When the verb-stem is a one syllable form, beginning with a consonant and the verb has a one syllable ending such as «μένω», the «ε-» with a stress is prefixed the stem as an extra syllable in the imperfect and aorist. This phenomenon is called the augment, which only occurs in past tenses and which means enlargement or expansion.

The augment has been set up because of the antepenultimate rule (the stress on the third 3rd syllable from the end). Normally the stress tends to fall on the third syllable from the end in the past tenses of active verbs with more than two syllables, whereas the same syllable retains the stress in the non-past tenses throughout the declension.

When augmentation occurs in Modern Greek it can be divided in three categories viz:

  • syllabic augment
  • vocalic augment
  • internal augment
Syllabic augment
As mentioned, the augment is found in the past tense verb-forms of which the initial letter of the stem is a consonant, with one final syllable:
  • I wrote - έ-γραψ-α (aorist)
  • you wrote - έ-γραφ-ες (imperfect)
When the stem of a verb has more than one syllable the augment normally isn't used:
  • I called - φώναξ-α (aorist)
  • he/she called - φώναζ-ε (imperfect)
Similarly when a verb-form has a one syllable stem, but an ending of more syllables:
  • we wrote - γράψ-αμε (aorist)
  • it has been written - γράφτ-ηκε (aorist)

This augment is found in active verb-forms of verbs of the first conjugation in the imperfect and the aorist, with a one syllable stem, in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd person singular and in the 3rd person plural if the final syllable is «-αν», such as «έ-στειλ-αν» - they sent.

There are however a small number of (irregular) verbs with an one syllable stem in the aorist past, but no augment:
  • I went out - βγήκα (aorist of the verb «βγαίνω» - to go out)
  • I went out - έβγαινα (imperfect of the verb «βγαίνω»)
  • I found - βρήκα (aorist of the verb «βρίσκω» - to find)
  • I found - έβρισκα - I found (imperfect of the verb «βρίσκω»)
  • I took - πήρα (aorist of the verb «παίρνω» - to take)
  • I took - έπαιρνα - I took (imperfect of the verb «παίρνω»)
  • I went - πήγα (aorist of the verb «πηγαίνω» - to go)
  • I went - πήγαινα - I went (imperfect of the verb «πηγαίνω»)
  • I went in - μπήκα (aorist of the verb «μπαίνω» - to enter)
  • I went in - έμπαινα - I entered (imperfect of the verb «μπαίνω»)
The syllabic augment, without an accent, sometimes occurs in formal language and in cliché expressions from the katharevousa.

In the passive aorist verb-forms, such as:

  • ε-λέχθη - it was said
  • ε-στάλη - it was sent
In some other past verb-forms in formal language:
  • ε-πρόκειτο - was going to
Vocalic augment

This augment changes the initial vowels «-ε», «-α» or «-αι» το «-η» in the past verb-forms, but does not normally occur when the initial vowel does not carry the stress:

  • I hoped - ή-λπιζα (imperfect of the verb «ελπίζω»)
  • I hoped - έ-λπιζα (the unaugmented form, also used)

With a few verbs which have the vocalic augment it's hardly ever obligatory e.g.:

  • «ελέγχω» - to check, control (aorist - «ήλεγξα» - I checked)
  • «αίρω» - to lift (aorist - «ήρα» - I lifted)

There are three other verbs with the vocalic augment in one of the past tenses, although this is not explicitly a vocalic augment.

  • «θέλω» - to want (only the imperfect - «ήθελα» I wanted)
  • «ξέρω» - to know (only the imperfect - «ήξερα» - I knew)

  • «πίνω» - to drink (aorist - «ήπια» - I drank)
  • «πίνω» - to drink (imperfect - «έπινα» - I drank)

A vocal augment is more used after a prefix than in initial position. A few examples are:

  • «υπάρχω» - to exist (in the imperfect, «υπήρχα» - I existed, in the aorist «υπήρξα» - I existed)
  • «παραγέλλω» - to order (only in the aorist, «παρήγελλα» - I ordered)
  • «απεργώ» - to strike (only in the aorist, «απήργησα» - I stroke)
  • «απαντώ» - to answer (only in the aorist, «απήντησα», formal for «απάντησα» - I answered)
  • «εξάπτω» - to inflame (only in the aorist, «εξήψα» - I inflamed)
Internal augment
The vocalic augment «-η» also occurs as internal augment i.e. after a preposition as prefix.

This augment may be either syllabic or vocalic and is used in past tenses of compound verbs. It is placed between the prepositional prefix, derived from Ancient Greek, and the stem of a verb, mainly when the augment is stressed.

