Types of Verbs

Greek Learning Greek
1

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?

2

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