BBG Chapter 32 — Infinitive¶
Files¶
Exercises¶
| Exercise | Description |
|---|---|
| exercises/ch32-infinitive-parsing/ | 20-item drill: parse infinitives, identify their use, translate |
Flashcards¶
| File | Description |
|---|---|
| ch32-vocab-deck.md | Human-readable card list — 2 vocabulary words |
| ch32-vocab-deck.txt | Anki import file (File → Import) |
| ch32-vocab-deck-fd.txt | Flashcards Deluxe import file |
Notebooks¶
| Notebook | What it shows |
|---|---|
| NT Mood Usage | Infinitive distribution, construction types (complementary/articular/prepositional), genre comparison |
| Concordance | Find all infinitive forms; collocations with key infinitive complements |
Basics of Biblical Greek Grammar, Mounce, 4th Edition Data: MACULA Greek TAGNT (~2,290 infinitive tokens NT-wide)
1. The Infinitive — Overview¶
The infinitive is a verbal noun: it has properties of both a verb (tense/aspect, voice, can take a direct object and an adverbial modifier) and a noun (it can function as subject, object, complement of another verb, or in prepositional phrases).
Unlike finite verb forms, the infinitive has: - No person or number (it is not conjugated) - No mood marker of its own - Tense/aspect distinction (present vs. aorist vs. perfect) - Voice distinction (active, middle, passive)
2. Formation of the Infinitive¶
2.1 Infinitive Endings¶
| Tense/Voice | Suffix | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present Active | -ειν | λύειν | to loose (ongoing) |
| Present Middle/Passive | -εσθαι | λύεσθαι | to be loosed / to loose (for oneself) |
| Aorist Active (1st) | -σαι | λῦσαι | to loose (simply) |
| Aorist Middle (1st) | -σασθαι | λύσασθαι | to loose for oneself |
| Aorist Passive (1st) | -θῆναι | λυθῆναι | to be loosed |
| Aorist Active (2nd) | -εῖν | λαβεῖν | to take |
| Perfect Active | -κέναι | λελυκέναι | to have loosed |
| Perfect Middle/Passive | -σθαι | λελύσθαι | to have been loosed |
Note: No augment in the aorist infinitive — augment belongs only to the aorist indicative. The aorist infinitive is built on the aorist stem, without the ε- prefix.
2.2 Key Diagnostic: Present vs. Aorist Infinitive Aspect¶
| Form | Aspect | Nuance |
|---|---|---|
| λύειν (present) | Imperfective | ongoing, continuous action |
| λῦσαι (aorist) | Perfective | simple, undefined action |
Context and the surrounding verb will often guide which translation is most appropriate, but the aspect distinction is always present.
3. The Infinitive Does Not Have Absolute Tense¶
Like the participle, the infinitive's "tense" indicates aspect, not time relative to the speaker. The infinitive does not express past, present, or future by itself — the aspect is relative to the controlling verb or context.
4. Uses of the Infinitive¶
4.1 Complementary Infinitive¶
The most common use: the infinitive completes the meaning of another verb. Many verbs require an infinitive to complete their thought.
θέλω λύειν = "I want to loose" ἤρξατο λέγειν = "he began to speak" δύναμαι ποιεῖν = "I am able to do"
Common verbs that take a complementary infinitive: θέλω (want), δύναμαι (am able), ἄρχομαι (begin), μέλλω (am about to), ἐξουσία ἐστίν (it is lawful).
4.2 Articular Infinitive (τό + Infinitive)¶
When an article (neuter singular τό/τοῦ/τῷ) precedes the infinitive, the infinitive becomes a noun clause and can fill any nominal slot in the sentence.
| Article Case | Function | Example |
|---|---|---|
| τό (accusative) | Subject or direct object | τὸ ζῆν Χριστός (Phil 1:21) — "to live [is] Christ" |
| τοῦ (genitive) | Genitive noun clause or purpose | τοῦ σῴζειν — "of saving" / purpose |
| τῷ (dative) | Dative noun clause | ἐν τῷ ἔρχεσθαι — "in the coming" |
Note: The article before the infinitive does not mean the infinitive has gender or case itself — the article simply marks the infinitive's syntactic role and makes it identifiable.
