__A.V ἦν is sometimes used with plural masculine and feminine, usually at the beginning of a sentence, there was, τῆς δ᾽ ἦν τρεῖς κεφαλαί [[ 8th-7th c.BC: Hesiodus Epicus “Theogonia” 321; (but in ἦν δ᾽ ἐρῳδιοί τε πολλοί 5th c.BC: Epicharmus Comicus 46, compare 59, +others, it may be taken as _Doric dialect_ _3rd.pers._ _plural_)] Refs 8th c.BC+]; ἦν δ᾽ ἀμφίπλεκτοι κλίμακες [[ 5th c.BC: Sophocles Tragicus “Trachiniae” 520 (Lyric poetry)] Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἦν ἄρα κἀκεῖνοι ταλακάρδιοι epigram cited in [[ 4th c.BC: Aeschines Orator 3.184; less frequently ἔστι, ἔστι δὲ μεταξὺ.. ἑπτὰ στάδιοι 5th c.BC: Herodotus Historicus 1.26, compare 7.34; ἔστι.. ἄρχοντές τε καὶ δῆμος 5th-6th c.BC: Plato Philosophus “Respublica” 463a ] Refs 5th c.BC+]; before dual Nouns, [[ 5th-6th c.BC: Aristophanes Comicus “Vespae” 58, 5th-6th c.BC: Plato Philosophus “Gorgias” 500d. ] Refs 5th c.BC+]
__A.VI ἔστι impersonal, with infinitive, it is possible, ἔστι γὰρ ἀμφοτέροισιν ὀνείδεα μυθήσασθαι [[ 8th c.BC: Ilias Homerus Epicus “Illiad” 20.246; ἔστι μὲν εὕδειν, ἔστι δὲ τερπομένοισιν ἀκούειν 8th c.BC: Odyssea Homerus Epicus “Odyssey” 15.392 ] Refs 8th c.BC+]; εἴ τί πού ἐστι (i.e. πιθέσθαι)[[ 4.193; τοιάδε.. ἐστὶν ἀκοῦσαι 4th-5th c.BC: Aeschylus Tragicus “Prometheus Vinctus” 1055 (_anapaest meter_); ἔστι τεκμήρια ὁρᾶν 5th-6th c.BC: Xenophon Historicus “Anabasis” 3.2.13, compare 5th-6th c.BC: Aristophanes Comicus “Ranae” 1163, 4th c.BC: Aeschines Orator 3.105, 4th c.BC: Demosthenes Orator 18.272, 4th c.BC: Aristoteles Philosophus “Ἀθηναίων Πολιτεία” 53.6, etc.] Refs 5th c.BC+]; so in imperative, optative, and subjunctive, ἔστω ἀποφέρεσθαι τῷ βουλομένῳ [[ “IG” 12.10.7; μυρία ἂν εἴη λέγειν 5th-6th c.BC: Plato Philosophus “Politicus” 271e; ὅπως ἂν ᾖ δρᾶν “IG” 2.1054.91: more frequently in _negative_ clauses, 8th c.BC: Ilias Homerus Epicus “Illiad” 6.267, etc.] Refs 8th c.BC+]; followed by ὥστε with infinitive, [[ 5th c.BC: Sophocles Tragicus “Philoctetes” 656 ] Refs 5th c.BC+]: with accusative et infinitive, ἁδόντα δ᾽ εἴη με τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς ὁμιλεῖν [[ 5th c.BC: Pindarus Lyricus “P.” 2.96; ἔστιν ἐκπεσεῖν ἀρχῆς Δία 4th-5th c.BC: Aeschylus Tragicus “Prometheus Vinctus” 757 ] Refs 5th c.BC+]: sometimes not impersonal in this sense, θάλασσα δ᾽ οὐκέτ᾽ ἦν ἰδεῖν [[ [prev. author] “Pers.” 419. ] Refs]
__A.VI.b ἔστω in argument, let it be granted, ἔστω τοῦτο ἀληθὲς εἶναι [[ 1st c.BC: Dionysius Halicarnassensis “de Compositione Verborum” 25; ἔστω σοι τοῦθ᾽ οὕτως 1st-2nd c.AD: Plutarchus Biographus et Philosophus 2.987b; ἔστω εἶναί τινα τοιοῦτον 4th c.BC: Demosthenes Orator Chr.74.24. ] Refs 