Inchoative Verb - Ancient Greek

Ancient Greek

Greek also uses the inchoative suffix -sk-, although it does not always indicate inchoative meaning. -sk- is added to verb-stems ending in vowels, -isk- to consonant stems.

  • aré-sk-ō "I please" or "appease" (first aorist ḗre-s-a "I appeased")
  • phá-sk-ō "I say" (from phē-mí, same meaning)
  • heur-ísk-ō "I find" (second aorist hēûr-on "I found")

Past iterative verb forms in Homer and Herodotus use the same suffix.

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