4.3 Purpose with εἰς τό or πρός τό¶
εἰς τό + infinitive and πρός τό + infinitive express purpose — "in order to," "so as to."
ἐξῆλθεν εἰς τὸ σπεῖραι = "he went out in order to sow" πρὸς τὸ θεαθῆναι αὐτοῖς (Matt 6:1) = "so as to be seen by them"
4.4 Result with ὥστε¶
ὥστε + infinitive expresses result — "so that," "with the result that."
ὥστε τοὺς ὄχλους θαυμάζειν (Matt 15:31) "so that the crowds marveled"
4.5 Indirect Discourse with Accusative Subject¶
After verbs of saying, thinking, believing, and perceiving, the infinitive often appears in an indirect discourse construction with an accusative subject:
λέγουσιν αὐτὸν εἶναι προφήτην. "They say him to be a prophet." = "They say that he is a prophet."
The accusative noun (αὐτόν) is the subject of the infinitive (εἶναι). In English, we normally convert this to a "that" clause.
ᾤοντο τὸν κύριον ἐγηγέρθαι. "They thought that the Lord had been raised."
Note: When you see an accusative noun followed by an infinitive after a verb of saying/thinking, you are looking at indirect discourse. The accusative is the subject of the infinitive, not the object of the main verb.
4.6 Temporal Clause with ἐν τῷ¶
ἐν τῷ + infinitive expresses time — "while," "when," "as."
ἐν τῷ σπείρειν αὐτόν (Matt 13:4) "While he was sowing"
4.7 Summary of Infinitive Uses¶
| Construction | Marker | Function |
|---|---|---|
| Complementary | Direct after a verb | Completes another verb |
| Subject | τό (nom/acc) | Nominative or subject position |
| Purpose | εἰς τό / πρός τό / τοῦ | In order to |
| Result | ὥστε | So that / with the result that |
| Indirect discourse | Accusative subject + inf. | After verbs of saying/thinking |
| Temporal | ἐν τῷ | While / when |
5. GNT Examples¶
πιστεύετε εἰς τὸ εὐαγγέλιον. (Mark 1:15) "Believe in the gospel." — εἰς τό here is directional, not purpose
οὐκ εἰμὶ ἱκανὸς κύψας λῦσαι τὸν ἱμάντα. (Mark 1:7) "I am not worthy to loose the strap." — complementary infinitive
ἐξῆλθεν ὁ σπείρων τοῦ σπεῖραι. (Matt 13:3) "The sower went out to sow." — τοῦ + infinitive = purpose
ὥστε μηκέτι αὐτὸν δύνασθαι εἰσελθεῖν. (Mark 2:2) "So that he was no longer able to enter." — ὥστε + inf. (result)
ἤκουσαν λεγόντων ὅτι Ἰησοῦς ὁ Ναζωραῖος παρέρχεται. (Luke 18:37) "They heard them saying that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by."
6. εἶναι — Infinitive of εἰμί¶
The infinitive of εἰμί is εἶναι ("to be"). It is very common in indirect discourse and complementary constructions:
λέγουσιν αὐτὸν εἶναι τὸν Χριστόν. "They say that he is the Christ."
7. Diagnostic Summary¶
| Ending | Parse as |
|---|---|
| -ειν | Present active infinitive |
| -εσθαι | Present middle/passive infinitive |
| -σαι | Aorist active infinitive (1st) |
| -σασθαι | Aorist middle infinitive (1st) |
| -θῆναι | Aorist passive infinitive |
| -εῖν (on 2nd aor. stem) | Aorist active infinitive (2nd) |
| -κέναι | Perfect active infinitive |
| -σθαι (with reduplication) | Perfect middle/passive infinitive |