Present Tense
Action happening now or habitually
The present tense in Greek describes action that is ongoing, repeated, or happening now.
Unlike English, Greek present tense emphasizes the continuous or repeated nature of the action.
Key aspects of the present:
• Ongoing action: "I am writing" (right now)
• Habitual action: "I write every day"
• General truths: "The sun rises in the east"
• Historical present: vivid narration of past events
The present stem is the base from which other tenses are formed. Present tense verbs
use primary endings (-ω, -εις, -ει, -ομεν, -ετε, -ουσι for active indicative).
Examples from Texts
Here are some words showing the present tense in actual Greek texts:
διορίζω
διορίζω
draw a boundary through, delimit, separate
verb
singular
present
active
indicative
συναγορεύοντες
συναγορεύω
advocate
participle
nominative
masculine
plural
present
active
δριμυττομένους
δριμύσσω
cause to smart
participle
accusative
masculine
plural
present
middle/passive
χρῆσθ'
χράω2
proclaim
verb
singular
present
active
subjunctive
στενοχώρει
στενοχωρέω
to be straitened, confined
verb
singular
present
active
imperative
ἐγκόπτετε
ἐγκόπτω
knock in
verb
plural
present
active
indicative
στοναχεῦσι
στοναχέω
groan, sigh
verb
plural
present
active
indicative
φιμουμένη
φιμόω
muzzle
participle
nominative
feminine
singular
present
middle/passive