Mediopassive Verbs - Deponents & Daily-Routine Reflexives
Mediopassive verbs end in -ομαι / -άμαι instead of -ω. Two kinds matter at A2. (1) DEPONENTS have no active form at all yet mean something active - έρχομαι (I come), θυμάμαι (I remember); recognise the pattern and their key forms (έρχομαι, έρχεται, ήρθα). (2) DAILY-ROUTINE REFLEXIVES are the mediopassive of a live active verb, turned back on the subject - σηκώνομαι (I get up, from σηκώνω “I lift”), ντύνομαι (I get dressed), πλένομαι (I wash myself) - plus the everyday κοιμάμαι (I sleep). These four you CONJUGATE in full: -ομαι, -εσαι, -εται, -όμαστε, -εστε, -ονται (and the contracted -άμαι, -άσαι, -άται for κοιμάμαι), with a past in the -θηκ- series: σηκώθηκα, ντύθηκα, πλύθηκα, κοιμήθηκα.
The rule
Mediopassive verbs end in *-ομαι / -άμαι instead of -ω, and two kinds matter at A2. Deponents exist only in the mediopassive yet carry an active meaning - έρχομαι (“I come”), θυμάμαι (“I remember”); recognise the pattern and their key forms (έρχομαι, έρχεται, ήρθα). The daily-routine reflexives you conjugate in full: σηκώνομαι (“I get up”, from σηκώνω “I lift”), ντύνομαι (“I get dressed”), πλένομαι (“I wash myself”), plus the everyday κοιμάμαι (“I sleep”). The -ομαι type runs -ομαι, -εσαι, -εται, -όμαστε, -εστε, -ονται; the contracted -άμαι type runs -άμαι, -άσαι, -άται in the singular. The shared past is the -θηκ- series: σηκώθηκα, ντύθηκα, πλύθηκα, κοιμήθηκα*.
Paradigm
| Person | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | σηκώνομαι† | σηκωνόμαστε† |
| 2nd | σηκώνεσαι† | σηκώνεστε† |
| 3rd | σηκώνεται† | σηκώνονται† |
- Mediopassive of the active σηκώνω, used reflexively: "I get up". The -ομαι type.
- 1pl -όμαστε; the stress moves onto the ending, so the stem vowel loses its tonos.
- -ομαι type 2sg: -εσαι (contrast the contracted κοιμάσαι).
- -ομαι type 2pl: -εστε.
- -ομαι type 3sg: -εται.
- -ομαι type 3pl: -ονται.
| Person | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | κοιμάμαι† | κοιμόμαστε† |
| 2nd | κοιμάσαι† | κοιμάστε† |
| 3rd | κοιμάται† | κοιμούνται† |
- Contracted -άμαι mediopassive ("I sleep"). Deponent, but PRODUCED from v1.3 WP6 (daily-routine reflexive).
- 1pl -όμαστε - shared with the -ομαι type; the stress moves onto the ending.
- Contracted type 2sg: -άσαι (not the -εσαι of the σηκώνομαι type).
- Contracted type 2pl: -άστε. VARIANT: κοιμόσαστε also occurs - flagged, not asserted as the sole form.
- Contracted type 3sg: -άται ("he/she sleeps").
- Contracted type 3pl: -ούνται. VARIANT: κοιμόνται also occurs.
| Person | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | σηκώθηκα† | σηκωθήκαμε† |
| 2nd | σηκώθηκες† | σηκωθήκατε† |
| 3rd | σηκώθηκε† | σηκώθηκαν† |
- Mediopassive aorist on the -θηκ- series ("I got up").
- -θηκ- aorist 1pl; stress on -ήκαμε.
- -θηκ- aorist 2sg.
- -θηκ- aorist 2pl; stress on -ήκατε.
- -θηκ- aorist 3sg.
- -θηκ- aorist 3pl.