The participle is the most distinctive feature of Greek verbal grammar and the key that unlocks roughly half of NT prose. A participle is a verbal adjective — it carries both verb qualities (tense, voice, the ability to take objects and modifiers) and adjective qualities (it agrees with a noun in gender, case, and number). This lesson covers the present active, middle, and passive participles: their forms, their two main functions (attributive and adverbial), and the translation strategies that bring them into natural English. Once you've mastered participles, Greek narrative opens up in a completely new way.
A complete tour of the Greek participle: the verbal adjective with both verb and adjective DNA, the three participle markers (-οντ-/-ουσ- active, -ομεν- mid/pass), the full present active and middle/passive paradigms of λυω, the article test that decides attributive vs adverbial, the six semantic categories of adverbial participles (causal, purpose, means, temporal, concessive, conditional) with the warning that "temporal" should be a last resort, the participle of ειμι (ων/ουσα/ον), the Phil 2:6 Kenotic concessive, contract verb participles, the parsing method, and why participles unlock half of NT prose. Watch first; the written exposition below works through every point at depth.
LESSON 21·Unit VI — Participles·~55 minutes + drilling
By the End of This Lesson
Understand participles as verbal adjectives — carrying both verb and adjective properties
Recognize the present active participle morpheme: -οντ- (m/n) and -ουσ- (f)
Decline the present active participle of λύω across all three genders and five cases
Recognize the present middle/passive participle morpheme: -ομεν-
Decline the present middle/passive participle of λύω
Distinguish attributive use ("the one who believes") from adverbial use ("while believing…")
Use the article and syntactic attachment as evidence: articular participles are commonly attributive or substantive; anarthrous participles require contextual classification
Translate adverbial participles using six semantic categories (time, means, cause, condition, concession, purpose)
Memorize 12 new vocabulary items including common participle-heavy verbs
New to Greek? Use the 3-pass path
Pass 1 — UnderstandWatch the overview and read the main explanation. Do not try to master every detail today.
Pass 2 — RecognizeMemorize the main chart or paradigm and do the first trainer sets.
Pass 3 — MasterWork through the 20 worked examples, translation exercises, and mastery test slowly.
Today's minimum
If you are new, this is enough for today.
A participle is a verbal adjective ("loosing," "the one who looses").
Present participle = ongoing aspect; it agrees with its noun like an adjective.
ὁ πιστεύων = "the one who believes."
Do only the first 2–3 trainer sets today.
Visual teaching aids · Lesson 21
Read both halves of every participle
1 · Find the verbal stemIdentify present stem and voice marker before reading the ending.
2 · Parse agreementUse the ending for gender, case, and number.
3 · Classify the useConnect the participle to its noun or to the main clause.
A participle carries two grammatical identitiesVerb information and adjective agreement meet in one non-finite form.
Parsing guardrail: participles have no grammatical person. Report tense, voice, participle, gender, case, number, and lexical form.
Use article and attachment as clues—not as an automatic switchFirst find what the participle agrees with; then ask what work it performs.
Translation sequence: parse first, classify second, translate last. English wording must express the relationship established by the clause.
Common error
✗ Translating a present participle as a simple verb: "the man believed"
✓ Translate as an adjectival or adverbial verbal noun: "the man who believes" or "while believing, the man…"
Participles are verbal adjectives, not main verbs. They modify something — a noun (attributive) or the action of the main clause (adverbial). The key move is identifying whether the participle is attributive (describing a noun) or adverbial (describing how/when/why the main action happens).
Memory hook
Participles = verbal adjectives. They have both verb DNA (tense, voice, they can take objects and adverbial modifiers) and adjective DNA (they agree with a noun in gender, case, and number). Think of them as a verb and an adjective fused into one word. The present active participle marker is -ων/-ουσα/-ον — memorize that morpheme cluster and you'll spot present active participles on sight.
Mounce introduces the participle as a verbal adjective, covers the present active and middle/passive paradigms, and explains the attributive vs. adverbial distinction. This is one of the most important chapters in the entire course.
