GREEK · LESSON 20
τετέλεσται
Perfect Mid/Pass & Pluperfect
The final two pieces of the indicative system. Reduplication without κα, the pluperfect's distinctive κει, and the most theologically loaded forms in the NT — γεγραπται, πεπληρωται, εγηγερται.
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Closing the indicative
The Final Lesson of the Indicative
After today, you will have met every tense, every voice, and every form Greek uses to make a basic factual statement.
- Lessons 10–13 — present (all three voices) and ειμι
- Lesson 14 — imperfect
- Lessons 15–16 — first/second aorist active & middle
- Lesson 17 — aorist passive + future passive (θη)
- Lesson 18 — future active/middle (σ formative)
- Lesson 19 — perfect active (reduplication + κα)
Two final pieces: perfect mid/pass & pluperfect. Then the indicative is complete.
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The recipe
Perfect Mid/Pass — The Form
Same reduplication as the perfect active. But no κα. Middle/passive primary endings attach directly to the stem.
Perfect active
λελυ-κα — reduplication + stem + κα + active endings.
Perfect mid/pass
λελυ-μαι — reduplication + stem + mid/pass endings (no κα, no thematic vowel).
Endings: -μαι, -σαι, -ται, -μεθα, -σθε, -νται.
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The full paradigm
Perfect Mid/Pass — λελυμαι
| Person | Singular | Plural |
|---|
| 1st | λελυμαι — I have been loosed | λελυμεθα — we have been loosed |
| 2nd | λελυσαι — you have been loosed | λελυσθε — you (pl) have been loosed |
| 3rd | λελυται — he/she/it has been loosed | λελυνται — they have been loosed |
No connecting vowel. The endings sit right on the stem — this is what makes them visually distinctive.
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⚠ Gotcha
Endings Attach Without a Thematic Vowel
In every other tense, mid/pass endings connect via a thematic vowel (ο/ε): λυ-ο-μαι, λυ-ε-ται.
In the perfect mid/pass, the endings attach directly to the stem with no connecting vowel. This causes consonant changes at the boundary.
γεγραφ + μαι → γεγραμμαι
Stem-final φ + μ collapses to μμ. When you see an unusual consonant cluster in what looks like a perfect form, it's the stem-final consonant interacting directly with the ending.
05 / 22
Predictable changes
Consonant Changes at the Boundary
| Stem ends in... | Change before -μαι | Example |
|---|
| Labial (π, β, φ) | labial → μ before μ | γραφω → γεγραμμαι |
| Dental (τ, δ, θ, ζ) | dental → σ before μ/τ | πειθω → πεπεισμαι |
| Velar (κ, γ, χ) | velar → γ before μ | διωκω → δεδιωγμαι |
⚠ Don't memorize all the phonology. The lexicon gives you the principal parts. What matters: reduplication + stem + mid/pass endings = perfect M/P.
06 / 22
High-frequency NT forms
Perfect M/P Forms You'll See
| Verb | Perf M/P 1sg | 3sg | Meaning |
|---|
| λυω | λελυμαι | λελυται | have been loosed |
| γραφω | γεγραμμαι | γεγραπται | have been written |
| πληροω | πεπληρωμαι | πεπληρωται | have been fulfilled |
| εγειρω | εγηγερμαι | εγηγερται | have been raised |
| σωζω | σεσωσμαι | σεσωσται | have been saved |
| διδωμι | δεδομαι | δεδοται | have been given |
| τελεω | τετελεσμαι | τετελεσται | have been completed |
07 / 22
Middle vs passive
Same Form, Two Possible Voices
In most other tenses (especially aorist), middle and passive are clearly distinguishable in form. In the perfect, middle and passive share the same forms — and you often can't tell from form alone which is meant.
Context decides:
- Subject acting on themselves → middle.
- Action being done to the subject → passive.
- Impersonal subjects (γεγραπται, πεπληρωται, τετελεσται) — passive force usually predominates.
08 / 22
The theological force
Six Loaded Perfect M/P Forms
γεγραπται
"it stands written"
Standard formula for OT citation. Past act of writing + abiding authority.
πεπληρωται
"it has been fulfilled"
Mark 1:15 — "the time has been fulfilled." Past fulfillment + abiding kingdom.
εγηγερται
"he has been raised"
1 Cor 15:4 — the resurrection statement. Past resurrection + abiding risen state.
τετελεσται
"it is finished"
John 19:30 — the cross word. Atonement done; the doneness abides.
δεδοται
"it has been given"
Mark 4:11 — "to you the mystery has been given." Past granting + abiding gift.
σεσωσμενοι
"having been saved"
Eph 2:8 — periphrastic "by grace you have been saved."
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John 19:30 — the cross word
"It Is Finished"
- τετελεσται — perfect mid/pass 3sg of τελεω.
- Reduplication τε- + stem τελεσ- + ending -ται.
- Mid/pass force: "the action has been brought to completion (passive) and stands accomplished (middle/stative)."
This single Greek word entered Christian liturgy and creed. The perfect tense is exactly what makes this word do its theological work.
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1 Cor 15:4 — the resurrection
"Christ Has Been Raised"
εγηγερται Χριστος εκ νεκρων.
"Christ has been raised from the dead." (1 Cor 15:20.)
- εγηγερται — perfect mid/pass 3sg of εγειρω. Attic reduplication.
- Why perfect, not aorist? Aorist ηγερθη says "he was raised" (past, possibly no longer relevant). Perfect says "he has been raised, and remains so."
