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Intermediate

Past Tense — Aorist

The simple completed past

Aorist: perfective stem + past endings

Group 1: -α, -ες, -ε, -αμε, -ατε, -αν(ε).

📊 γράφω — aorist
Pronoun Form
εγώ έγραψα
εσύ έγραψες
αυτός έγραψε
εμείς γράψαμε
εσείς γράψατε
αυτοί έγραψαν
💬 Examples
έγραψα
EH-grap-sa
I wrote
📝 γράφω → έγραψα
έγραψε
EH-grap-se
he/she wrote
📝 aorist 3rd singular
Stress shifts leftward in the past

The augment (ε-) or a stress shift marks the past tense.

💬 Examples
γράφω → έγραψα
write → I wrote
📝 augment ε- added
φεύγω → έφυγα
FEF-go / EH-fee-ga
leave → I left
📝 vowel change plus augment
Group 2 verbs have -ησα past

αγαπώ → αγάπησα; -ώ verbs add -ησα.

💬 Examples
αγαπώ → αγάπησα
a-ga-PO / a-GA-pee-sa
love → I loved
📝 -ησα suffix
μιλώ → μίλησα
mee-LO / MEE-lee-sa
speak → I spoke
📝 Group 2 aorist