λέγω
Ancient Greek
Etymology
From Proto-Indo-European *leǵ-. Cognates include Latin legō and Albanian mbledh.
Pronunciation
- (5th BC Attic): IPA: /léɡɔ͜ɔ/
- (1st BC Egyptian): IPA: /lɛ́ɣoː/
- (4th AD Koine): IPA: /léɣo/
- (10th AD Byzantine): IPA: /léɣo/
- (15th AD Constantinopolitan): IPA: /léɣo/
Verb
λέγω (legō) future: λέξω aorist: ἔλεξα aorist passive: ἐλέχθην/ἐλεξάμην
- Ι lay down, put to sleep
- I put in order, arrange, gather
- I choose, count, reckon
- I say, speak, converse, tell a story
- (middle passive) I mean
Inflection
Present: λέγω, λέγομαι
| number | singular | dual | plural | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| present | first | second | third | second | third | first | second | third | |
| active | indicative | λέγω | λέγεις | λέγει | λέγετον | λέγετον | λέγομεν | λέγετε | λέγουσι(ν) |
| subjunctive | λέγω | λέγῃς | λέγῃ | λέγητον | λέγητον | λέγωμεν | λέγητε | λέγωσι(ν) | |
| optative | λέγοιμι | λέγοις | λέγοι | λέγοιτον | λεγοίτην | λέγοιμεν | λέγοιτε | λέγοιεν | |
| imperative | λέγε | λεγέτω | λέγετον | λεγέτων | λέγετε | λεγόντων | |||
| middle/
passive |
indicative | λέγομαι | λέγει/ λέγῃ |
λέγεται | λέγεσθον | λέγεσθον | λεγόμεθα | λέγεσθε | λέγονται |
| subjunctive | λέγωμαι | λέγῃ | λέγηται | λέγησθον | λέγησθον | λεγώμεθα | λέγησθε | λέγωνται | |
| optative | λεγοίμην | λέγοιο | λέγοιτο | λέγοισθον | λεγοίσθην | λεγοίμεθα | λέγοισθε | λέγοιντο | |
| imperative | λέγου | λεγέσθω | λέγεσθον | λεγέσθων | λέγεσθε | λεγέσθων | |||
| active | middle/passive | ||||||||
| infinitive | λέγειν | λέγεσθαι | |||||||
| participle | λέγων , λέγουσα , λέγον | λεγόμενος , λεγομένη , λεγόμενον | |||||||
Imperfect: ἔλεγον, ἐλεγόμην
| number | singular | dual | plural | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| imperfect | first | second | third | second | third | first | second | third | |
| active | indicative | ἔλεγον | ἔλεγες | ἔλεγε | ἐλέγετον | ἐλεγέτην | ἐλέγομεν | ἐλέγετε | ἔλεγον |
| middle/ passive |
ἐλεγόμην | ἐλέγου | ἐλέγετο | ἐλέγεσθον | ἐλεγέσθην | ἐλεγόμεθα | ἐλέγεσθε | ἐλέγοντο | |
Future: λέξω
| number | singular | dual | plural | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| future | first | second | third | second | third | first | second | third | |
| active | indicative | λέξω | λέξεις | λέξει | λέξετον | λέξετον | λέξομεν | λέξετε | λέξουσι(ν) |
| optative | λέξοιμι | λέξοις | λέξοι | λέξοιτον | λεξοίτην | λέξοιμεν | λέξοιτε | λέξοιεν | |
| middle | indicative | λέξομαι | λέξει/ λέξῃ |
λέξεται | λέξεσθον | λέξεσθον | λεξόμεθα | λέξεσθε | λέξονται |
| optative | λεξοίμην | λέξοιο | λέξοιτο | λέξοισθον | λεξοίσθην | λεξοίμεθα | λέξοισθε | λέξοιντο | |
| passive | indicative | λεχθήσομαι | λεχθήσει/ λεχθήσῃ |
λεχθήσεται | λεχθήσεσθον | λεχθήσεσθον | λεχθησόμεθα | λεχθήσεσθε | λεχθήσονται |
| optative | λεχθησοίμην | λεχθήσοιο | λεχθήσοιτο | λεχθήσοισθον | λεχθησοίσθην | λεχθησοίμεθα | λεχθήσοισθε | λεχθήσοιντο | |
| active | middle | passive | |||||||
| infinitive | λέξειν | λέξεσθαι | λεχθήσεσθαι | ||||||
| participle | λέξων , λέξουσα , λέξον | λεξόμενος , λεξομένη , λεξόμενον | λεχθησόμενος , λεχθησομένη , λεχθησόμενον | ||||||
Aorist: ἔλεξα, ἐλεξάμην, ἐλέχθην
| number | singular | dual | plural | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| aorist | first | second | third | second | third | first | second | third | |
| active | indicative | ἔλεξα | ἔλεξας | ἔλεξε | ἐλέξατον | ἐλεξάτην | ἐλέξαμεν | ἐλέξατε | ἔλεξαν |
| subjunctive | λέξω | λέξῃς | λέξῃ | λέξητον | λέξητον | λέξωμεν | λέξητε | λέξωσι(ν) | |
| optative | λέξαιμι | λέξαις/ λέξειας |
λέξαι/ λέξειε |
λέξαιτον | λεξαίτην | λέξαιμεν | λέξαιτε | λέξαιεν/ λέξειαν |
|
| imperative | λέξον | λεξάτω | λέξατον | λεξάτων | λέξατε | λεξάντων | |||