Quick memory board
Spot itλύων · λύουσα · λῦονA participle is verbal in action but adjectival in agreement.
Rememberfind its noun, then parse G-N-CAfter agreement, identify tense-form and voice.
Avoid the trapparticiple tense usually signals aspect, not absolute timeIts time relation depends on the main verb and context.
CoreWhy Participles Matter — A Preview
Before learning any forms, consider what's at stake. Here is Ephesians 2:1–7. Read the English column, then look at the Greek and ask: where is the main verb?
⚠ Gotcha — a participle can never be the main verb
No matter how much a Greek participle resembles a finite verb in English translation, it is NEVER the main verb of its clause. English translations often render participles as finite verbs for readability ("he came preaching" instead of "he came, preaching"). This can mislead you about which action is primary. Always locate the finite verb first — that is the main claim. Everything else is subordinate.
1And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, 2in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. 3Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh...
4But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)...
The main verb doesn't arrive until verse 5
Read carefully: there is no main verb in verse 1, or verse 2, or verse 3, or verse 4. The first four verses are built on two participles — ὄντας νεκρούς ("being dead," v.1) and πλούσιος ὤν ("being rich," v.4). The actual main verb is συνεζωοποίησεν in v.5: "But God… made us alive." If you mistake those opening participles for main verbs, the structure of Paul's argument in the passage flips — subordinate content gets read as the main assertion. The subordinate content (our dead state, God's rich mercy) is carried by participles; the main assertion ("God made us alive") is reserved for the finite verb. This is what participles do: they carry the weight of background circumstance while the main verb carries the main point.
CoreWhat Is a Participle? — The Verbal Adjective
A participle participates in both verb and adjective categories simultaneously. This dual nature is its defining feature — and the source of both its complexity and its expressive power.
The Greek Mule
Robertson's Grammar calls the participle the "Greek mule" — a crossbreed. The very word participle comes from Latin pars ("part") + capio ("I take"): it "takes a part" of both verb and adjective. A mule is bred from a mare and a donkey, inheriting characteristics of both. The participle inherits from the verb: tense/aspect, voice, the ability to take objects and adverbial modifiers. From the adjective it inherits: gender, case, number, and the ability to modify a noun. And like the mule, it is a true workhorse in the language — you cannot read Greek prose without it.
From the verb side, a participle has:
Tense/aspect — present (imperfective), aorist (perfective), or perfect (stative). Note: there are no imperfect participles in Greek.
Voice — active, middle, or passive.
The ability to take a direct object (accusative), adverbial modifiers, and genitive nouns.
Participles are almost always negated by μή rather than οὐ.
From the adjective side, a participle:
Agrees with a noun in gender, case, and number.
Can be attributive (used like an adjective to modify a noun) or substantive (used like a noun itself, with the article).
Participles are non-finite and do not encode person. A circumstantial participle commonly agrees with a participant already supplied by the clause; a genitive absolute can supply its own genitive participant. Ask who performs the participial action, then confirm that identification through agreement and syntax.
There are 6,662 participles in the NT — 23.7% of all verbal forms. On average, in every two NT verses you will find three participles. Mastering this form is the single highest-return investment in NT Greek.
Aspect vs. time in participles
The tense of a participle primarily conveys aspect (the kind of action), not absolute time. A present participle depicts ongoing/imperfective action; an aorist participle depicts undefined/perfective action; a perfect participle depicts completed action with abiding results (stative). The actual time of the participial action is determined by its relationship to the main verb, not by the participle's tense alone. Do not lock into one fixed time for each form.
CorePresent Active Participle — The Form
The present active participle adds the morpheme -οντ- (masculine/neuter) or -ουσ- (feminine) to the present stem. The endings are third declension for masculine and neuter, first declension for feminine.
