εἰμί

See also: εἶμι, εἰμι, and Έιμι

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

ἔμμῐ (émmi) — Aeolic
ἠμῐ́ (ēmí) — Cretan
εἶμαι (eîmai) — Byzantine
εἴμ’ (eím’), εἰμ’ (eim’) — apocopic
εἰμι (eimi) — unstressed

Etymology

From Proto-Hellenic *ehmi, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁ésmi (“I am, I exist”).

Cognate with Old English eom (whence English am), Latin sum, Sanskrit अस्मि (ásmi), Old Armenian եմ (em), and so on. More at *h₁es- (“to be, exist”). Not to be confused with εἶμι (eîmi) (to go).

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /eː.mí/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /iˈmi/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /iˈmi/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /iˈmi/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /iˈmi/

Audio (Classical Attic); “εἰμί, ἔσομαι, ἦν, εἶναι” (“eimí, ésomai, ên, eînai”): (file)

Verb

εἰμῐ́ • (eimí)

to be, exist; (of persons) live
1. (of events) to happen
2. to be the case
  - a. 1452/1454, Plethon, “λϛʹ. Προσρήσεών τε καὶ ὕμνων χρήσεως διάταξις. [CHAPTER 36. Instruction for the use of addresses and hymns]”, in Νομων Συγγραφη. [Book of Laws]‎^[1], translation of original by John Opsopaus, PhD:
    ...ἐάν δ’ ἱερέων μηδεὶς παρῇ, τὸν τῆς προσκυνήσεως κατάρξαντα ἰδιώτην, καὶ ταύτην ἐπιλέγειν τὴν εὐχήν, οὐκέτι μέντοι ἐπαίροντα τὼ χεῖρε· πρὸς δέ, καὶ ἀντὶ τοῦ ὑμῖν, ἡμῖν λέγοντα· καὶ τοὺς λοιπούς· ‘εἶεν· εἶεν· εἶεν’, ὑποκριναμένους, οὕτω ἀπολύεσθαι·
    ...eán d’ hieréōn mēdeìs parêi, tòn tês proskunḗseōs katárxanta idiṓtēn, kaì taútēn epilégein tḕn eukhḗn, oukéti méntoi epaíronta tṑ kheîre; pròs dé, kaì antì toû humîn, hēmîn légonta; kaì toùs loipoús; ‘eîen; eîen; eîen’, hupokrinaménous, hoútō apolúesthai;
    ...But if no priest is present, the individual who began the adoration also adds the prayer, but without raising [his] hands, in addition saying “us” instead of “you”; and the rest, answering “Be it so! Be it so! Be it so!”, are thus released.
(copulative) to be [with nominative ‘something, someone’]
(third person, impersonal) it is possible [with infinitive ‘that ...’]

Usage notes

Used as Aorist: ἐγενόμην (egenómēn) and as Present Perfect: γέγονα (gégona) from verb γίγνομαι (gígnomai, “come into being”)
Postclassical/Hellenistic Koine present imperative 2nd person singular: ἔσο (éso), and 3rd: ἤτω (ḗtō), Imperfect 1st person singular: ἤμην (ḗmēn)
Verbal adjective: συνεστέον (sunestéon)
All forms of the present active indicative except 2nd person singular (εἶ) are enclitic.

Inflection

Present: εἰμί

number		singular			dual		plural
		first	second	third	second	third	first	second	third
active	indicative	εἰμί	εἶ	ἐστί/ἐστίν	ἐστόν	ἐστόν	ἐσμέν	ἐστέ	εἰσί/εἰσίν
	subjunctive	ὦ	ᾖς	ᾖ	ἦτον	ἦτον	ὦμεν	ἦτε	ὦσι/ὦσιν
	optative	εἴην	εἴης	εἴη	εἴητον/εἶτον	εἰήτην/εἴτην	εἴημεν/εἶμεν	εἴητε/εἶτε	εἴησαν/εἶεν
	imperative		ἴσθι	ἔστω	ἔστον	ἔστων		ἔστε	ἔστων/ἔστωσαν/ὄντων
		active
infinitive		εἶναι
participle	m	ὤν
	f	οὖσα
	n	ὄν
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For conjugation in dialects other than Attic, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal conjugation.

