εἶμι

See also: εἰμι, εἰμί, and Έιμι

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 • (eîmĭ)

1. (Attic, in the present indicative) to be going to go
2. (Epic, Attic otherwise) to go

Usage notes

Attic Greek: The present indicative carries a future meaning of "shall go". The other moods and tenses supply the suppletive verb ἔρχομαι (érkhomai), and do not carry this connotation.

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

Conjugation

   Present: εἶμῐ

number		singular			dual		plural
		first	second	third	second	third	first	second	third
active	indicative	εἶμῐ	εἶ	εἶσῐ(ν)	ῐ̓́τον	ῐ̓́τον	ῐ̓́μεν	ῐ̓́τε	ῐ̓́ᾱσῐ(ν)
	subjunctive	ῐ̓́ω	ῐ̓́ῃς	ῐ̓́ῃ	ῐ̓́ητον	ῐ̓́ητον	ῐ̓́ωμεν	ῐ̓́ητε	ῐ̓́ωσῐ(ν)
	optative	ῐ̓́οιμῐ	ῐ̓́οις	ῐ̓́οι	ῐ̓́οιτον	ῐ̓οίτην	ῐ̓́οιμεν	ῐ̓́οιτε	ῐ̓́οιεν
	imperative		ῐ̓́θῐ	ῐ̓́τω	ῐ̓́τον	ῐ̓́των		ῐ̓́τε	ῐ̓όντων
		active
infinitive		ῐ̓έναι
participle	m	ῐ̓ών
	f	ῐ̓οῦσᾰ
	n	ῐ̓όν
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For conjugation in dialects other than Attic, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal conjugation.

   Present: εἶμῐ (Epic)

number		singular			dual		plural
		first	second	third	second	third	first	second	third
active	indicative	εἶμῐ	εἶς / εἶσθᾰ	εἶσῐ	ῐ̓́τον	ῐ̓́τον	ῐ̓́μεν	ῐ̓́τε	ῐ̓́ᾱσῐ
	subjunctive	ῐ̓́ω	ῐ̓́ῃσθᾰ	ῐ̓́ῃσῐ	ῐ̓́ητον	ῐ̓́ητον	ῐ̓́ωμεν / ῐ̓́ομεν	ῐ̓́ητε	ῐ̓́ωσῐ(ν)
	optative	ῐ̓́οιμῐ	ῐ̓́οις	ῐ̓́οι / ῐ̓είη / εἴη	ῐ̓́οιτον	ῐ̓οίτην	ῐ̓́οιμεν	ῐ̓́οιτε	ῐ̓́οιεν
	imperative		ῐ̓́θῐ	ῐ̓́τω	ῐ̓́τον	ῐ̓́των		ῐ̓́τε	ῐ̓όντων
		active
infinitive		ῐ̓έναι / ῐ̓́μεναι / ῐ̓́μεν
participle	m	ῐ̓ών
	f	ῐ̓οῦσᾰ
	n	ῐ̓όν
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	ᾔει(ν)	ᾖτον	ᾔτην	ᾖμεν	ᾖτε	ᾖσᾰν / ᾔεσᾰν / εἶσᾰν
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For conjugation in dialects other than Attic, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal conjugation.

   Imperfect: ἤῐ̈ᾰ (Epic)

number		singular			dual		plural
		first	second	third	second	third	first	second	third
active	indicative	ἤῐ̈ᾰ	ᾔεις	ἤῐ̈ε(ν) / ᾖε(ν) / ῐ̓́ε(ν)	ᾔτον / ῐ̓́τον	ᾔτην / ῐ̓́την	ᾖμεν / ᾔομεν	ᾖτε	ἤῐ̈σᾰν / ῐ̓́σᾰν / ᾖσᾰν / ἤῐ̈ον
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

• ἔξειμῐ (éxeimĭ)
• ἐπῐπᾰ́ρειμῐ (epĭpắreimĭ)
• ῐ̓́θμα (ĭ́thma)
• ῐ̓σθμός (ĭsthmós)
• πάρειμῐ (páreimĭ)
• σύνειμι (súneimi)

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 (2006–2025)
• “εἶμι”, in Slater, William J. (1969), Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter