Present active verbs

Present active verbs

λύω, λύεις, λύει, λύομεν, λύετε, and λύουσι establish the present active pattern. The endings carry the actor; vocabulary and context provide the action.

Six present endings identify six actors

The present active indicative pattern is λύω, λύεις, λύει, λύομεν, λύετε, λύουσι(ν): I, you singular, he/she/it, we, you plural, they release. The lexical stem λυ- remains visible, while the thematic vowel and ending combine. Learn each form as part of a system rather than imagining that -ω can simply be swapped mechanically in every Greek verb.

Greek’s present stem normally presents action as ongoing, repeated, or simply current according to context. λύομεν may be ‘we release,’ ‘we are releasing,’ or, in a suitable setting, ‘we regularly release.’ English choice comes after person, number, vocabulary, and context have been established.

Supply English pronouns only after parsing

In τὸν ἄνθρωπον βλέπομεν, -ομεν gives first-person plural, so English requires ‘we’: ‘We see the person.’ In λόγους γράφετε, -ετε gives second-person plural and λόγους is accusative plural: ‘You all write accounts.’ The form—not the reader’s guess about the scene—supplies each subject.

Compare μένει and μένουσιν. The stem means ‘remain’; -ει gives ‘he/she remains,’ and -ουσιν gives ‘they remain.’ Movable nu does not create the plural, and an expressed subject is optional. When one appears, verify agreement: οἱ πολῖται μένουσιν, ‘the citizens remain.’

Six endings, one system

λύω, λύεις, λύει, λύομεν, λύετε, λύουσι(ν) mean I, you singular, he/she/it, we, you plural, and they release. The stem λυ- stays recognizable while the thematic vowel and ending change. Greek normally expresses a pronoun only for clarity or emphasis.