The Present and Aorist Subjunctive

Recognizing another mood

The indicative commonly presents an assertion. The subjunctive is used in constructions involving purpose, exhortation, deliberation, or a condition. It does not simply mean 'uncertain': an emphatic negative subjunctive can express a very strong denial.

The present active has long connecting vowels: λύω, λύῃς, λύῃ, λύωμεν, λύητε, λύωσι(ν). Compare indicative λύομεν with subjunctive λύωμεν. First singular λύω has the same spelling in both moods, so the clause around it matters.

The aorist active is λύσω, λύσῃς, λύσῃ, λύσωμεν, λύσητε, λύσωσι(ν). It has no augment: aorist here expresses a whole-event viewpoint, not past time. λύσω can also be future indicative; identify the construction instead of deciding from one isolated word.

• ἵνα λύσῃ τὸν δοῦλον — so that he may release the servant
• ἵνα λύῃ τοὺς δούλους — so that he may be releasing the servants

Middle, passive, and εἰμί

The long-vowel pattern also appears in present middle/passive λύωμαι, λύῃ, λύηται, λυώμεθα, λύησθε, λύωνται. Aorist middle uses the σ stem: λύσωμαι, λύσῃ, λύσηται, λυσώμεθα, λύσησθε, λύσωνται. Context and lexical meaning still determine how to translate middle forms.

Aorist passive subjunctives use the passive stem with active-looking endings: λυθῶ, λυθῇς, λυθῇ, λυθῶμεν, λυθῆτε, λυθῶσιν. The θη stem contracts with the long connecting vowel. These forms have no augment, and they are passive despite lacking -μαι endings.

The subjunctive of εἰμί is ὦ, ᾖς, ᾖ, ὦμεν, ἦτε, ὦσιν. Accents and breathings help distinguish these small forms from other words. With a perfect participle, a form of εἰμί can form a periphrastic perfect subjunctive. In ἵνα ὦσιν λελυμένοι, 'so that they may have been released / may be in a released state', ὦσιν supplies third-person plural subjunctive and λελυμένοι supplies perfect passive meaning here, agreeing with a masculine plural subject. Read the two forms as one expression.

• ἵνα διδαχθῶμεν — so that we may be taught
• ἵνα ὦμεν μαθηταί — so that we may be disciples
• ἵνα ὦσιν λελυμένοι — so that they may be in a released state (perfect passive expression here)

Purpose and exhortation

ἵνα and ὅπως with a subjunctive commonly introduce purpose: 'in order that', 'so that'. English may use an infinitive instead: 'he came to teach us'. These conjunctions can also introduce content or intended result, so purpose is a starting point rather than an automatic answer.

A first-person plural subjunctive can urge a shared action: πιστεύσωμεν, 'let us believe'. This is the hortatory use. A question such as τί ποιήσωμεν; asks 'What should we do?' and is deliberative, considering a course of action. For this example, τί means 'what?'; its full question-word pattern comes in lesson 27.

οὐ μή with an aorist subjunctive commonly expresses emphatic denial concerning the future: οὐ μὴ ἀποθάνῃ means 'he certainly will not die'. μή is also used with subjunctives in negative purposes and prohibitions; the surrounding construction supplies the force.

• ἀκούσωμεν τὸν λόγον. — Let us hear the message.
• τί ποιήσωμεν; — What should we do?

Reading an 'if ... then ...' sentence

A condition has two parts: the 'if' clause and the main statement that follows from it. References call them the protasis and apodosis. In εἰ πιστεύεις, ἀκούεις τὸν λόγον, 'If you believe, you listen to the message', εἰ πιστεύεις supplies the condition and ἀκούεις τὸν λόγον gives the conclusion. Greek does not need a separate word for English 'then'.

εἰ with an indicative puts forward a condition for the discussion: 'if this is the case'. It does not prove that the speaker or writer regards the premise as true. ἐάν with a subjunctive commonly presents a prospective or general condition: 'if this happens'. Both constructions need context; neither gives a percentage chance of fulfillment.

Lesson 31 adds imagined situations contrary to the facts, commonly with past indicative forms and ἄν in the conclusion. The difference comes from the whole pattern, not εἰ alone. For now, identify the two clauses, their verb forms, and how the conclusion depends on the condition.

Conditional and indefinite clauses

ἐάν plus subjunctive introduces a condition: ἐὰν πιστεύσῃς, σωθήσῃ, 'If you believe, you will be saved'. The condition is presented prospectively or generally; the grammar does not supply a numerical probability of its being fulfilled.

ὅταν plus subjunctive commonly means 'when' or 'whenever' in an indefinite-time clause. A preview of lesson 27 is ὃς ἂν πιστεύσῃ, 'whoever believes': ὅς means 'who', and ἄν with the subjunctive makes the reference open to anyone who fits. The full relative-pronoun pattern belongs to lesson 27; here the supplied form is for recognition. Do not translate ἄν as a separate English word every time; it contributes to the construction.

Read in three stages: identify the conjunction, recognize the subjunctive form, and connect the dependent clause to the main clause. Present versus aorist normally distinguishes how the action is viewed, not 'now' versus 'yesterday'.

• ἐὰν ἀκούσῃς, γνώσῃ τὸν λόγον. — If you listen, you will know the message.
• ὅταν ἔλθῃ ὁ κύριος — when / whenever the Lord comes

'Until' and a feared event

ἕως can mean 'while' or 'until'. With an indicative it can report an actual situation or completed past event: ἔμεινεν ἕως ἦλθεν ὁ κύριος, 'he stayed until the Lord came'. The coming is presented as something that happened in that story.

With a subjunctive, often accompanied by ἄν, ἕως can point to an event still ahead from the speaker's viewpoint: μενῶ ἕως ἂν ἔλθῃ ὁ κύριος, 'I will stay until the Lord comes'. English uses 'comes', but Greek has aorist subjunctive ἔλθῃ, not present indicative. This is not past time. Do not treat the indicative/subjunctive choice as a test of whether the event will eventually happen.

After a verb of fearing, μή can introduce the event someone fears: φοβοῦμαι μὴ ἔλθῃ, 'I am afraid that he may come'. φοβοῦμαι means 'I am afraid'; μή here introduces the unwelcome possibility, rather than simply negating 'come'. Compare μὴ ἔλθῃς, 'do not come', a prohibition addressed to 'you'. The governing verb and the person ending help distinguish these constructions.

• ἔμεινεν ἕως ἦλθεν ὁ κύριος. — He stayed until the Lord came (reported past event).
• μενῶ ἕως ἂν ἔλθῃ ὁ κύριος. — I will stay until the Lord comes (event still ahead).
• φοβοῦμαι μὴ ἔλθῃ. — I am afraid that he may come (the coming is what is feared).

Vocabulary (8)

ἐὰν

if (+subj.)

ἵνα

in order that, that

ὅπως

so that, in order that (+subjunctive)

ὅταν

when, whenever (+subjunctive)

ἄν

particle marking contingency in several constructions

ἕως

until, while; (+genitive) as far as

φοβέομαι

I fear, am afraid

πειράζω

I test, tempt