Types of Verbs

[matthewgm]

I group vocabulary for ease of memorization, but I am unsure of how to group Greek verbs. My inclination was to follow Smyth and learn verbs by class, but that is unmanageable and probably unuseful. So I am trying to figure out a more useful scheme. Any thoughts?

Possibilities:

Thematic
-w
-deponents
-second aorist
-root aorists
-contract
Thematic

In Classical Greek Prose: A Basic Vocabulary, Malcolm Campbell groups verbs by infinitive type.


Any advanced readers have any insight into how to best think about verbs?

[Σαυλος]

I wonder if learning “across” instead of “down” would be a better way to memorize verbs. E.g.

• εἰπεῖν --> γράψαι --> δέξασθαι --> γενέσθαι --> θεῖναι --> πειραθῆναι
  λέγειν --> γράφειν --> δέχεσθαι --> γίνεσθαι --> τιθέναι --> πειρᾶσθαι
  εἰπέ --> γράψον --> δέξαι --> γενοῦ --> θές --> πειράθητι
  λέγε --> γράφε --> δέχου --> γίνου --> τίθου --> πειρῶ
  εἶπε~ν --> ἔγραψε~ν --> ἐδέξατο --> ἐγένετο --> ἔθηκε~ν --> ἐπειράθη
  ἔλεγε --> ἔγραφε~ν --> ἐδέχετο --> [-----------] --> ἐτίθει --> ἐπειρᾶτο
  λέγει --> γράφει --> δέχεται --> γίνεται --> τίθησι~ν --> πειρᾶται
  ἐρεῖν --> γράψει --> δέξεται --> γενήσεται --> θήσει --> πειράσεται
  εἴπῃ --> γράψῃ --> δέξηται --> γένηται --> θῇ --> πειραθῇ
  λέγῃ --> γράφῃ --> δέχηται --> γίνηται --> τίθῃ --> πειρᾶται

If we are THINKING them as we learn them, it is far easier to mentally picture "he speaks, he receives, he becomes, he puts, he tries,

• λέγει --> γράφει --> δέχεται --> γίνεται --> τίθησι~ν --> πειρᾶται

than it is to picture "I speak, you speak, he speaks..."

• λέγω, λέγεις, λέγει, κτλ.

If we are READING the Greek, it is more important to see the common significance of forms such as

• γράψαι, γενέσθαι, and θεῖναι, (Aorist Infinitive)

than it is to see that

• γραψαι τύψαι and παυσαι are members of the same verb class. (Omega class flavour of the Aorist Infinitive)

But if the goal is to create a mental reference table which we can later mentally consult, then learning them by rote in a vertical manner is certainly easier, and rolls off the tongue better as a if a rhyme. E.g.
λέγω
λέγεις
λέγει
λέγομεν
λέγετε
λέγουσι