A helpful formula for imperfective (present) participles:
Layer 4 · Reference chart — map voice and gender to participle markers
Voice
Gender
Marker
Declension
Active
Masc / Neut
ντ
3rd declension
Active
Feminine
ουσ
1st declension
Middle/Passive
All genders
μεν
2-1-2 adjective
You do NOT need to memorize the full paradigm
If you understand the formula and the three participle markers above, you can identify any present participle. The case endings are the same endings you already know from nouns and adjectives. The participle marker tells you tense and voice; the case ending tells you syntactic function.
λύω — Present Active Participle ("loosing" / "the one who looses")
Layer 3 · Fully inflected lexical paradigm — one participle across gender, case, and number
Case
Masc (3rd decl)
Fem (1st decl)
Neut (3rd decl)
Nom sg
λύων
λύουσα
λῦον
Gen sg
λύοντος
λυούσης
λύοντος
Dat sg
λύοντι
λυούσῃ
λύοντι
Acc sg
λύοντα
λύουσαν
λῦον
Nom pl
λύοντες
λύουσαι
λύοντα
Gen pl
λυόντων
λυουσῶν
λυόντων
Dat pl
λύουσι(ν)
λυούσαις
λύουσι(ν)
Acc pl
λύοντας
λυούσας
λύοντα
Recognizing the morpheme
The telltale sign is -οντ- in the middle of the word (masculine/neuter) or -ουσ- (feminine/dative plural). In the nominative singular masculine the -τ drops before the -ς: λύοντς → λύων (with compensatory lengthening). This is the same pattern as third-declension nouns like ἄρχων. The neuter nominative/accusative singular simply drops the -τ: λῦον.
ὁ πιστεύων εἰς ἐμέ.
— ho pisteuōn eis eme.
"The one who believes in me." Present active participle masculine nominative singular of πιστεύω (πιστεύ + οντ → πιστεύων). Article + participle = attributive/substantive use. This formula appears repeatedly in John's Gospel (3:15, 3:16, 3:18, etc.) as the key condition for eternal life.
οἱ πενθοῦντες.
— hoi penthountes.
"Those who mourn" / "the mourning ones." Present active participle of πενθέω (a contract verb), masculine nominative plural. πενθέ + οντ → πενθοῦντες (ε + ο contracts to ου). Matt 5:4 — the second beatitude. Article + participle in the nominative, functioning as the subject. You've seen this before; now you can fully parse it.
CorePresent Middle/Passive Participle — The Form
The present middle/passive participle uses -ομεν- as its key morpheme. It follows the standard 2-1-2 adjective pattern (second declension masculine/neuter, first declension feminine).
The recipe: present stem + ο + μεν + 2-1-2 adjective endings
The key morpheme: -ομενος, -ομένη, -ομενον (nominative singular M/F/N). The -ομεν- cluster identifies a present middle/passive participle at sight.
Layer 3 · Fully inflected lexical paradigm — one participle across gender, case, and number
Case
Masc (2nd decl)
Fem (1st decl)
Neut (2nd decl)
Nom sg
λυόμενος
λυομένη
λυόμενον
Gen sg
λυομένου
λυομένης
λυομένου
Dat sg
λυομένῳ
λυομένῃ
λυομένῳ
Acc sg
λυόμενον
λυομένην
λυόμενον
Nom pl
λυόμενοι
λυόμεναι
λυόμενα
Gen pl
λυομένων
λυομένων
λυομένων
Dat pl
λυομένοις
λυομέναις
λυομένοις
Acc pl
λυομένους
λυομένας
λυόμενα
-ομενος = middle/passive; -οντος = active
If you see -ομεν-, the participle is middle or passive. If you see -οντ- or -ουσ-, it's active. This contrast is the fastest parse in the paradigm and is worth drilling until it's automatic.
CoreTwo Functions: Attributive and Adverbial
Every participle in the NT is doing one of two main jobs: describing a noun (attributive) or modifying the action of the main verb (adverbial). The presence or absence of the article is the primary diagnostic.
