Greek Grammar Guide
Understand how 18 grammatical forms shape the meaning of the New Testament, with 57+ examples from famous Bible verses.
New to Greek grammar? Start with the most common verb form in the New Testament:
Aorist Active IndicativeActive Indicative Tenses
The indicative mood states facts. These four tenses show how Greek distinguishes between different kinds of action: ongoing, completed, past ongoing, and completed with lasting results.
Present Active Indicative
The Present Active Indicative describes an action that is currently happening or is ongoing in nature. The subject is performing the action (active vo...
Aorist Active Indicative
The Aorist Active Indicative is the most common verb form in the New Testament. It describes a past action viewed as a simple, complete event without ...
Perfect Active Indicative
The Perfect Active Indicative describes an action that was completed in the past but whose results continue into the present. It combines the ideas of...
Imperfect Active Indicative
The Imperfect Active Indicative describes an action that was ongoing, repeated, or habitual in the past. Unlike the aorist, which views a past action ...
Commands, Possibilities & Passive Voice
Beyond stating facts, Greek verbs express commands (imperative), possibilities (subjunctive), and actions received by the subject (passive voice).
Present Active Imperative
The Present Active Imperative is a command that calls for continuous or habitual action. When a speaker uses the present...
Aorist Active Imperative
The Aorist Active Imperative is a command that calls for a specific, decisive action. Unlike the present imperative, whi...
Present Active Subjunctive
The Present Active Subjunctive expresses ongoing action that is potential, purposeful, or contingent rather than stated ...
Aorist Active Subjunctive
The Aorist Active Subjunctive expresses a decisive or specific potential action. Like the present subjunctive, it deals ...
Present Passive Indicative
The Present Passive Indicative describes an ongoing action being performed upon the subject. The subject receives the ac...
Aorist Passive Indicative
The Aorist Passive Indicative describes a completed action that was performed upon the subject. The subject received the...
The Four Greek Noun Cases
Greek nouns change their endings to show their function in a sentence. Understanding cases reveals who acts, who receives, and the relationships between words.
Nominative Case
The Nominative Case is the case of the subject. It identifies who or what is performing the action of the verb or being described. In Greek, the nomin...
Genitive Case
The Genitive Case is the case of description, possession, and source. It defines, limits, or qualifies another noun, answering questions like "whose?"...
Dative Case
The Dative Case is the case of the indirect object, means, and location. It answers questions like "to whom?", "for whom?", "by what means?", and "whe...
Accusative Case
The Accusative Case is the case of the direct object. It identifies what or whom receives the action of the verb, answering "what?" or "whom?" It is a...
Participles & Infinitives
Participles are verbal adjectives that describe ongoing or completed actions. Infinitives express the basic idea of a verb without specifying a subject.
Present Active Participle
The Present Active Participle is a verbal adjective that describes an ongoing action performed by its subject. It functions like adding "-ing" to an E...
Aorist Active Participle
The Aorist Active Participle describes a completed action that typically occurred before the main verb. It functions like "having done" in English. Un...
Present Active Infinitive
The Present Active Infinitive expresses an ongoing or continuous action in its most basic verbal form ("to do," "to be," "to love"). It does not speci...
Aorist Active Infinitive
The Aorist Active Infinitive expresses a simple or decisive action in its most basic verbal form. Unlike the present infinitive, which emphasizes ongo...
Go Deeper with Word Studies
Combine grammar knowledge with individual word studies to unlock the full meaning of the original Greek text.