Lenghtening of initial vowel denoting Past Tense

To show that we are talking about the PAST we make that clear from the outset by adding something to the front of the verb to warn us: look, I'll be referring to the past! This applies to the 3 past tenses: simple past (aorist indicative), imperfect and pluperfect.
 
  1. If the verb starts with a consonant, we just put an ἐ in front. Since this ἐ is pronounced separately from the rest of the verb it is a syllable all by itself. And that explains the term "syllabic" augment.
     
  2. If the verb starts with a vowel, this vowel is lengthened to show that we are now not talking present, but past. While in the first case the verb has been augmented (made bigger, longer) by adding a syllable, in this case it is augmented by making the initial sound longer. That's why we talk of a merely "temporal" augment.
 
Little problem: How do we lengthen a vowel? According to what rules?
Easy:
  • omega ω and eta η, being long already anyway, won't change.
    No noticable augment! Luckily we don't rely on the augment alone to know whether we are talking past, the endings also help, usually. If not, there is always the general context to consider. That is why we always know when Homer (and a few other Greek authors) refer to the past, even though they do not use past augments much, if at all. Context does [most] always tell.
  • short ῐ and short ῠ just lengthen their sound to ῑ and ῡ (you'll hear the difference quite clearly)
  • Leaves alpha α, epsilon ε and omicron ο. 
    • Both α and ε change to η
      (though in some rare cases ε lengthens into the diphthong ει.)
    • omicron ο changes to omega ω.
End of story.
End of story? What happens to diphthongs? Nothing much, it is the initial vowel that changes, nothing else. Except...
A long vowel iota diphthong isn't a real diphthong anymore (difficult to pronounce!) so the iota sound has a tendency to disappear totally and the iota becomes subscript: to show that it is there, even if unnoticed by the ear:
ᾱͅ, ῃ and ῳ
 
Some examples to show what I mean:
 
I'll use the 1st person plural forms present versus imperfect to show the difference.
  1. Unproblematic syllabic augment:
    σπεύδομεν we hurry, ἐσπεύδομεν, we were hurrying or used to hurry
    παίζομεν we play, ἐπαίζομεν we used to play, we were playing
    μαχόμεθα we fight, ἐμαχόμεθα we used to fight, were fighting
    παιδευόμεθα we are being educated, ἐπαιδευόμεθα we were being educated
     
  2. Temporal augment:
    1. No noticable difference between present and past:
      ἥκομεν is either "we are here (have arrived)" or "we were there (had arrived)"
      ὠθίζομεν is either "we push" (present) or "we were pushing" (imperfect)
    2. Sound itself unchanged, just dragged out longer:
      ἰατρεύομεν, we heal, ἰ̄ατρεύομεν, we used to heal, be physicians
      The little problem I have here is that I can't get a macron + another diacritic to display properly. There should be a clean-looding combination breathing mark and macron. In text-books there is!
      ὑφαίνομεν, we are weaving, ὑ̄φαίνομεν, we were weaving (both real cloth but also deceit)
      Same problem as for ῑ, ῡ refuses to combine properly with the breathing mark and has to be seen with the eyes of your mind.
    3. Initital sound changed (lengthened) to indicate past tense: 
      ἄγομεν we lead, ἤγομεν we used to lead, were leading
      αἴρομεν we lift, pick up, ᾔρομεν we were lifting (subscript iota because a full iota would mean an extra syllable: ἠ-ί-ρομεν. See note.)
      αὐξάνομεν, we augment, increase, ηὐξάνομεν, we were increasing
      ἐθέλομεν we want versus ἠθέλομεν, we wanted, were willing
      εὑρίσκομεν, we find versus ηὑρίσκομεν, we used to find, we often found
      ὀνομάζομεν, we name, call versus ὠνομάζομεν, we used to name, call
      οἰκέομεν, we live, dwell versus ᾠκέομεν we were living
      (In Attic Greek εο contracts to ου, so οἰκοῦμεν versus ᾠκοῦμεν)
 
There are of course some exceptions. But those are learnt easily enough when met in lessons or readings.
 

 

 

 

 

 

Exceptions seen so far: I had, εἶχον and compounds: I used to give παρεῖχον e.g.
Exceptions seen so far: I used to drag, εἷλκον
Exceptions seen so far: I used to follow, εἱπόμην

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 Note 

If you see an ηι or an ωι combination you'll know that you are in the presence, not of a diphthong, but of 2 separate vowel sounds. We do not need a diaeresis to show that the iota is pure iota sound. Placed after a long vowel it always is pure! Unless it is an adscript, which is really a subscript next to an uppercase vowel, instead of underneath it.

Examples:

ῳ is a one-syllable-diphthong in πρῴ
ωι is pronounced as 2 separate syllables in πρωί

ῃ one syllable diphthong sound in πρὸς τῇ κρήνῃ.
ηι pronounced as 2 separate syllables in ἐν νηί τινι

ᾳ is a long a diphthong, usually just pronounced long alpha: ῥᾴθυμος
αι is a pure diphthong as in παιδεύω, αἴρω, παῖς
αï pronounced as 2 separate syllables in Ἀγλαΐα, Ἠσαΐας (Isaiah)

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