εἰμί

§Ancient Greek

§Alternative forms

• ἔμμι (émmi) Aeolic

§Etymology

From earlier *εσμί, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁ésmi (“I am, I exist”). Cognate with Old Armenian եմ (em). Other cognates include Latin sum, Sanskrit अस्मि (asmi), Old English eom (English am). More at *h₁es- (“to be, exist”)

§Pronunciation

 

• IPA: /eː.mí/ → /i.ˈmi/ → /i.ˈmi/

• 5th BC Attic: IPA: /eː.mí/ ambiguous vowel ί at 4
• 1st BC Egyptian: IPA: /i.ˈmi/
• 4th AD Koine: IPA: /i.ˈmi/
• 10th AD Byzantine: IPA: /i.ˈmi/
• 15th AD Constantinopolitan: IPA: /i.ˈmi/

§Verb

εἰμί • (eimí)

1. I am

§Inflection

   Present: εἰμί

number		singular			dual		plural
		first	second	third	second	third	first	second	third
active	indicative	εἰμί	εἶ	ἐστί/ ἐστίν	ἐστόν	ἐστόν	ἐσμέν	ἐστέ	εἰσί/ εἰσίν
	subjunctive	ὦ	ᾖς	ᾖ	ἦτον	ἦτον	ὦμεν	ἦτε	ὦσι
	optative	εἴην	εἴης	εἴη	εἴητον/ εἶτον	εἰήτην/ εἴτην	εἴημεν/ εἶμεν	εἴητε/ εἶτε	εἴησαν/ εἶεν
	imperative		ἴσθι	ἔστω	ἔστον	ἔστων		ἔστε	ἔστων
		active
infinitive		εἶναι
participle	m	ὤν
	f	οὖσα
	n	ὄν

   Imperfect: ἦ/ἦν

number		singular			dual		plural
		first	second	third	second	third	first	second	third
active	indicative	ἦ/ ἦν	ἦσθα	ἦν	ἤστον	ἤστην	ἦμεν	ἦτε	ἦσαν

   Future: ἔσομαι

number		singular			dual		plural
		first	second	third	second	third	first	second	third
middle	indicative	ἔσομαι	ἔσει/ ἔσῃ	ἔσται	ἔσεσθον	ἔσεσθον	ἐσόμεθᾰ	ἔσεσθε	ἔσονται
	optative	ἐσοίμην	ἔσοιο	ἔσοιτο	ἔσοισθον	ἐσοίσθην	ἐσοίμεθᾰ	ἔσοισθε	ἔσοιντο
					middle
infinitive					ἔσεσθαι
participle	m				ἐσόμενος
	f				ἐσομένη
	n				ἐσόμενον

§Descendants

• Greek: είμαι (eímai)

§References

• εἰμί in A Greek–English Lexicon by Liddell & Scott, Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1940
• BDAG
• Strong’s concordance number: G1510
• Herbert Weir Smyth, A Greek Grammar for Colleges