§ 1. The Greek very has five Moods, the Indicative, Subjunctive, Optative, Imperative, and Infinitive. The first four, as opposed to the Infinitive, are called finite moods.

§ 2. The Indicative is used in simple, absolute assertions; as γράφει, he writes; ἔγραψεν, he wrote; γράψει, he will write; γέγραφεν, he has written.

The Indicative is used also to express various other relations, which the following examples will illustrate:–

Εἰ τοῦτο ἀληθές ἐστι, χαίρω, if this is true, I rejoice. Εἰ ἔγραψεν, ἦλθον ἄν, if he had written, I should have come. Εἰ τοῦτο ποιήσει, καλῶς ἕξει, if he shall do this, it will be well. Ἐπιμελεῖται ὅπως τοῦτο γενήσεται, he takes care that this shall happen. Εἴθε με ἔκτεινας, ὡς μήποτε τοῦτο ἐποίησα, O that thou hadst killed me, that I might never have done this! Εἴθε τοῦτο ἀληθὲς ἦν, O that this were true. ∧έγει ὡς τοῦτο ἀληθές ἐστιν, he says that this is true. Εἶπεν ὅτι τοῦτο πράξει, he said that he would do this. Ἑρωτᾷ τί ἐγράψαμεν, he asks what we wrote.