4th c.BC+]
__B most frequently, to be, the Copula connecting the predicate with the Subject, both being in the same case: hence, signify, import, τὸ γὰρ εἴρειν λέγειν ἐστίν [[ 5th-6th c.BC: Plato Philosophus “Cratylus” 398d ] Refs 5th c.BC+]; especially in the phrase τοῦτ᾽ ἔστι, hoc est; Σκαιόλαν, ὅπερ ἐστὶ Λαϊόν [[ 1st-2nd c.AD: Plutarchus Biographus et Philosophus “Publicola” 17: with numerals, τὰ δὶς πέντε δέκα ἐστίν] Refs 1st c.AD+] twice five are ten, [[ 5th-6th c.BC: Xenophon Historicus “Memorabilia” 4.4.7 ] Refs 5th c.BC+]; εἶναί τις or τι, to be somebody, something, be of some consequence, see at {τι; οὐδὲν εἶναι} [[ 5th-6th c.BC: Plato Philosophus “Respublica” 562d, etc. ] Refs 5th c.BC+]
__B.2 periphrastic with the Participle to represent the finite Verb: with perfect participle once in [[ 8th c.BC: Homerus Epicus, τετληότες εἰμέν, for τετλήκαμεν, 8th c.BC: Ilias Homerus Epicus “Illiad” 5.873 ] Refs 8th c.BC+]; so in Trag. and Attic dialect, ἦν τεθνηκώς, for ἐτεθνήκει, [[ 4th-5th c.BC: Aeschylus Tragicus “Agamemnon” 869 ] Refs 4th c.BC+]; ἔσται δεδορκώς[[ [prev. work] 1179; εἰμὶ γεγώς 5th c.BC: Sophocles Tragicus “Ajax” 1299; πεφυκός ἐστι 5th-6th c.BC: Aristophanes Comicus “Aves” 1473; δεδρακότες εἰσίν 5th c.BC: Thucydides Historicus 3.68; κατακεκονότες ἔσεσθε 5th-6th c.BC: Xenophon Historicus “Anabasis” 7.6.36 ] Refs 5th c.BC+]: with aorist participle, once in [[ 8th c.BC: Homerus Epicus, βλήμενος ἦν 8th c.BC: Ilias Homerus Epicus “Illiad” 4.211 ] Refs 8th c.BC+]; so προδείσας εἰμί, οὐ σιωπήσας ἔσε; [[ 5th c.BC: Sophocles Tragicus “Oedipus Tyrannus” 90, 1146, compare 4th-5th c.BC: Aeschylus Tragicus “Supplices” 460 ] Refs 5th c.BC+]: with present participle, ἦν προκείμενον [[ [prev. author] “Pers.” 371; φεύγων Ὀρέστης ἐστίν [prev. author] “Ch.” 136; εἴην οὐκ ἂν εὖ φρονῶν 5th c.BC: Sophocles Tragicus “Ajax” 1330 ] Refs 5th c.BC+]; τί δ᾽ ἐστί.. φέρο; [[ [prev. author] “OT” 991, compare 274, 708; λέγων ἐστίν τις 5th c.BC: Euripides Tragicus “Hecuba” 1179; ἦν τίς σ᾽ ὑβρίζων [prev. author] “HF” 313; πόρρω ἤδη εἶ πορευόμενος 5th-6th c.BC: Plato Philosophus “Lysis” 204b; βαδίζων εἰμί 5th-6th c.BC: Aristophanes Comicus “Ranae” 36; frequently in 5th c.BC: Herodotus Historicus, ἦσαν ἱέντες 1.57, +others; even εἰσὶ διάφοροι ἐόντες 3.49 (assuming variant):] Refs 5th c.BC+] — if the _Article_ is joined with the Part., the noun is made emphatic, Κᾶρές εἰσι οἱ καταδέξαντες the persons who showed her were Carians, [[ [prev. author] 1.171; αὐτὸς ἦν ὁ μαρτυρῶν 4th-5th c.BC: Aeschylus Tragicus “Eumenides” 798; δόλος ἦν ὁ φράσας 5th c.BC: Sophocles Tragicus “Electra” 197 (_anapaest meter_). ] Refs 5th c.BC+]
