Ancient Greek present progressive markers


often alter the stem in the present system with a variety of markers. These markers are best understood as markers of the continuous and progressive aspects, rather than of the present tense.
For verbs with progressive markers, the present progressive system is not the best guide to the true stem, which is often more clearly manifested in the aorist or future tense forms. Note that none of these markers were productive in the Classical period, although many verbs had alternate forms with and without the markers even into the Hellenistic period and later. Many of these markers date back to Proto-Indo-European and have clear parallels in other Indo-European languages. However, some Ancient Greek grammars and textbooks list and discuss these markers to help students grappling with the confusing morphology of Ancient Greek verbs.

*y yod marker

Ancient Greek has no consonant that makes the Y sound, similar to the Latin consonantal I in words like , , but it was part of Indo-European phonology, and it left detectable marks. The *y progressive marker has several manifestations, of which this chart is an incomplete overview:
Dentals+ Y =ζ
Velar/Palatals + Y =ττ- /σσ-
Labials + Y =πτ-
ν+ Y =ιν
ρ+ Y =ιρ

STEMMARKERPROGRESSIVEAORIST
θαυματ- Yἐθαύμασα
ἐλπίδ- Yἤλπισα
ἅλ- Yἡλόμη
πραγ- Y/ πράττωἔπρᾱξα
ταραχ- Y/ ταράττωἐτάραξα
ταγ- Y/ τάττωἔταξα
τεν- Yτενῶ
χαρ- Yἐχάρην
βλαβ- yἔβλαβον
καλυβ- yἐκάλυψα
κλεπ- yἔκλεψα
σκεπ- yἐσκεψάμην
ἅφ- yἧψα
θαφ- yἔθαψα

“The I Class”, in Curtius, Georg. The Greek Verb: Its Structure and Development. Translated by Augustus S Wilkins and E. B England. London: J. Murray, 1880.

ΣΚ inchoative marker

This marker appears to be an Indo-European root for beginning an action, changing into a condition, an inchoative marker.
STEMMARKERPROGRESSIVEAORIST
πάθ- σκἔπαθον
εὑρ- σκηὗρον
δά- σκ ἐδίδαξα
θαν- σκἔθανον
μνα- σκἔμνησα

Compare Latin verbs with similar incohative SC markers
Ancient Greek often adds an N in the progressive forms of verbs. So often, in fact, that the most common verbs have N added TWICE into the stem.
Note that a N in Ancient Greek often expands to αν
STEM/ROOTMARKERPROGRESSIVEAORIST
ταμ- νἔταμον
αἰσθ- νᾐσθόμην
δακ- νἔδακον
ἱκ- ν,ἱκόμην
κυ- νἔκυσα

STEM/ROOTMARKERPROGRESSIVEAORIST
λαβ- 2νἔλαβον
λαθ- 2νἔλαθον
μαθ- 2νἔμαθον
τυχ- 2νἔτυχον
πυθ- 2νἐπυθόμην
λαχ- 2νἔλαχον
αὐξ- 2νηὖξον

See in Curtius, Georg. The Greek Verb: Its Structure and Development. Translated by Augustus S Wilkins and E. B England. London: J. Murray, 1880.
in Kühner, Raphael. Ausführliche Grammatik Der Griechischen Sprache. Edited by Friedrich Blass and Bernhard Gerth. 3. Aufl. ed. Hannover: Hahnsche Buchhandlung, 1890, vol 1 part 2, p. 173

E Progressive Marker

Ancient Greek progressive forms will sometimes add an E into the vowel of the root. The first four verbs in the following list lengthen the vowel with an epsilon in the progressive forms.
In an unrelated phenomenon, Ancient Greek will sometimes add an epsilon at the end of the root in the progressive forms. Many verbs have two progressive forms in Homer and other poets, one with and without the added epsilon, such as κυρέω and κύρω, ξύρω and ξυρέω, αἰδέομαι and αἴδομαι.
STEM/ROOTMARKERPROGRESSIVEAORIST
λιπ- εἔλιπον
φυγ- εἔφυγον
πιθ- εἔπιθον
στιχ- εἔστιχον
δοκ- εἔδοξα
γαμ- εἔγημα

“Stems Which Lengthen the Vowel in the Present”, in Curtius, Georg. The Greek Verb: Its Structure and Development. Translated by Augustus S Wilkins and E. B England. London: J. Murray, 1880.
“The E-Class and the Related Formations”, in Curtius, Georg. The Greek Verb: Its Structure and Development. Translated by Augustus S Wilkins and E. B England. London: J. Murray, 1880.
„Verben, deren reinem Stamme im Praes. und Impf. ε zugefuegt ist“, in Kühner, Raphael. Ausführliche Grammatik Der Griechischen Sprache. Edited by Friedrich Blass and Bernhard Gerth. 3. Aufl. ed. Hannover: Hahnsche Buchhandlung, 1890, vol 1 part 2, p. 179

T Progressive Marker

Some Ancient Greek verbs have a tau added to the root in the progressive tenses. Most of these are best understood as a reflex of roots ending in a labial plus the yod/iota progressive marker.
STEM/ROOTMARKERPROGRESSIVEAORIST
βλαβ- yἔβλαβον
καλυβ- yἐκάλυψα
κλεπ- yἔκλεψα
σκεπ- yἐσκεψάμην
ἅφ- yἧψα
θαφ- yἔθαψα

Reduplication is a hallmark of the perfect aspect system in both Latin and Ancient Greek, but some Ancient Greek verbs reduplicate the root in the progressive tenses. Reduplication can cause a lot of sound changes, including loss of aspiration, or loss of a vowel.
STEM/ROOTMARKERPROGRESSIVEAORIST
δρα- διἀπέδραν
δυ- διἔδυσα
γνω- γιἔγνων
γεν- γιἐγενόμην
βρω- βιἔβρων
τειν- τιἐτεινάμην
δά- δι ἐδίδαξα
μνα- μιἔμνησα

Curtius, Georg. The Greek Verb: Its Structure and Development. Translated by Augustus S Wilkins and E. B England. London: J. Murray, 1880,
Kühner, Raphael. Ausführliche Grammatik Der Griechischen Sprache. Edited by Friedrich Blass and Bernhard Gerth. 3. Aufl. ed. Hannover: Hahnsche Buchhandlung, 1890,