Present: εἰμί (Epic)

number		singular			dual		plural
		first	second	third	second	third	first	second	third
active	indicative	εἰμί	ἐσσί/εἶς	ἐστί/ἐστίν	ἐστόν	ἐστόν	εἰμέν	ἐστέ	εἰσί(ν)/ἔᾱσι(ν)
	subjunctive	ἔω	ᾖς	ἔῃ/ἔῃσι(ν)/ᾖσι(ν)				ἦτε	ἔωσι(ν)/ὦσι(ν)
	optative	εἴην	εἴης/ἔοις	εἴη/ἔοι	εἴητον/εἶτον	εἰήτην/εἴτην	εἴημεν/εἶμεν	εἴητε/εἶτε	εἴησαν/εἶεν
	imperative		ἔσσο	ἔστω	ἔστον	ἔστων		ἔστε	ἔστων
		active
infinitive		εἶναι/ἔμμεναι/ἔμεναι/ἔμμεν/ἔμεν
participle	m	ἐών/ὤν
	f	ἐοῦσα/οὖσα
	n	ἐόν/ὄν
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For conjugation in dialects other than Attic, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal conjugation.

Imperfect: ἦ/ἦν

number		singular			dual		plural
		first	second	third	second	third	first	second	third
active	indicative	ἦ/ἦν	ἦσθα	ἦν	ἦστον	ἤστην	ἦμεν	ἦτε	ἦσαν
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For conjugation in dialects other than Attic, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal conjugation.

Imperfect: ἦα/ἔᾱ/ἔον/ἔσκον (Epic)

number		singular			dual		plural
		first	second	third	second	third	first	second	third
active	indicative	ἦα/ἔᾱ/ἔον/ἔσκον	ἔησθα/ἦσθα	ἦεν/ἔην/ἤην/ἦν/ἔσκε(ν)	ἤστον	ἤστην	ἦμεν	ἦτε	ἦσαν/ἔσαν
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For conjugation in dialects other than Attic, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal conjugation.

Future: ἔσομαι

number		singular			dual		plural
		first	second	third	second	third	first	second	third
middle	indicative	ἔσομαι	ἔσῃ, ἔσει	ἔσται/ἔσεται	ἔσεσθον	ἔσεσθον	ἐσόμεθᾰ	ἔσεσθε	ἔσονται
middle	optative	ἐσοίμην	ἔσοιο	ἔσοιτο	ἔσοισθον	ἐσοίσθην	ἐσοίμεθᾰ	ἔσοισθε	ἔσοιντο
					middle
infinitive					ἔσεσθαι
participle	m				ἐσόμενος
	f				ἐσομένη
	n				ἐσόμενον
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For conjugation in dialects other than Attic, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal conjugation.

Future: ἔσσομαι (Epic)

number		singular			dual		plural
		first	second	third	second	third	first	second	third
middle	indicative	ἔσσομαι	ἔσσεαι	ἔσσεται/ἐσσεῖται	ἔσσεσθον	ἔσσεσθον	ἐσσόμε(σ)θᾰ	ἔσσεσθε	ἔσσονται
middle	optative	ἐσσοίμην	ἔσσοιο	ἔσσοιτο	ἔσσοισθον	ἐσσοίσθην	ἐσσοίμε(σ)θᾰ	ἔσσοισθε	ἐσσοίᾰτο
					middle
infinitive					ἔσσεσθαι
participle	m				ἐσσόμενος
	f				ἐσσομένη
	n				ἐσσόμενον
Notes:	Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms are based on conjecture. Use with caution. For more details, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal conjugation.

Synonyms

(it is possible): ἔξεστι (éxesti)

Derived terms

ἄπειμι (ápeimi)
ἀπουσία (apousía)
αὐτοουσία (autoousía)
ἔνειμι (éneimi)
ἔξειμι (éxeimi)
ἔξεστι (éxesti)
ἐξουσία (exousía)
ἔπειμι (épeimi)
ἐπιούσιος (epioúsios)
ἐπιπρόσειμι (epipróseimi)
ἐπισυμπάρειμι (episumpáreimi)
ἐπισύνειμι (episúneimi)
καταπερίειμι (kataperíeimi)
μέτειμι (méteimi)
μετουσία (metousía)
οὐρανουσία (ouranousía)
οὐσία (ousía)
πάρειμι (páreimi)
παρουσία (parousía)
περίειμι (períeimi)
περιουσία (periousía)
πρόειμι (próeimi)
προένειμι (proéneimi)
προέξειμι (proéxeimi)
πρόσειμι (próseimi)
προσπάρειμι (prospáreimi)
συμπάρειμι (sumpáreimi)
συμπρόσειμι (sumpróseimi)
σύνειμι (súneimi)
συνένειμι (sunéneimi)
συνουσία (sunousía)
συνύπειμι (sunúpeimi)
ὕπειμι (húpeimi)
ὑπένειμι (hupéneimi)
ὑπέρειμι (hupéreimi)
ὤν (ṓn)

Descendants

Byzantine Greek: εἶμαι (eîmai)
- Modern Greek: είμαι (eímai)
Mariupol Greek: и́ми (ími)