- Christ "dies no more" (Rom 6:9) — the risen state is permanent. Foundational to the gospel.
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Eph 2:8 — the Reformation cornerstone
The Periphrastic Perfect
τη γαρ χαριτι εστε σεσωσμενοι δια πιστεως.
"For by grace you have been saved through faith."
- εστε = present 2pl of ειμι
- σεσωσμενοι = perfect mid/pass participle of σωζω
- Together: periphrastic perfect — ειμι + perfect participle = a single tensed verbal unit.
Past saving event + present saved state, both at once. Permanent.
12 / 22
The past perfect
The Pluperfect
A completed action whose effects abided in the past but no longer continue. English: "I had loosed."
Perfect
Past completion, result holds now. "He has come."
Pluperfect
Past completion, result held at some past reference time. "He had come [before something else happened]."
💡 Tip: rare in NT (~80 occurrences). Focus on recognition, not production.
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The recipe
Pluperfect Active — (ε)λελυκειν
(augment) + reduplication + stem + κει + secondary active endings
| Person | Singular | Plural |
|---|
| 1st | (ε)λελυκειν — I had loosed | (ε)λελυκειμεν — we had loosed |
| 2nd | (ε)λελυκεις — you had loosed | (ε)λελυκειτε — you (pl) had loosed |
| 3rd | (ε)λελυκει — he/she/it had loosed | (ε)λελυκεισαν — they had loosed |
The augment is bracketed because it's often dropped in Koine NT. The κει cluster is the giveaway.
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John 6:64 — pluperfect of οιδα
"Jesus Knew"
ηδει γαρ ο Ιησους τον παραδωσοντα αυτον.
"For Jesus knew the one who would betray him."
- ηδει = pluperfect 3sg of οιδα.
- Since οιδα is itself a perfect-form-with-present-meaning ("I know"), its pluperfect functions as a simple past — "knew."
- This is the most common NT pluperfect by far.
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Milestone
The Whole Indicative System
| Tense | Form (1sg) | Aspect & Time | Translation |
|---|
| Present | λυω | Imperfective, present | I loose |
| Imperfect | ελυον | Imperfective, past | I was loosing |
| Future | λυσω | Undefined, future | I will loose |
| Aorist | ελυσα | Perfective, past | I loosed |
| Perfect | λελυκα | Resultative, present | I have loosed |
| Pluperfect | (ε)λελυκειν | Resultative, past | I had loosed |
| Future Perfect | (rare) | Resultative, future | I will have loosed |
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Reading recognition checklist
If You See... It Probably Is...
| Visual cue | Tense |
|---|
| Augment + secondary endings | Imperfect / aorist |
| σ + present-style endings (no augment) | Future |
| Augment + σα + secondary endings | 1st aorist active/middle |
| Augment + θη + active-style endings | Aorist passive |
| θησ + middle endings (no augment) | Future passive |
| Reduplication + κα + primary endings | Perfect active (1st) |
| Reduplication + α + endings (no κ) | 2nd perfect |
| Reduplication + mid/pass endings (no κα) | Perfect mid/pass |
| Reduplication + κει + secondary endings | Pluperfect |
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⚠ Don't translate as past
Pluperfect: Use English "Had + V-ed"
✗ "He came" (simple past)
Wrong. Loses the temporal layering — the prior completion relative to another past event.
✓ "He had come"
English past perfect captures the pluperfect well. Signals prior completion relative to another past reference time.
The temporal layering matters. If you collapse the pluperfect into a simple past, you lose the narrative information that this event happened before another past event.
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Greek aspect, simplified
Aspect + Time = Tense
Every Greek indicative form combines an aspect (how the action is portrayed) with a time (when it occurs).
- Imperfective — action in process
- Perfective — action as a single whole
- Resultative — past action with abiding effect
Most languages encode either aspect or time well. Greek does both — and that's a feature, not a bug. It allows nuances English needs whole phrases to convey.
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12 verbs — perfect mid/pass forms
Lesson 20 Vocabulary
βαπτιζω
βεβαπτισμαι
have been baptized
γραφω
γεγραμμαι
have been written
διδωμι
δεδομαι
have been given
εγειρω
εγηγερμαι
have been raised
καλεω
κεκλημαι
have been called
λυω
λελυμαι
have been loosed
πειθω
πεπεισμαι
have been persuaded
πιστευω
πεπιστευμαι
have been entrusted
πληροω
πεπληρωμαι
have been fulfilled
σωζω
σεσωσμαι
have been saved
τελεω
τετελεσμαι
have been completed
φανεροω
πεφανερωμαι
have been revealed
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Cultural note — the milestone
The Indicative System, Now Complete
You've now studied every tense in the Greek indicative mood. That's the whole indicative system.
- The aorist and present indicative make up over half of all NT verbs.
- The future is much less common than English speakers expect.
- The perfect is reserved for theologically weighted moments.
- The pluperfect is rare — fewer than 100 occurrences in the entire NT.
Once you can read the present and aorist fluently, you can read most of the New Testament. Adding imperfect, future, and perfect rounds out the rest.
Every Greek verb you meet from here on is built from elements you already know.
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End of Lesson 20 · Unit V Complete
Indicative System Mastered
πεπληρωται
Perfect mid/pass: reduplication + stem + mid/pass endings (no κα). Pluperfect: augment + reduplication + stem + κει + secondary endings. Twenty lessons in — every NT indicative form is now within your reach.
Next great frontier: participles — the form that unlocks roughly half of NT prose.
Next: Lesson 21 · Present Active Participles
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