💡 Tip — when adverbial, the participle agrees with the main subject
Adverbial participles in the nominative agree with the subject of the main verb — they share the same agent. So to find who is performing the participial action, ask: who is the subject of the main verb? That same person is also the subject of the participle. If the participial action involves a different person, Greek must use a genitive absolute (Lesson 23), not a simple adverbial participle.
1. Attributive (with the article)
When a participle is preceded by the Greek article and agrees with a noun (or stands alone as a substantive), it is attributive. It functions exactly like an adjective — describing the noun or identifying a person/thing by their action. Translate as a relative clause: "the man who is loosing" or simply "the loosing man."
The pattern: ὁ + participle (or any article + participle agreeing with a noun) = attributive.
2. Adverbial (without the article)
When a participle appears without the article but still agrees with a noun/pronoun in the sentence, it is adverbial. It modifies the action of the main verb — expressing the circumstances, time, cause, means, condition, or concession of the main action. Translate with an adverbial clause: "while loosing…," "because he had loosed…," "by loosing…"
The article test
Article + participle → attributive: "the one who Xs," "those who X."
No article + participle agreeing with a noun → adverbial: "while X-ing," "because X-ing," "by X-ing."
This rule holds for ~90% of NT participles. Exceptions exist but are rare.
"The one who believes in the Son has eternal life." (John 3:36.) ὁ πιστεύων = article + present active participle, nominative masculine singular. Functioning as the subject of ἔχει. Translate as a relative clause: "the one who believes." The present tense (ongoing believing) matches the Johannine theology of abiding faith.
Adverbial: προσευχόμενος εἶπεν αὐτοῖς.
— proseuchomenos eipen autois.
"While praying, he said to them."προσευχόμενος = present middle participle, nominative masculine singular (no article). Adverbial — modifying the main verb εἶπεν. Agrees with the implicit subject ("he") of the main clause. Translate with a temporal adverbial clause: "while he was praying."
CoreAdverbial Participles — Semantic Categories
Adverbial participles express one of several relationships to the main verb. Context determines which — the Greek form is the same in every case. These are not "kinds of participles" but descriptions of the context in which participles are used.
⚠ Gotcha — "temporal" is a last resort, not a default
Beginning students default to translating every adverbial participle as "while X-ing" or "after X-ing." This is often wrong. Ask first: is there a clearer causal, purpose, or means relationship? Only assign the temporal category when the context makes time the main point being communicated. A key pedagogical principle: "Use the category of temporal adverbial participle as a last resort." Over-using "temporal" flattens richer relationships into mere chronological notes.
Greek doesn't mark which kind of adverbial relationship the participle expresses — you supply it in translation based on logic and context. The four most common:
1. Causal — "because X-ing": The participial action answers "why did the main action happen?" Acts 2:30–31: προφήτης οὖν ὑπάρχων ἐλάλησεν — "Because he was a prophet, he spoke." (The context makes the causal force clear — prophecy explains the speaking.)
2. Purpose — "in order to X": The participial action is the goal. John 12:33: τοῦτο δὲ ἔλεγεν σημαίνων ποίῳ θανάτῳ ἤμελλεν ἀποθνῄσκειν — "He said this in order to indicate by what sort of death he was about to die."
3. Means / Instrumental — "by X-ing": The participial action is the means. 1 Cor. 4:12: κοπιῶμεν ἐργαζόμενοι ταῖς ἰδίαις χερσίν — "We labor by working with our own hands."
4. Temporal — "while / when / after X-ing": The participial action is related in time to the main verb. Mark 2:14: παράγων εἶδεν Λευίν — "As he was passing by, he saw Levi."
Additional categories (concessive, conditional, manner) also occur but are less frequent.
⚠ A caution about "temporal" participles
"Temporal" should be your last resort, not your default. Almost any participle can be understood with a temporal nuance — one action must always be before, simultaneous with, or after another. But that doesn't mean the author's main point is the time relationship. Ask first: Is there a clear causal, purpose, or means relationship? Only use "temporal" when the context makes clear that time is the primary point being communicated. Otherwise you risk flattening a richer relationship into a mere chronological note.
