εἶμι

See also: εἰμί

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• εἶμ’ (eîm’) — apocopic

Etymology

From Proto-Hellenic *éimi, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁éyti.

Cognates include Mycenaean Greek 𐀂𐀍𐀳 (i-jo-te), Latin eō (“I go”), Sanskrit एति (eti, “goes”), Hittite 𒄿𒄿𒀀𒀜𒋫 (i-ya-at-ta /⁠iyatta⁠/, “goes”), Old Persian 𐎠𐎡𐎫𐎡𐎹 (a-i-t-i-y /⁠aitiy⁠/, “goes”), Old Church Slavonic ити (iti), Old English ēode (“went”).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /êː.mi/ → /ˈi.mi/ → /ˈi.mi/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /êː.mi/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈi.mi/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈi.mi/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈi.mi/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈi.mi/

Verb

εἶμῐ • (eîmi)

1. I shall come, go

Usage notes

Attic Greek: The present indicative (but not the other moods) has a future meaning: "I will go". The rest of the moods and tenses supply verb ἔρχομαι (érkhomai, “I come”) with Present subjunctive, optative, and with Imperfect. (Also, see ἦλθον (êlthon)).
ᾖα etc. are old praeterita and can therefore be used with either aoristive or imperfective aspect.

Homer: This does not apply to Archaic Epos yet, as Homer uses a future tense: εἴσομαι, εἴσῃ, εἴσεται, εἰσόμεθα, εἴεσθε, εἴσονται. Homer knows an aorist as well (εἴσατο etc.).

Inflection

   Present: εἶμι

number		singular			dual		plural
		first	second	third	second	third	first	second	third
active	indicative	εἶμι	εἶ	εἶσῐ(ν)	ἴτον	ἴτον	ἴμεν	ἴτε	ἴᾱσῐ(ν)
	subjunctive	ἴω	ἴῃς	ἴῃ	ἴητον	ἴητον	ἴωμεν	ἴητε	ἴωσῐ(ν)
	optative	ἴοιμῐ	ἴοις	ἴοι	ἴοιτον	ἰοίτην	ἴοιμεν	ἴοιτε	ἴοιεν
	imperative		ἴθῐ	ἴτω	ἴτον	ἴτων		ἴτε	ἰόντων
		active
infinitive		ἰέναι
participle	m	ἰών
	f	ἰοῦσᾰ
	n	ἰόν
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For conjugation in dialects other than Attic, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal conjugation.

   Present: εἶμι (Epic)

number		singular			dual		plural
		first	second	third	second	third	first	second	third
active	indicative	εἶμι	εἶς/εἶσθα	εἶσι	ἴτον	ἴτον	ἴμεν	ἴτε	ἴᾱσι
	subjunctive	ἴω	ἴῃσθα	ἴῃσι	ἴητον	ἴητον	ἴωμεν/ἴομεν	ἴητε	ἴωσῐ(ν)
	optative	ἴοιμῐ	ἴοις	ἴοι/ἰείη, εἴη	ἴοιτον	ἰοίτην	ἴοιμεν	ἴοιτε	ἴοιεν
	imperative		ἴθῐ	ἴτω	ἴτον	ἴτων		ἴτε	ἰόντων
		active
infinitive		ἰέναι, ἴμεναι/ἴμεν
participle	m	ἰών
	f	ἰοῦσᾰ
	n	ἰόν
Notes:	Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms are based on conjecture. Use with caution. For more details, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal conjugation.

   Imperfect: ᾖᾰ/ᾔειν

number		singular			dual		plural
		first	second	third	second	third	first	second	third
active	indicative	ᾖᾰ/ᾔειν	ᾔεισθᾰ/ᾔεις	ᾔειν/ᾔει	ᾖτον	ᾔτην	ᾖμεν	ᾖτε	ᾖσᾰν/ᾔεσᾰν
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For conjugation in dialects other than Attic, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal conjugation.

   Imperfect: ἤϊα (Epic)

number		singular			dual		plural
		first	second	third	second	third	first	second	third
active	indicative	ἤϊα	ᾔεις	ἤϊε(ν)/ᾖε, ἴε(ν)	ᾔτον, ἴτον	ᾔτην, ἴτην	ᾖμεν/ᾔομεν	ᾖτε	ἤϊσαν, ἴσαν, ᾖσαν, ἤϊον
Notes:	Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms are based on conjecture. Use with caution. For more details, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal conjugation.

Derived terms

• ἴθμα (íthma)
• ἰσθμός (isthmós)
• ἔξειμι (éxeimi)

Further reading

• “εἶμι”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “εἶμι”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “εἶμι”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• εἶμι in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• Bauer, Walter et al. (2001) A Greek–English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, Third edition, Chicago: University of Chicago Press
• εἶμι in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• εἶμι in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2023)
• “εἶμι”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter