There are four moods in the Greek verb:-
- the Indicative,
- the Subjunctive,
- the Optative, and
- the Imperative.
With these are associated in the study of Syntax the Infinitive, which is, strictly speaking, a verbal noun, and the Participle, which is a verbal adjective.
The Subjunctive, Optative, Imperative, and Infinitive are often called dependent moods.
REMARK. The term dependent is not strictly applicable to these moods, and least of all to the Imperative, which almost always stands as a principal verb. It has, however, become an established term, and is retained as a matter of convenience.
Indicative Mood
The Indicative mood is the mood of factual assertion and reality. It is used to make statements and ask questions that relate to real or actual events. It is the only mood that consistently expresses time distinctions (present, past, future).
Subjunctive Mood
The Subjunctive mood expresses probability, intention, or potentiality. It is used in dependent clauses after certain conjunctions and in main clauses to express exhortations, prohibitions, or deliberative questions. It generally occurs in primary tenses (present and aorist).
Optative Mood
The Optative mood expresses wish, possibility, or potential under less immediate or more hypothetical circumstances than the subjunctive. It often appears in indirect speech or future-less-vivid conditions. The optative was more common in classical Greek and becomes rare in Koine Greek.
Imperative Mood
The Imperative mood expresses direct commands, requests, or prohibitions. It has no first-person forms and typically appears in the present or aorist tense, depending on whether the command is continuous or momentary in aspect.
Together, these four moods enable Greek verbs to convey not only when and how an action takes place, but also the speaker’s attitude toward the action’s reality or potentiality.
