A situation where two words are used together to create meaning. For example, the adjective “beautiful” is put into the superlative degree by adding a free morpheme “most”. Together, these words make up a periphrastic.
In Greek, a form of ειμι is used with the participle to express a verbal idea. It is similar to the English progressive tense. BBG 30.14 Here are the different possibilities:
| Tense/Aspect | Auxiliary (*εἰμί*) Form | Participle Form | Voice | Translation/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Present | Present Indicative | Present Participle | Active | “He is loosing” (emphasizes ongoing action). |
| Present Indicative | Present Participle | Middle | “He is loosing himself” or “He is being loosed” (middle/passive nuance). | |
| Present Indicative | Present Participle | Passive | “He is being loosed” (clear passive with context). | |
| Imperfect | Imperfect Indicative | Present Participle | Active | “He was loosing” (continuous past action). |
| Imperfect Indicative | Present Participle | Middle/Passive | “He was loosing himself” or “He was being loosed.” | |
| Future | Future Indicative | Present Participle | Active | “He will be loosing” (rare, emphasizes intent or process). |
| Future Indicative | Present Participle | Middle/Passive | “He will be loosing himself” or “He will be being loosed” (very rare). | |
| Perfect | Present Indicative | Perfect Participle | Active | “He has loosed” or “He is in the state of having loosed” (stative aspect). |
| Present Indicative | Perfect Participle | Middle | “He has loosed himself” or “He is in the state of having been loosed.” | |
| Present Indicative | Perfect Participle | Passive | “He has been loosed” or “He is in the state of having been loosed.” | |
| Pluperfect | Imperfect Indicative | Perfect Participle | Active | “He had loosed” (past stative action). |
| Imperfect Indicative | Perfect Participle | Middle/Passive | “He had loosed himself” or “He had been loosed.” | |
| Future Perfect | Future Indicative | Perfect Participle | Active | “He will have loosed” (rare, future stative). |
| Future Indicative | Perfect Participle | Middle/Passive | “He will have been loosed” (very rare). | |
| Subjunctive (Rare) | Present Subjunctive | Present Participle | Active | “That he might be loosing” (hypothetical, uncommon). |
| Present Subjunctive | Perfect Participle | Passive | “That he might be in the state of having been loosed” (very rare). | |
| Optative (Archaic) | Present Optative | Present Participle | Active | “May he be loosing” (literary, rare in Koine). |
| Present Optative | Perfect Participle | Passive | “May he be in the state of having been loosed” (extremely rare). |