# πιστευε



## Isidore Demsky

What does πιστευε mean?


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## sotos

You believe (hortative), if it is "old" greek. Also, "he was believing", if it is modern gr.


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## Isidore Demsky

Thank you.

Why the difference?


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## sotos

Ah, sorry. This hortative is used in modern Gr. too. I believe it is the "aoristos" tense, while the present is "πίστευσον" which is used only in old Greek or katharevousa. I don't know why's the difference. It's just Greek.


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## apmoy70

Isidore Demsky said:


> Thank you.
> 
> Why the difference?


The modern Greek 2nd p. sing. present imperative *«πίστευε»* =_ you (sing.) believe!_ is identical to the 3rd p. singular imperfect *«πίστευε»* =_ s/he was believing_, for the simple reason, the modern imperfect has lost the initial unstressed epsilon that was the past-tense augment.
In the older forms of the language (such as Katharevousa, Byzantine, Koine, and Classical Greek) the imperfect and the aorist (simple pass) were denoted (amongst other characteristics) by adding a temporal prefix *«ἐ-»*.
In modern Standard Greek this initial augment has been lost, the modern form is the aphetism of the older forms:
*«Πίστευε!»* (Classical/Koine/Byzantine/Katharevousa/Modern Greek 2nd p. sing. present imperative) = _You (sing.) believe!_
*«Ἐπίστευε»* (Classical/Koine/Byzantine/Katharevousa Greek 3rd p. sing. aorist II indicative imperfect) = _s/he was believing_
*«Πίστευε»* (Modern Greek 3rd p. imperfect) = _s/he was believing_

_Edit: _Apologies for my late addition but sotos is right.


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## sotos

Montern πίστευε (past tence). Is it aorist or paratatikos? I think the aorist is πίστευσε or πίστεψε.


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## apmoy70

sotos said:


> Montern πίστευε (past tence). Is it aorist or paratatikos? I think the aorist is πίστευσε or πίστεψε.


You are right of course, I edited my post


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## Αγγελος

sotos said:


> Ah, sorry. This hortative is used in modern Gr. too. I believe it is the "aoristos" tense, while the present is "πίστευσον" which is used only in old Greek or katharevousa. I don't know why's the difference. It's just Greek.



No. As an imperative form [I don't think the term 'hortative' or 'hortatory' is used in Greek grammar, except perhaps to refer to first person plural forms, such as άγωμεν (ancient) or πάμε (modern) = let's go!], πίστευε is present (both ancient and modern). The aorist imperative is πίστευσον (ancient) or πίστεψε (modern).
In the indicative mood, πίστευε (modern Greek only) or επίστευε (ancient, but usable in modern Greek as well) is an imperfect form, meaning "(s)he used to believe".


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