Temporal relationship: present vs. aorist aspect
Though aspect is primary, a useful working rule: present participles often describe action simultaneous with the main verb (imperfective = in progress together); aorist participles often describe action prior to the main verb (perfective = completed before). But test every participle against the context — this is a tendency, not a rule. The context is always more reliable than any grammatical shortcut.
CoreParticiples of εἰμί
The present participle of εἰμί ("to be") — ὤν, οὖσα, ὄν — is the most frequent participle in the NT. It follows the same third/first declension pattern as λύων.
εἰμί — Present Participle ("being")
Layer 3 · Fully inflected lexical paradigm — irregular participle across gender, case, and number
— en archē ēn ho logos, kai ho logos ēn pros ton theon, kai theos ēn ho logos.
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (John 1:1.) Though this verse doesn't use the participle of εἰμί, it sets the theological context. John 1:14 does: ὁ λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο… πλήρης χάριτος καὶ ἀληθείας, with the clause ὢν εἰς τὸν κόλπον τοῦ πατρός ("being in the bosom of the Father") in v.18. The participle of εἰμί carries the eternal nature of the Son against the background of his incarnation.
— hyparchōn en morphē theou ouch harpagmon hēgēsato to einai isa theō.
"Although being in the form of God, he did not consider equality with God something to be exploited." (Phil 2:6.) ὑπάρχων = present active participle of ὑπάρχω (a synonym of εἰμί meaning "to exist, to be"), nominative masculine singular — concessive adverbial participle. The concessive force ("although") is demanded by the contrast with v.7 (he emptied himself). This is the Kenotic passage — the participle bears enormous Christological weight.
CoreParsing Participles — A Method
Parsing a participle requires more information than parsing an indicative verb. Here is a systematic method.
For any participle, supply these six data points:
Tense — present, aorist, or perfect?
Voice — active, middle, or passive?
The word "participle" (it's never a finite verb)
Gender — masculine, feminine, or neuter?
Case — nominative, genitive, dative, accusative, or vocative?
Number — singular or plural?
Lexical form — the present active indicative first singular (the dictionary form)
Meaning
Example: λύοντας → present, active, participle, masculine, accusative, plural, of λύω, "the ones loosing" or "while loosing them."
Quick-parse checklist
(1) Is there reduplication? → Perfect. (2) Is there an augment and no reduplication? → Aorist (for aorist participles, Lesson 22). (3) Does the stem look like the present? → Present. (4) Is the morpheme -οντ-/-ουσ-? → Active. -ομεν-? → Middle/passive.
CoreHigh-Frequency Present Participles in the NT
These present participles occur dozens to hundreds of times in the NT. Recognizing them at sight is the goal.
Most frequent NT present participles (nominative masculine singular)
Layer 4 · Reference chart — compare common lexemes in a matched form
Participle
Lexical form
Meaning
Approx. NT occurrences
ὤν / οὖσα / ὄν
εἰμί
being
~150
λέγων
λέγω
saying
~270
ἔχων
ἔχω
having
~130
ποιῶν
ποιέω
doing
~90
πιστεύων
πιστεύω
believing
~50
ἀκούων
ἀκούω
hearing
~45
ἐρχόμενος
ἔρχομαι
coming
~120
ἀποκριθείς
ἀποκρίνομαι
answering
~80 (aorist)
Practice — drill the concepts
Five skill-specific drill sets, then a cumulative Mastery Test of 50 questions on present participles — recognizing the -οντ-/-ουσ- (active) and -ομεν- (mid/pass) morphemes at sight, identifying the case/gender/number of a given form, distinguishing attributive from adverbial usage, translating article + participle constructions ("the one who Xs"), and parsing adverbial participles across the six semantic categories. Items you miss loop until mastered.
CoreReading Passage — Present Participles in NT Narrative
Three passages dense with present participles, showing both attributive and adverbial uses in their natural context.
