The Future Active Indicative - Greek Lesson 6 - "From Alpha to Omega" by Anne Groton

Stephen Alexander Beach 

Basics of the Future Active Indicative 
The future active indicative tense uses the same endings as the present active indicative, the difference is that there is a tense marker added to the end of the stem, "σ". And so the forms will look like this chart: 

Future, Active, Indicative Endings
Tense Marker Stem addition	Present Endings	New Future Endings combined
σ +	ω	σω
σ +	εις	σεις
σ +	ει	σει
σ +	ομεν	σομεν
σ +	ετε	σετε
σ +	ουσι(v)	σουσι(v)

"The future tense may be translated with 'shall,' 'will,' or 'am/are/is going to.'"

Now when the end of a stem ends in a consonant there is a problem with adding the tense marker sigma. The Greeks strove to have pleasing sounds, and so in order to keep pleasing sounds these words formed contractions in these cases. Sometimes the two consonants form a double consonant, such as Xi or Psi. Sometimes a phonetic change occurs in the stem. See the chart below: 

The stem changes for words that	Their stem ends in a consonant	For the future active indicative
Stem ending in a labial	π, β, φ	+ σ = ψ
Stem ending in a dental	τ, δ, θ	+ σ = σσ -> σ
Stem ending in a palatal	κ, γ, χ	+ σ = ξ
Stem ending in	π τ	+ σ = ψ
Stem ending in	τ τ	+ σ = ξ

The Second Principle Part 

And so there are many irregular looking verb stems in the future active indicative. This, then, is what is given to us in the second principle parts of verbs in Greek. The first principle part gives us the first person, singular, present active indicative, while the second principle part gives us the first person, singular, future active indicative. Using this second principle part we can find the correct stem to add the endings to. 

Future Active Infinitive

"In certain instances ... infinitives can show time relative to that of the main verb; in such cases a future infinitive is needed to denote an action occurring subsequent to the time of the main verb." The future active infinitive can be made by adding the tense signal sigma and the "ειv" ending. 

μέλλω and the future tense

Vocabulary

ἀλλάττω, ἀλλάξω - to change, alter (in terms of the subject making something else change, a person or thing, in the transitive sense)

διώκω, διώξω - to pursue, chase, hunt, drive away, banish

ἔχω, ἕξω/σχήσω - to have, hold, possess (+ infinitive = to be able to) - it "... has an imperfective aspect ('I shall possess [for a period of time]'), while skeso has an aoristic aspect ('I shall get hold of [on a particular occasion]'). 

μέλλω, μελλήσω - (+future infinitive or present infinitive) to about to, intend to;