__C εἶναι is frequently modified in sense by the addition of adverbs, or the cases of Nouns without or with Preps.:
__C.I εἶναι with adverbs, where the adverb often merely represents a Noun and stands as the predicate, ἅλις δέ οἱ ἦσαν ἄρουραι [[ 8th c.BC: Ilias Homerus Epicus “Illiad” 14.122, etc.] Refs 8th c.BC+]; ἀκέων, ἀκήν εἶναι, to be silent,[[ 4.22, 8th c.BC: Odyssea Homerus Epicus “Odyssey” 2.82; σῖγα πᾶς ἔστω λεώς 5th c.BC: Euripides Tragicus “Hecuba” 532; διαγνῶναι χαλεπῶς ἦν ἄνδρα ἕκαστον 8th c.BC: Ilias Homerus Epicus “Illiad” 7.424 ] Refs 8th c.BC+]; ἀσφαλέως ἡ κομιδὴ ἔσται will go on safely, [[ 5th c.BC: Herodotus Historicus 4.134 ] Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἐγγύς, πόρρω εἶναι, [[ 5th c.BC: Thucydides Historicus 6.88, 5th-6th c.BC: Plato Philosophus “Protagoras” 356e: frequently _impersonal_ with words implying good or ill fortune, Κουρήτεσσι κακῶς ἦν] Refs 5th c.BC+] it fared ill with them, [[ 8th c.BC: Ilias Homerus Epicus “Illiad” 9.551; εὖ γὰρ ἔσται 5th c.BC: Euripides Tragicus “Medea” 89, compare 5th-6th c.BC: Aristophanes Comicus “Plutus” 1188, etc.; ἡδέως ἂν αὐτοῖς εἴη 4th c.BC: Demosthenes Orator 59.30. ] Refs 8th c.BC+]
__C.II.b to express the material of which a thing is made, ἡ κρηπίς ἐστι λίθων μεγάλων consists of.., [[ 5th c.BC: Herodotus Historicus 1.93; τῆς πόλιος ἐούσης δύο φαρσέων [prev. work] 186 ] Refs 5th c.BC+]; τοιούτων ἔργων ἐστὶ ἡ τυραννίς is made up of.., [[ [prev. author] 5.92 ] Refs].ή, etc.
__C.II.c to express the class to which a person or thing belongs, εἶ γὰρ τῶν φίλων you are one of them, [[ 5th-6th c.BC: Aristophanes Comicus “Plutus” 345; ἐτύγχανε βουλῆς ὤν 5th c.BC: Thucydides Historicus 3.70; ὅσοι ἦσαν τῶν προτέρων στρατιωτῶν [prev. author] 7.44; Κριτίας τῶν τριάκοντα ὤν 5th-6th c.BC: Xenophon Historicus “Memorabilia” 1.2.31 ] Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἔστι τῶν αἰσχρῶν it is in the class of disgraceful things, i. e. it is disgraceful, [[ 4th c.BC: Demosthenes Orator 2.2. ] Refs 4th c.BC+]
__C.II.d to express that a thing belongs to another, Τροίαν Ἀχαιῶν οὖσαν [[ 4th-5th c.BC: Aeschylus Tragicus “Agamemnon” 269; τὸ πεδίον ἦν μέν κοτε Χορασμίων 5th c.BC: Herodotus Historicus 3.117, etc.] Refs 5th c.BC+]: hence, to be of the party of, ἦσαν.. τινὲς μὲν φιλίππου, τινὲς δὲ τοῦ βελτίστου [[ 4th c.BC: Demosthenes Orator 9.56, compare 37.53 ] Refs 4th c.BC+]; to be de pendent upon, [[ 5th c.BC: Sophocles Tragicus “Antigone” 737, etc.] Refs 5th c.BC+]; to be at the mercy of, ἔστι τοῦ λέγοντος, ἢν φόβους λέγῃ [[ [prev. author] “OT” 917. ] Refs]
__C.II.e to express one's duty, business, custom, nature, and the like, οὔτοι