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."ὁ πιστεύων = article + present active participle, nominative masculine singular of πιστεύω — attributive/substantive ("the one who believes," i.e., "everyone who believes"). The present tense captures the ongoing nature of saving faith. John uses this construction across his Gospel (3:15, 3:18, 3:36, 6:35, etc.) as his signature statement about the character of those who receive eternal life.
Matt 4:18–19: Περιπατῶν δὲ παρὰ τὴν θάλασσαν τῆς Γαλιλαίας εἶδεν δύο ἀδελφούς… καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· δεῦτε ὀπίσω μου.
"And walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers… and said to them: 'Follow me.'"Περιπατῶν = present active participle of περιπατέω (a contract verb: περιπατέ + ων → περιπατῶν), nominative masculine singular — adverbial, temporal: "while walking." No article → adverbial. The participial action (walking) is simultaneous with the main verb (saw). Matthew's narrative style frequently opens scenes with an adverbial participle setting the scene before the main action is reported.
"Who, though existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be exploited."ὑπάρχων = present active participle of ὑπάρχω, nominative masculine singular — adverbial, concessive ("though existing / although he existed"). The subject of the participle is Christ (antecedent: ὃς, "who"). The concessive adverbial participle carries the entire weight of the pre-existent divine identity that makes the self-emptying of vv.7–8 so theologically momentous.
ReferenceVocabulary Notes
Notes on the new vocabulary and the participle-specific observations.
λέγων — the most common participle in the NT
The present active participle of λέγω ("to say") occurs around 270 times in the NT, usually in the phrase λέγων / λέγοντες introducing direct speech. In narrative: "and he said to them, saying…" — a Semitic idiom. Parse: present active participle, nominative masculine singular (or plural: λέγοντες), of λέγω.
ἐρχόμενος — "the Coming One"
The present middle/passive participle of ἔρχομαι. As a substantive — ὁ ἐρχόμενος — it is a messianic title: "the Coming One." Used in Matt 11:3 (John the Baptist's question: "Are you the coming one?") and in the Triumphal Entry formula εὐλογημένος ὁ ἐρχόμενος ἐν ὀνόματι κυρίου (Mark 11:9). Parse: present middle participle, nominative masculine singular, of ἔρχομαι.
Contract verb participles
Contract verbs (ε-contract: ποιέω, φιλέω; α-contract: ἀγαπάω; ο-contract: πληρόω) contract in the participle just as they do in the indicative. The key contractions to recognize: ε + ο → ου (so ποιέω → ποιῶν, ποιοῦσα, ποιοῦν). α + ο → ω (so ἀγαπάω → ἀγαπῶν). The accent and the contraction are your diagnostics.
Parsing shortcut — look for the case ending
Because participles decline like adjectives, the case/number/gender is carried by the final declension ending, not the participial morpheme. The morpheme (-οντ- or -ομεν-) tells you tense and voice; the ending tells you syntactic function. Parse the ending first (apply your noun/adjective knowledge), then identify the participial morpheme.
ἀποστέλλω — "to send" (with apostolic force)
A compound verb: ἀπό + στέλλω. The present participle ἀποστέλλων / ὁ ἀποστείλας (aorist, Lesson 22) captures the missionary theology of the NT. The noun ἀπόστολος ("apostle") derives from this verb — the one who is sent. Recognizing the verb unlocks the noun.
PracticeNow You Try It — Reading in Context
For each sentence, ask: (1) What is the kernel — the main verb and subject? (2) How does the participle relate to the main verb? Don't worry about words you don't know — focus on identifying the participle and its relationship.
Kernel: εἶδεν ("he saw"). Participle: ἀναβαίνων (pres act, nom sg m of ἀναβαίνω "to go up"). Adverbial, temporal, simultaneous: "Coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens."
Kernel: εἶδεν ("he saw"). Participle: παράγων (pres act, nom sg m of παράγω "to pass by"). Adverbial, temporal: "Passing along by the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew."
Mark 6:48: ἔρχεται πρὸς αὐτοὺς περιπατῶν ἐπὶ τῆς θαλάσσης.
