φημί

See also: φημι

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Proto-Hellenic *pʰā́mi, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰéh₂ti (“to speak”).

Pronunciation
 

Verb

φημί • (phēmí)

  1. I speak, say.
    1. I think
    2. (of an author) I write
    3. (φησί or ἔφη used when quoting, sometimes after another verb of saying)
      • 430 BCE – 354 BCE, Xenophon, Oeconomicus 17.10:
        καὶ ὁ Ἰσχόμαχος γελάσας εἶπεν: ἀλλὰ παίζεις μὲν σύγε, ἔφη, ὦ Σώκρατες.
        kaì ho Iskhómakhos gelásas eîpen: allà paízeis mèn súge, éphē, ô Sṓkrates.
        And Ischomachus said, laughing, "But you're joking, Socrates," he said.
  2. I say yes, agree, affirm, assert
    1. (with οὐ) I say no, deny, refuse
      • 460 BCE – 420 BCE, Herodotus, Histories 1.19.3:
        τοῖσι δὲ ἡ Πυθίη ἀπικομένοισι ἐς Δελφοὺς οὐκ ἔφη χρήσειν πρὶν ἢ τὸν νηὸν τῆς Ἀθηναίης ἀνορθώσωσι, τὸν ἐνέπρησαν χώρης τῆς Μιλησίης ἐν Ἀσσησῷ.
        toîsi dè hē Puthíē apikoménoisi es Delphoùs ouk éphē khrḗsein prìn ḕ tòn nēòn tês Athēnaíēs anorthṓsōsi, tòn enéprēsan khṓrēs tês Milēsíēs en Assēsôi.
        But when the messengers came to Delphi, the Pythian priestess would not answer them before they restored the temple of Athena at Assesos in the Milesian territory, which they had burnt.
    2. (φημί or οὕτως φημί as interjection) yes, I would say so

Usage notes

All finite forms of the present tense except for φῄς (phḗis) are enclitic, as shown by the acute accent in ὥς φησι (hṓs phēsi) "so he says".

Inflection
   Present: φημῐ́
number singular dual plural
first second third second third first second third
active indicative φημῐ́ φῄς φησῐ́ φᾰτόν φᾰτόν φᾰμέν φᾰτέ φᾱσῐ́/φᾱσῐ́ν
subjunctive φῶ φῇς φῇ φῆτον φῆτον φῶμεν φῆτε φῶσῐ(ν)
optative φαίην φαίης φαίη φαῖτον,
φαίητον		 φαίτην,
φαιήτην		 φαῖμεν,
φαίημεν		 φαῖτε,
φαίητε		 φαῖεν,
φαίησᾰν
imperative   φᾰ́θῐ/φᾰθῐ́ φᾰ́τω φᾰ́τον φᾰ́των   φᾰ́τε φᾰ́ντων
active
infinitive φᾰ́ναι
participle m φᾱ́ς
f φᾶσᾰ
n φᾰ́ν
Notes: This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For conjugation in dialects other than Attic, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal conjugation.
   Present: φημῐ́ (Epic)
number singular dual plural
first second third second third first second third
active indicative φημῐ́ φῇσθᾰ φησῐ́ φᾰτόν φᾰτόν φᾰμέν φᾰτέ φᾱσῐ́/φᾱσῐ́ν
subjunctive φῶ,
φῶμῐ		 φῇς,
φῇσθᾰ		 φήῃ/φῇσι φῆτον φῆτον φῶμεν φῆτε φῶσῐ(ν)
optative φαίην φαίης φαίη φαῖτον φαίτην φαῖμεν φαῖτε φαῖεν
imperative   φᾰ́θῐ/φᾰθῐ́ φᾰ́τω φᾰ́τον φᾰ́των   φᾰ́τε φᾰ́ντων
active
infinitive φᾰ́ναι
participle m φᾱ́ς
f φᾶσᾰ
n φᾰ́ν
Notes: Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms are based on conjecture. Use with caution. For more details, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal conjugation.
   Imperfect: ἔφην, ἐφᾰ́μην
number singular dual plural
first second third second third first second third
active indicative ἔφην ἔφης/ἔφησθᾰ ἔφη(ν) ἔφᾰτον ἐφᾰ́την ἔφᾰμεν ἔφᾰτε ἔφᾰσᾰν/ἔφᾰν
middle indicative ἐφᾰ́μην ἔφᾰσο ἔφᾰτο ἔφᾰσθον ἐφᾰ́σθην ἐφᾰ́μεθᾰ ἔφᾰσθε ἔφᾰντο
Notes: This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For conjugation in dialects other than Attic, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal conjugation.
   Imperfect: φῆν, φᾰ́μην (Epic)
number singular dual plural
first second third second third first second third
active indicative φῆν φῆς/φῆσθᾰ φῆ φᾰ́τον φᾰ́την φᾰ́μεν φᾰ́τε φᾰ́σᾰν/φᾰ́ν
middle indicative φᾰ́μην φᾰ́σο φᾰ́το φᾰ́σθον φᾰ́σθην φᾰ́με(σ)θᾰ φᾰ́σθε φᾰ́ντο
Notes: Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms are based on conjecture. Use with caution. For more details, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal conjugation.
   Future: φήσω
number singular dual plural
first second third second third first second third
active indicative φήσω φήσεις φήσει φήσετον φήσετον φήσομεν φήσετε φήσουσῐ(ν)
optative φήσοιμῐ φήσοις φήσοι φήσοιτον φησοίτην φήσοιμεν φήσοιτε φήσοιεν
active
infinitive φήσειν
participle m φήσων
f φήσουσᾰ
n φῆσον
Notes: This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For conjugation in dialects other than Attic, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal conjugation.
   Aorist: ἔφησᾰ
number singular dual plural
first second third second third first second third
active indicative ἔφησᾰ ἔφησᾰς ἔφησε(ν) ἐφήσᾰτον ἐφησᾰ́την ἐφήσᾰμεν ἐφήσᾰτε ἔφησᾰν
subjunctive φήσω φήσῃς φήσῃ φήσητον φήσητον φήσωμεν φήσητε φήσωσῐ(ν)
optative φήσαιμῐ φήσειᾰς,
φήσαις		 φήσειε(ν),
φήσαι		 φήσαιτον φησαίτην φήσαιμεν φήσαιτε φήσειᾰν,
φήσαιεν
imperative   φῆσον φησᾰ́τω φήσᾰτον φησᾰ́των   φήσᾰτε φησᾰ́ντων
active
infinitive φῆσαι
participle m φήσᾱς
f φήσᾱσᾰ
n φῆσᾰν
Notes: This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For conjugation in dialects other than Attic, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal conjugation.
  • Third-person singular perfect passive imperative: πεφάσθω (pephásthō)

Derived terms
  • ἀντίφημι (antíphēmi)
  • ἀπόφημι (apóphēmi)
  • ἔκφημι (ékphēmi)
  • κατάφημι (katáphēmi)
  • μετάφημι (metáphēmi)
  • παράφημι (paráphēmi)
  • πρόσφημι (prósphēmi)
  • σύμφημι (súmphēmi)
  • φάσις (phásis)
  • φάτις (phátis, “rumour, news, speech”)
  • φωνή (phōnḗ, “voice”)

Further reading
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