γυναικός ἐστι 'tis not a woman's part, [[ 4th-5th c.BC: Aeschylus Tragicus “Agamemnon” 940; τὸ ἐπιτιμᾶν παντὸς εἶναι 4th c.BC: Demosthenes Orator 1.16 ] Refs 4th c.BC+]; τὸ δὲ ναυτικὸν τέχνης ἐστίν is matter of art, requires art, [[ 5th c.BC: Thucydides Historicus 1.142, compare 83. ] Refs 5th c.BC+]
__C.II.f in LXX, to be occupied about, ἦσαν τοῦ θύειν [[ LXX.2Ch.30.17 ] LXX]; ἔσεσθαι, with genitive, to be about to, ἐσόμεθα τοῦ σῶσαί σε [[ LXX.2Ki.10.11. ] LXX]
__C.III with the dative, ἐστί μοι I have, frequently in [[ 8th c.BC: Homerus Epicus, etc. ] Refs 8th c.BC+]
__C.III.2 with two datives., σφίσι τε καὶ Ἀθηναίοισι εἶναι οὐδὲν πρῆγμα that they and the Athenians have nothing to do one with another, [[ 5th c.BC: Herodotus Historicus 5.84; μηδὲν εἶναι σοὶ καὶ φιλίππῳ πρᾶγμα 4th c.BC: Demosthenes Orator 18.283 ] Refs 5th c.BC+]; more shortly, σοί τε καὶ τούτοισι πρήγμασι τί ἐστ; [[ 5th c.BC: Herodotus Historicus 5.33 ] Refs 5th c.BC+]; τί τῷ νόμῳ καὶ τῇ βασάν; [[ 4th c.BC: Demosthenes Orator 29.36 ] Refs 4th c.BC+]; τί ἐμοὶ καὶ σο; Latin quid tecum est mihi? [[NT.Mark.5.7, etc.] NT]; also ἐμοὶ οὐδὲν πρὸς τοὺς τοιούτους (i.e. ἐστίν) [[ 5th-6th c.BC: Isocrates Orator 4.12; ἐν οἷς πρὸς τοὺς ἐναντίους ἐστὶ τῷ δήμῳ 4th c.BC: Demosthenes Orator 18.278 ] Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἔσται αὐτῳ πρὸς τὸν θεόν, in tomb inscriptions, [[ “JHS” 18.113, etc. ] Refs]
__C.IV.8 εἶναι ὑπό τινα or τινι to be subject to.., [[ 5th-6th c.BC: Xenophon Historicus “Historia Graeca (Hellenica)” 5.2.17 (assuming variant), 6.2.4. ] Refs 5th c.BC+]
__C.IV.9 περὶ τούτων ἐστίν that is the question, [[ 4th-3rd c.BC: Menander Comicus “Ἐπιτρέποντες” 30. ] Refs 4th c.BC+]
__C.IV.10 εἶναι ἀπό.., in Geometry texts, to be constructed upon, [[ 3rd c.BC: Archimedes Geometra “περὶ σφαίρας καὶ κυλίνδρου” 2.9, “Con.Sph.” 7. ] Refs 3rd c.BC+]
__D ἐστί is very frequently omitted, mostly in the present indicative before certain predicates, as ἀνάγκη, ἄξιον, δυνατόν, εἰκός, ἕτοιμον, οἷόν τε, ῥᾴδιον, χρεών, etc., and after the neuter of Verbals in -τέος, and such forms as θαυμαστὸν ὅσον: less frequently with other persons and moods, εἰμί omitted, [[ 5th c.BC: Sophocles Tragicus “Oedipus Tyrannus” 92, “Aj.” 813 ] Refs 5th c.BC+]; εἶ, [[ 8th c.BC: Odyssea Homerus Epicus “Odyssey” 4.206 ] Refs 8th c.BC+]; ἐσμέν, [[ 5th c.BC: Sophocles Tragicus “Antigone” 634 ] Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἐστέ, [[ 8th c.BC: Odyssea Homerus Epicus “Odyssey” 10.463 ] Refs 8th c.BC+]; εἰσί, [[ 5th c.BC: Sophocles Tragicus “Oedipus Tyrannus” 499 (Lyric poetry), “IG” 2.778 B ] Refs 5th c.BC+]; subjunctive ᾖ, [[ 8th c.BC: Ilias