pref. verb act.imperfect act.aorist pass.imperfect pass.aorist meaning
αμφι- αμφιβάλλω αμφέβαλλα
αμφέβαλλον
αμφέβαλα - - to doubt
ανα- αναγράφω ανέγραφα
ανέγραφον
ανέγραψα αναγραφόμουν
ανεγραφόμην
αναγράφτηκα
αναγράφθηκα
to inscribe
αντι- αντιγράφω αντέγραφα
αντέγραφον
αντέγραψα αντιγραφόμουν
αντεγραφόμην
αντιγράφτηκα
αντιγράφθηκα
to copy
απο- απολύω 1 απόλυα
απέλυον
απόλυσα
απέλυσα
απολυόμουν
απελυόμην
απολύθηκα
απελύθην
to release
δια- διανέμω διένεμα
διένεμον
διένειμα διανεμόμουν
διενεμόμην
διανεμήθηκα
διενεμήθην
to distribute
εισ- εισάγω εισήγα
εισήγον
εισήγαγα εισαγόμουν
εισηγόμην
εισήχθην
εισάχθηκα
to introduce
εξ- εκ- εκθέτω εξέθετα
εξέθετον
εξέθεσα εξετιθέμην εκτέθηκα
εξετέθην
to expose
εν- εμ- εμπνέω 2 ενέπνεα
ενέπνεον
ενέπνευσα εμπνεόμουν
ενεπνεόμην
εμπνεύστηκα
ενεπνεύσθην
to inspire
εγ- εγγράφω ενέγραφα
ενέγραφον
ενέγραψα εγγραφόμουν
ενεγραφόμην
- to enroll
ελ- ελλοχεύω ελλόχευα
ενελόχευον
ελλόχευσα
ενελόχευσα
- - to lie in wait
επι- επιστρέφω επέστρεφα
επέστρεφον
επέστρεψα επιστρεφόμουν
επεστρεφόμην
επιστράφηκα
επεστράφην
to return
κατα- καταφέρω 3 κατέφερα
κατέφερον
κατέφερα - - to inflict
μετα- μεταβάλλω μετέβαλλα
μετέβαλλον
μετέβαλα μεταβαλλόμουν
μετεβαλλόμην
μεταβλήθηκα
μετεβλήθην
to convert
παρα- παραμένω 4 παραέμενα
παρέμενον
παραέμεινα
παρέμεινα
- - to linger
περι- περιστρέφω περιέστρεφα
περιέστρεφον
περιέστρεψα περιστρεφόμουν
περιεστρεφόμην
περιστράφηκα
περιεστράφην
to rotate
προ- προβαίνω προέβαινα
προέβαινον
προέβην - - to go forward
προσ- προσλαμβάνω προσλάμβανα
προσελάμβανον
προσέλαβα προσλαμβανόμουν
προσελαμβανόμην
προσελήφθην
προσλήφθηκα
to hire
συν- συμ- συμπίπτω συνέπιπτα
συνέπιπτον
συνέπεσα - - to coincide
συγ- συγχέω συνέχεα
συνέχεον
σύγχυσα
συνέχυσα
συγχεόμουν
συνεχεόμην
συγχύθηκα
συνεχύθην
to confuse
συλ- συλλαμβάνω συλλάμβανα
συνελάμβανον
συνέλαβα συλλαμβανόμουν
συνελαμβανόμην
συνελήφθην to arrest
συ- συστέλλω συνέστελλα
συνέστελλον
συνέστειλα συστελλόμουν
συνεστελλόμην
συνεστάλην to contract
υπερ- υπερβαίνω υπερέβαινα
υπερέβαινον
υπερέβην - - to exceed
υπο- υπομένω υπέμενα
υπέμενον
υπέμεινα - - to endure
N.B.

All above verb forms are presented in the first person singular

  • 1 «απολύω» has a third form in the active imperfect «απολυόμουνα» - I released
  • 2 «εμπνέω» has a third form in the passive aorist «εμπνεύσθηκα» - I inspired
  • 3 «καταφέρω» has only two passive aorist forms for the 3rd person singular and plural i.e. «καταφέρθηκε» - it was inflicted and «καταφέρθηκαν» - they were inflicted
  • 4 «παραμένω» has a third form in the active imperfect «παρέμενα» - I lingered

As can be seen in the above table the prepositional prefixes skip the final vowel, insofar they have any. The exceptions are «περι-» and «προ-» which always retain the vowel.

If in the present tense a prepositional prefix has been assimilated to a following consonant, it has to be restored to its underlying form when there is an augment following, i.e.:.

  • «συμβαίνει» - it happens
  • «συν-έβη» - it happened

  • «εγκρίνω» - to approve
  • «εν-έκρινα» - I approved

There are some verbs with two prepositional prefixes, where the augment preceded the verb-form (after te second prefix):

  • «επ-ανα-λαμβάνω» - to repeat
  • «επαν-έβαλα» - I repeated

  • «παρ-εμ-βάλλω» - to interpose
  • «παρ-εν-έβαλα» - I interposed

  • «συμ-περι-λαμβάνω» - to include
  • «συμ-περι-έλαβα» - I included

As the syllabic augment is not mandatory, except accentuated, typical models of the past tense (aorist) might look as follows:

«παρατείνω» - to prolong
singular plural
παρέτεινα παρατείναμε
παρέτεινες παρατείνατε
παρέτεινε παρέτειναν, παρατείνανε
«καταλαμβάνω» - to occupy
singular plural
κατέλαβα καταλάβαμε
κατέλαβες καταλάβατε
κατέλαβε κατέλαβαν, καταλάβανε

However, there are common verbs with a prepositional prefix which never have an internal augment, even though it would have been accentuated, i.e.

  • «καταλαβαίνω» - to understand, has «κατάλαβα» - I understood as aorist and «καταλάβαινα» - I understood as imperfect
  • «προφταίνω» - anticipate, has «πρόφτασα» - I anticipated as aorist and «πρόφταινα» -I anticipated as imperfect

In the passive aorist internal augments are found, in particular with learned verb form endings, i.e.:

  • Of the verb «ανακοινώνω» - to announce, the 1st person of one of the passive aorist forms is «ανεκοινώθην» of which the 3rd person singular is «ανεκοινώθη», which means it was announced.
  • Of the verb «συλλαμβάνω» - to arrest, the 1st person of the passive aorist form is «συνελήφθην» of which the 3rd person plural is «συνελήφθησαν», which means they were arrested.

The following prefixes, other than prepositions exist:

  • after «κακο-» the stressed augment is normally not used
  • after «καλο-» the stressed augment is normally not used
  • after «ξανα-» the use of a stressed augment is optional («ξανάγραψα» or «ξαναέγραψα» - both I rewrote)
  • after «παρα-» the use of a stressed augment is optional («παράκανα» or «παραέκανα» - both I overdid)
  • after «πολυ-» the stressed augment is normally not used