# Present Active Participles



## Flaminius

Hello,

I am just wondering how to inflect present active participles in Modern Greek.  Take αγαπώντας for example.  I understand this is the nominative singular masculine, right?

There are a lot of materials out there that explain how to make the participles from verb roots but I have yet to find the declension paradigms.  Can I get the rest of the forms for  αγαπώντας, in other genders and cases please?


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## Perseas

In Modern Greek the participles of active voice like «αγαπώντας» or «θέλοντας» are not declined. There is only this one form for all genders and numbers. Neither cases exist, though «-ώντας» or «-οντας» are mainly used in nominative. For the other cases we ususally modify the particple to a subordinate clause or we rarely borrow forms from Ancient Greek.


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## Flaminius

I see.  There is no wonder Greek has developed without those cumbersome declensions of participles of active voice in Classical Greek.  Then, how would I say "to those (feminine plural) who love riding motorcycles" as the opening address of an article?

Thanks in advance.

Edit: I mean how to say above not resorting to AG forms.


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## Perseas

Flaminius said:


> Then, how would I say "to those (feminine plural) who love riding motorcycles" as the opening address of an article?



I have in my mind something like «Για εκείνες που τους αρέσει να οδηγούν μηχανές/μοτοσυκλέτες»

If there was no reference to women before this opening address, I would suggest to put the word «γυναίκες»: «Για τις γυναίκες που τους αρέσει να οδηγούν μηχανές/μοτοσυκλέτες».


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## Flaminius

If που τους is a relative pronoun of a sort, how the verb is inflected in the third person singular whereas the antecedent is in plural?


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## Perseas

που is the realative pronoun.
τους is the masc. & fem. personal pronoun in genitive plural. (I like = μου αρέσει)



Flaminius said:


> how the verb is inflected in the third person singular whereas the antecedent is in plural?


who likes riding = που της αρέσει να οδηγεί (της = the feminine personal pronoun in genitive singular)


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## Acestor

Katharevousa participles are still in use and have a very active role in the language.

Modern active participles (or gerunds) are used adverbially. To turn them into nouns you have to use a phrase. For your example, try a simpler verb, e.g. αγαπώ (love):

those (feminine plural) who love riding motorcycles = όσες αγαπούν τις μηχανές

We would not use a katharevousa participle (οι αγαπώσες) in this case.


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## Flaminius

@Perseas
Everything in your example sentence is now clear.  The trouble was that I didn't know that οδηγώ was an impersonal verb.

@Acestor
How does a katherevousa participle decline to the number, case, and the gender?


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## Acestor

The katharevousa participles are pretty much the same as the participles of ancient Greek. Try this tool: http://www.lexigram.gr/lex/arch/#Hist2

No one would say "η αγαπώσα" (ἡ ἀγαπῶσα, the one who loves) nowadays , but we still use some of those participles, passively in fossilised expressions (e.g. η μαθητιώσα νεολαία) or actively, creating new expressions where necessary if the style allows it.


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## Flaminius

Sorry but I cannot find the form you showed above as a katherevousa participle (οι αγαπώσες) in the table of present active participles.  See for example, here, where αγαπώσα can be found.


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## Acestor

I don't know how your book is structured. Try Google ( https://www.google.gr/search?q="ἀγα...9.1229j0j9&sourceid=chrome&es_sm=122&ie=UTF-8 ) or use the link I gave you for ancient Greek. Look for "ἀγαπῶσαι" in ancient Greek. In modern Greek it is "αγαπώσες" (the form exists, but it is hardly ever used for the specific verb). You'll find that here: http://www.lexigram.gr/lex/newg/αγαπώσες#Hist1 (Μετοχές > Ενεστώτας > Θηλυκό).


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## Αγγελος

οδηγώ is NOT an impersonal verb. It means "lead", "guide" and "drive" (a motor vehicle).
αρέσω is usually impersonal. Μου αρέσει να οδηγώ = Ι like driving.
(But it can also be used with a personal subject.  Δεν μου αρέσει το ψάρι = I don't like fish. O George Clooney αρέσει στις γυναίκες 
The relative που is very loose in its construction. You can perfectly well say Ο άνθρωπος που παντρεύτηκα την κόρη του (=whose daughter I married) or Αυτός που του ζήτησα λεφτά (=He whom I asked for money), and likewise Οι γυναίκες που τους αρέσει να οδηγούν αυτοκίνητο = Women who like driving cars.


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