Homerus Epicus “Illiad” 14.376, 5th c.BC: Euripides Tragicus “Hippolytus” 659, 5th c.BC: Antipho Orator 5.32 ] Refs 8th c.BC+]; optative εἴη, [[ “IG” 22.1183.12] Refs]; imperfect ἦν, [[[prev. work]2.778 B ] Refs]; future ἔσονται, [[ 8th c.BC: Odyssea Homerus Epicus “Odyssey” 14.394. ] Refs 8th c.BC+]
__E the Inf. frequently seems redundant,
__E.1 in phrases implying power or will to do a thing, ἑκὼν εἶναι (see. ἑκών) κατὰ δύναμιν εἶναι [[ 4th c.BC: Isaeus Orator 2.32; εἰς δύναμιν εἶναι 5th-6th c.BC: Plato Philosophus “Politicus” 300c ] Refs 5th c.BC+]; τὸ ἐπ᾽ ἐκείνοις εἶναι, quantum in illis esset, [[ 5th c.BC: Thucydides Historicus 8.48, 5th-6th c.BC: Xenophon Historicus “Historia Graeca (Hellenica)” 3.5.9, compare 5th c.BC: Lysias Orator 13.58; τὸ ἐπὶ σφᾶς εἶναι 5th c.BC: Thucydides Historicus 4.28; τὸ κατὰ τοῦτον εἶναι 5th-6th c.BC: Xenophon Historicus “Anabasis” 1.6.9; κατὰ τοῦτο εἶναι 5th-6th c.BC: Plato Philosophus “Protagoras” 317a ] Refs 5th c.BC+]; τὸ τήμερον, τὸ νῦν εἶναι, [[ [prev. author] “Cra.” 396e, “La.” 201c, Theopomp. Comedy texts 98, Decrees cited in 4th c.BC: Aristoteles Philosophus “Ἀθηναίων Πολιτεία” 31.2, etc. ] Refs 4th c.BC+]
__E.2 after Verbs of naming or choosing, σοφιστὴν ὀνομάζουσι τὸν ἄνδρα εἶναι [[ 5th-6th c.BC: Plato Philosophus “Protagoras” 311e; σύμμαχόν μιν εἵλοντο εἶναι 5th c.BC: Herodotus Historicus 8.134 ] Refs 5th c.BC+]; of giving, δῶκε ξεινήϊον εἶναι [[ 8th c.BC: Ilias Homerus Epicus “Illiad” 11.20. ] Refs 8th c.BC+]
__F imperfect ἦνissts. used where other languages take the present,
__F.1 after ἄρα, to express a fact which is and has always been the same, δέρμα δὲ ἀνθρώπου.. ἦν ἄρα σχεδὸν δερμάτων πάντων λαμπρότατον human skin then it appears is.., [[ 5th c.BC: Herodotus Historicus 4.64; Κύπρις οὐκ ἄρ᾽ ἦν θεός 5th c.BC: Euripides Tragicus “Hippolytus” 359 ] Refs 5th c.BC+]; ὡς ἄρ᾽ ἦσθ᾽ ἐμὸς πατὴρ ὀρθῶς[[ [prev. work] 1169; ἦ πολύμοχθον ἄρ᾽ ἦν γένος.. ἁμερίων [prev. author] “IA” 1330; ἦ στωμύλος ἦσθα 3rd c.BC: Theocritus Poeta Bucolicus 5.79 ] Refs 3rd c.BC+]; so also when there is reference to a past thought, τουτὶ τί ἦ; what is this? [[ 5th-6th c.BC: Aristophanes Comicus “Acharnenses” 157, compare 5th-6th c.BC: Plato Philosophus “Cratylus” 387c: so in the Aristotelian formula τὸ τί ἦν εἶναι (“APo.” 82b38, +others)] Refs 5th c.BC+], used to express the essential nature of a thing, where τί ἦν (for ἐστί) takes the place of the dative in such phrases as τὸ ἀγαθῷ εἶναι, τὸ μεγέθει εἶναι, [[ “APr.” 67b12, “de An.” 429b10. ] Refs]
__G ἐγώ εἰμι, in [[ LXX, pleonastic for ἐγώ, ἐγώ εἰμι οὐχ ἥμαρτον LXX.Judg.11.27, compare 6.18; also ἔσται πᾶς ἀποκτενεῖ με LXX.Gen.4.14. ] LXX]