Kernel: ἔρχεται ("he comes"). Participle: περιπατῶν (pres act, nom sg m of περιπατέω, ε-contract → περιπατῶν). Adverbial, manner/means: "He comes to them walking on the sea." Note how the participle explains HOW he came — manner.
Kernel: ἐξῆλθον ("they went out") + ἤρξαντο ("they began"). Two participles: ζητοῦντες (pres act nom pl m of ζητέω, "seeking") and πειράζοντες (pres act nom pl m of πειράζω, "testing"). Both adverbial, agreeing with the plural subject (Pharisees). "The Pharisees went out and began to argue with him, seeking a sign from heaven, testing him." The two participles explain their purpose and means.
PracticeChallenge Verses — Try It on the Greek NT
Four NT phrases with present participles. Parse the participle and determine its function.
"The one coming after me is stronger than I am." ὁ ἐρχόμενος = article + present middle participle, nominative masculine singular of ἔρχομαι. Substantive (attributive) use — the participle acts as a noun. John the Baptist's messianic announcement. "The Coming One" is a loaded title pointing to the expected Messiah.
Challenge 2 — Adverbial participle
ἀκούων δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν αὐτοῖς. (Matt 9:12a)
Reveal answer
"And hearing this, Jesus said to them." ἀκούων = present active participle, nominative masculine singular of ἀκούω — adverbial, temporal or causal ("upon hearing" / "because he heard"). No article → adverbial. The subject of the participle is Jesus (nominative masculine), agreeing with the subject of the main verb εἶπεν.
"Everyone who practices sin is a slave of sin." ὁ ποιῶν = article + present active participle, nominative masculine singular of ποιέω (ε-contract: ποιε + ο → ποιῶ → nom sg ποιῶν). Attributive/substantive — "the one practicing." The present aspect (ongoing habit) is key: this is habitual sin, not a single act. The article + participle construction with πᾶς is a Johannine formula ("everyone who Xs").
"Although he was a Son, he learned obedience from what he suffered." ὢν = present participle of εἰμί, nominative masculine singular — adverbial, concessive. The particle καίπερ ("although") often marks concessive participles in Hebrews. The astonishing theological claim: the Son of God, in his incarnation, underwent genuine moral-experiential growth through suffering.
Deep DiveOptional Deep Dive — A Cultural Note — Why Greek Uses Participles So Heavily
The Greek participle density in NT prose reflects both a grammatical and a rhetorical culture quite different from English.
Greek prose writers — even popular Koine writers like the NT authors — build sentences by stacking participial phrases around a main verb rather than stringing together multiple finite clauses. Where English says "he came, he saw, he conquered," Greek is more likely to say "having come, having seen, he conquered." This is a fundamentally different way of organizing action in language.
The theological implication is significant: participial phrases carry subordinate information whose exact logical relationship to the main clause is left for the reader to supply. This creates interpretive richness (and sometimes debate). Paul's participial chains in Philippians 2, Ephesians 1, and Colossians 1 — stacking Christological assertion upon assertion — are among the most theologically freighted prose in ancient literature. The participle is not a decorative form; it is the primary vehicle of Greek subordination.
Practical consequence: a reader who knows how to identify, parse, and translate participles gains access to roughly half of NT verbal content. This is not an exaggeration. The investment in Lesson 21 (and 22–23 ahead) is the single highest-return grammatical investment left in the course.
Going further
Daniel Wallace, Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics, pp. 613–655, provides the most thorough and exegetically sensitive treatment of NT participles available in English. For the theological dimensions of participle use in Paul, see Constantine Campbell, Paul and Union with Christ, chapter 2 (on participial "in Christ" language). For a readable introduction, Mounce BBG chapters 27–28.
In summary — what mattered
Participles are verbal adjectives — they have both verb properties (tense, voice, objects) and adjective properties (gender, case, number agreement).
Present active participle morpheme: -οντ- (m/n) and -ουσ- (f). Nominative sg: -ων, -ουσα, -ον.