BBG Chapter 35 — Nonindicative of δίδωμι and Conditional Sentences¶
Files¶
Exercises¶
| Exercise | Description |
|---|---|
| exercises/ch35-conditionals-drill/ | 20-item drill: identify conditional type, parse relevant verb forms, translate |
Flashcards¶
| File | Description |
|---|---|
| ch35-vocab-deck.md | Human-readable card list — 15 vocabulary words |
| ch35-vocab-deck.txt | Anki import file (File → Import) |
| ch35-vocab-deck-fd.txt | Flashcards Deluxe import file |
Notebooks¶
| Notebook | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Morphological Distribution | How δίδωμι, ἵστημι, τίθημι forms distribute across tenses and books |
Basics of Biblical Greek Grammar, Mounce, 4th Edition Data: MACULA Greek TAGNT (~415 δίδωμι tokens; ~650 conditional sentences NT-wide)
1. Non-Indicative Forms of δίδωμι¶
1.1 Subjunctive¶
The subjunctive of δίδωμι uses the lengthened vowel (ω/η) pattern of the subjunctive, applied to the μι-verb stem:
| Person | Active Singular | Active Plural |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | δῶ | δῶμεν |
| 2nd | δῷς | δῶτε |
| 3rd | δῷ | δῶσι(ν) |
Note: The subjunctive of δίδωμι (δῶ) looks very much like the aorist indicative of ω-verbs. Context is essential — look for ἵνα, ἐάν, or other subjunctive signals.
1.2 Imperative¶
| Tense | 2sg | 3sg | 2pl | 3pl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Present Active | δίδου | διδότω | δίδοτε | διδότωσαν |
| Aorist Active | δός | δότω | δότε | δότωσαν |
Note: The aorist imperative 2sg δός is extremely common in the GNT: "Give!" (Matt 14:16; Mark 6:37; Luke 15:12). Recognize it immediately — it is a very short, non-obvious form.
1.3 Infinitive¶
| Tense | Voice | Infinitive | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present | Active | διδόναι | to give (ongoing) |
| Aorist | Active | δοῦναι | to give (simply) |
| Aorist | Passive | δοθῆναι | to be given |
Note: The present infinitive διδόναι has the characteristic -ναι ending of μι-verb infinitives. The aorist δοῦναι is a contracted form (δο + εναι → δοῦναι).
1.4 Participle¶
| Tense | Masc Nom Sg | Fem Nom Sg | Neut Nom Sg | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Present Active | διδούς | διδοῦσα | διδόν | giving |
| Aorist Active | δούς | δοῦσα | δόν | having given |
| Aorist Passive | δοθείς | δοθεῖσα | δοθέν | having been given |
2. Conditional Sentences — Overview¶
A conditional sentence has two parts: - Protasis — the "if" clause (condition) - Apodosis — the "then" clause (result)
Greek has four classes of conditional sentences, distinguished by the mood and tense in each part and by the degree of reality or probability assumed.
3. The Four Classes of Conditional Sentences¶
Class 1 — Simple (Particular Fact) Condition¶
The speaker assumes the condition is true (for the sake of argument) — whether it actually is or not.
| Part | Form |
|---|---|
| Protasis | εἰ + indicative (any tense) |
| Apodosis | Indicative (any tense) |
εἰ υἱὸς εἶ τοῦ θεοῦ, εἰπὲ ἵνα οἱ λίθοι οὗτοι ἄρτοι γένωνται. (Matt 4:3) "If you are the Son of God [assuming you are], tell these stones to become bread."
εἰ ὁ θεὸς δίκαιός ἐστιν, κρινεῖ τὸν κόσμον. "If God is righteous [and I assume he is], he will judge the world."
Class 2 — Contrary-to-Fact Condition¶
The speaker assumes the condition is NOT true (the action did not/does not happen).
| Part | Form |
|---|---|
| Protasis | εἰ + imperfect indicative (past ctf) or aorist indicative (past ctf) |
| Apodosis | Imperfect or aorist indicative + ἄν |
εἰ ἦτε τέκνα τοῦ Ἀβραάμ, τὰ ἔργα τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ ἐποιεῖτε ἄν. (John 8:39) "If you were children of Abraham [but you are not], you would be doing the works of Abraham."
