εἰμί

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• ἔμμι (emmi) (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 (ásmi), Old English eom (English am). More at *h₁es- (“to be, exist”)

Pronunciation

• (5th BC Attic): IPA: /e͜emí/

• (1st BC Egyptian): IPA: /iːmí/

• (4th AD Koine): IPA: /imí/

• (10th AD Byzantine): IPA: /imí/

• (15th AD Constantinopolitan): IPA: /imí/

Verb

εἰμί • (eimi) future: ἔσομαι

1. I am

Inflection

    Present: εἰμί

number		singular			dual		plural
present		first	second	third	second	third	first	second	third
active	indicative	εἰμί	εἶ	ἐστί(ν)	ἐστόν	ἐστόν	ἐσμέν	ἐστέ	εἰσί(ν)
	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
		infinitive				participle
		εἶναι				ὤν, οὖσα, ὄν

    Imperfect: ἦ/ἦν

number		singular			dual		plural
imperfect		first	second	third	second	third	first	second	third
active	indicative	ἦ(ν)	ἦσθα	ἦν	ἤστον	ἤστην	ἦμεν	ἦτε	ἦσαν

    Future: ἔσομαι

number		singular			dual		plural
future		first	second	third	second	third	first	second	third
middle	indicative	ἔσομαι	ἔσει/ ἔσῃ	ἔσται	ἔσεσθον	ἔσεσθον	ἐσόμεθα	ἔσεσθε	ἔσονται
	optative	ἐσοίμην	ἔσοιο	ἔσοιτο	ἔσοισθον	ἐσοίσθην	ἐσοίμεθα	ἔσοισθε	ἔσοιντο
		infinitive				participle
infinitive		ἔσεσθαι				ἐσόμενος , ἐσομένη , ἐσόμενον

Descendants

• Greek: είμαι

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