ἐπιτάττω·ἓν μόνον λέγω, οὐχ ὑγιὲς τὸ ὑπερβάλλειν ὀκτὼ ὥρας ἐν τῇ κοίτῃ,about sleeping I prescribe nothing curiously;only this one thing I say, that to lie in bed morethan eight hours is not healthy.
ἀληθῆ λέγεις,you say well.
τοῖς γε ὑγιὲς ἔχουσι τὸ σῶμα,at least for those who have a healthy body.
τὸ γὰρ ἀργεῖν διαφθείρει τό τε σῶμα καὶ τὴν ψυχήν,for lying idle damages both body and soul.
μάλιστα· καὶ τὸ πράττειν ὁτιοῦν ἐναντίον τῷ συστήματι τοῦ ὅλουδιαφθείρει τὴν ψυχήν, ὡς λέγει ὁ τῶν καλῶν ἔργων ἀπόστολος, ὁἸάκωβος· εἰδότι τὸ καλὸν καὶ μὴ ποιοῦντι, αὐτῷ ἁμαρτία ἐστίν,certainly, for to do anything contrary to the system of the universedestroys the soul, as James the apostle of good works says,“to him that knoweth what is good and doeth it not, to him it is sin.”
τῷ λαλοῦντι πολλὰ πολὺς ὁ κίνδῡνος,to the great talker there is great danger.
ἐν δὲ τῷ ὀλίγα λέγειν μεγάλη ἡ σωτηρία,but in speaking little there is great safety.
μεγάλη βιβλιοθήκη χρησίμη ἐστὶν εἰς τὸ πολλὰ εἰδέναι,a good library is useful to get great knowledge.
πῶς γὰρ οὔ; ὅμως οὐκ ἀεὶ εἰς τὸ σοφῶς βιῶναι,certainly, but not always for wise living.
πολλὰς βίβλους δυνατὸν τοὺς ἀσθενεῖς ἐγκεφάλους κυκᾶν,it is possible that many books may confound weak brains.
τὸ λεγόμενον, πολλοὶ ὄντες οἱ μάγειροι διαφθείρουσι τὸν ζωμόν,as they say, many cooks spoil the broth.
καὶ κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον παμπλήθη ἔπιπλα ὑπὲρ τὸ πρέπον καὶ τὸ ἡδὺ ἐκπληροῖ τὸ οἴκημα καὶ ταράττει τοὺς εἰσβαίνοντας,and in the same way, a great quantity of furniture, beyond what is proper and comfortable, fills up the room, and inconveniences those who enter.
σοφῶς. ἀεὶ κακὸν τὸ ὑπερβαίνειν,wise. All excess is bad.
τὴν σοφίαν λέγεις τοῦ Ἀριστοτέλους· ἐν τῷ μέσῳ ἀεὶ ἡ σωτηρία,the wisdom of Aristotle: safety lies in the mean.
English Affinities
Peripatetics. Hygiene. Cleptomania. Hypnotism. System. Psychology. Apostle. Polyanthus. Trope. Hyperbole. Plethora.