εἰ ἐγνώκειτέ με, καὶ τὸν πατέρα μου ἐγνώκειτε ἄν. (John 8:19) "If you had known me [you do not], you would also have known my Father."
Note: The marker for Class 2 is ἄν in the apodosis + past indicative in both parts. If you see ἄν in the result clause and the verb forms are past indicative, it is contrary-to-fact.
Class 3 — More Probable Future Condition¶
The speaker presents the condition as likely or possible in the future.
| Part | Form |
|---|---|
| Protasis | ἐάν + subjunctive |
| Apodosis | Future indicative (or present/imperative) |
ἐὰν εἴπωμεν ὅτι ἁμαρτίαν οὐκ ἔχομεν, ἑαυτοὺς πλανῶμεν. (1 John 1:8) "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves."
ἐὰν ὁμολογῶμεν τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν, πιστός ἐστιν. (1 John 1:9) "If we confess our sins, he is faithful…"
Note: Class 3 is by far the most common conditional type in the GNT. Recognize ἐάν + subjunctive immediately as a Class 3 condition. This overlaps with the indefinite clause construction from Ch31.
Class 4 — Less Probable (Remote) Future Condition¶
The speaker presents the condition as possible but unlikely or remote. This is very rare in the GNT (only partial examples survive; the optative mood required for Class 4 is itself rare in the NT).
| Part | Form |
|---|---|
| Protasis | εἰ + optative |
| Apodosis | Optative + ἄν |
εἰ καὶ πάσχοιτε διὰ δικαιοσύνην, μακάριοι. (1 Pet 3:14) "But even if you should suffer on account of righteousness, you are blessed."
Note: Full Class 4 conditionals (both parts with optative + ἄν) are virtually absent from the GNT. What survives are mostly protases without a matching apodosis. For GNT purposes, recognize the optative mood and Class 4 label, but do not expect to see many complete examples.
4. Conditional Sentence Summary Table¶
| Class | Name | Protasis | Apodosis | Reality Assumed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Simple / Particular | εἰ + indicative | indicative | Assumed true |
| 2 | Contrary-to-fact | εἰ + past indicative | past indicative + ἄν | Assumed false |
| 3 | More probable future | ἐάν + subjunctive | future/present/imperative | Likely/possible |
| 4 | Less probable future | εἰ + optative | optative + ἄν | Remote/unlikely |
5. Protasis and Apodosis — Terminology¶
- Protasis (from πρότασις, "that which is put forward first"): the "if" clause
- Apodosis (from ἀπόδοσις, "giving back"): the "then" clause — the logical result
The protasis introduces the condition; the apodosis states what follows if (or because) the condition holds.
6. GNT Examples — Full Analysis¶
Class 1: εἰ τέκνα ἐστέ, καὶ κληρονόμοι (cf. Gal 4:7) "If you are children [and I assume you are], then also heirs."
Class 2: εἰ ἐγίνωσκον, οὐκ ἂν τὸν κύριον τῆς δόξης ἐσταύρωσαν. (1 Cor 2:8) "If they had known [but they did not], they would not have crucified the Lord of glory."
Class 3: ἐὰν πιστεύσῃς, ὄψῃ τὴν δόξαν τοῦ θεοῦ. (John 11:40) "If you believe, you will see the glory of God."
Class 4 (partial): εἰ πάσχοιτε διὰ δικαιοσύνην, μακάριοι ὑμεῖς. (1 Pet 3:14) "If you should suffer for righteousness, you are blessed."
7. δίδωμι Non-Indicative — Quick Reference¶
| Form | Greek | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| Subjunctive 3sg | δῷ | Pres/Aor act subj 3sg |
| Imperative 2sg pres | δίδου | Pres act imper 2sg |
| Imperative 2sg aor | δός | Aor act imper 2sg |
| Inf. present active | διδόναι | Pres act inf |
| Inf. aorist active | δοῦναι | Aor act inf |
| Inf. aorist passive | δοθῆναι | Aor pass inf |
| Ptc pres act masc nom sg | διδούς | Pres act ptc m.n.sg |
| Ptc aor act masc nom sg | δούς | Aor act ptc m.n.sg |
| Ptc aor pass masc nom sg | δοθείς | Aor pass ptc m.n.sg |