| middle | indicative | ἐλεξάμην | ἐλέξω | ἐλέξατο | ἐλέξασθον | ἐλεξάσθην | ἐλεξάμεθα | ἐλέξασθε | ἐλέξαντο |
| subjunctive | λέξωμαι | λέξῃ | λέξηται | λέξησθον | λέξησθον | λεξώμεθα | λέξησθε | λέξωνται | |
| optative | λεξαίμην | λέξαιο | λέξαιτο | λέξαισθον | λεξαίσθην | λεξαίμεθα | λέξαισθε | λέξαιντο | |
| imperative | λέξαι | λεξάσθω | λέξασθον | λεξάσθων | λέξασθε | λεξάσθων | |||
| passive | indicative | ἐλέχθην | ἐλέχθης | ἐλέχθη | ἐλέχθητον | ἐλεχθήτην | ἐλέχθημεν | ἐλέχθητε | ἐλέχθησαν |
| subjunctive | λεχθῶ | λεχθῇς | λεχθῇ | λεχθῆτον | λεχθῆτον | λεχθῶμεν | λεχθῆτε | λεχθῶσι(ν) | |
| optative | λεχθείην | λεχθείης | λεχθείη | λεχθεῖτον/ λεχθείητον |
λεχθείτην/ λεχθειήτην |
λεχθεῖμεν/ λεχθείημεν |
λεχθεῖτε/ λεχθείητε |
λεχθεῖεν/ λεχθείησαν |
|
| imperative | λέχθητι | λεχθήτω | λέχθητον | λεχθήτων | λέχθητε | λεχθέντων | |||
| active | middle | passive | |||||||
| infinitive | λέξαι | λέξασθαι | λεχθῆναι | ||||||
| participle | m | λέξας | λεξάμενος | λεχθείς | |||||
| f | λέξασα | λεξαμένη | λεχθεῖσα | ||||||
| n | λέξαν | λεξάμενον | λεχθέν | ||||||
Usage notes
The first three senses of the word, as well as all tenses besides present and imperfect are generally limited to Homer and other earlier writers (although they remain in composite words such as ἀπολέγω, ἐκλέγω, and καταλέγω). For most later writers, the fourth sense is the primary one, and εἶπον is used for all tenses except present and imperfect, a situation similar to English go and be. See the Wikipedia article on suppletion.
Derived terms
References
- LSJ
- BDAG
- Strong’s concordance number: G3004
Greek
Verb
λέγω (légo) simple past: είπα (eípa)
- alternative form of λέω
Conjugation
λέω, λέγω
| Non-past tenses | Past tenses | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Imperfective | Present | Continuous future | Imperfect | |
| 1st person | sg | λέω, λέγω | θα λέω, θα λέγω | έλεγα |
| 2nd person | λες, λέγεις | θα λες, θα λέγεις | έλεγες | |
| 3rd person | λέει, λέγει | θα λέει, θα λέγει | έλεγε | |
| 1st person | pl | λέμε, λέγουμε, λέγομε1 | θα λέμε, θα λέγουμε, θα λέγομε1 | λέγαμε |
| 2nd person | λέτε, λέγετε | θα λέτε, θα λέγετε | λέγατε | |
| 3rd person | λένε, λεν, λέγουνε, λέγουν2 | θα λένε, θα λεν, θα λέγουνε, θα λέγουν2 | έλεγαν, λέγανε, λέγαν2 | |
| Perfective | Dependent† | Simple future | Simple past (Aorist) | |
| 1st person | sg | πω | θα πω | είπα |
| 2nd person | πεις | θα πεις | είπες | |
| 3rd person | πει | θα πει | είπε | |
| 1st person | pl | πούμε | θα πούμε | είπαμε |
| 2nd person | πείτε | θα πείτε | είπατε | |
| 3rd person | πουν, πούνε2 | θα πουν, θα πούνε2 | είπαν, είπανε2 | |
| Imperative | Imperfective | Perfective | ||
| 2nd person | sg | λέγε | πες | |
| 2nd person | pl | λέγετε. λέτε | πείτε, πέστε | |
| present participle | ||||
| non-finite | πει | |||
| Perfect tenses | ||||
| Perfect | έχω πει, έχεις πει έχει πει, … | |||
| Future perfect | θα έχω πει, θα έχεις πει, θα έχει πει, … | |||
| Past perfect | είχα πει, είχες πει, είχε πει, … | |||
| Subjunctive | ||||
| Continuous | The present tense form preceded by να, ας, etc | |||
| Simple | The dependent form preceded by να, ας, etc | |||
| Past perfect | The perfect tense form preceded by να, ας, etc | |||
| When multiple forms are listed above the first will usually be the most common; additional forms may be rare and not given by all sources. | ||||
| † The dependent form is not used independently, negative and tense forms of the verb are produced when the dependent is preceded by the appropriate particle. The dependent 3rd person singular, the non-finite form, is used with the auxiliary verb έχω in the most common perfect tense forms.1. The ending -ομε is found in some regional forms and occasionally in formal use. 2. Forms in -ε are frequent in the spoken language. |
||||
| 174 / conj-λέω | ||||