ἐλάλησεν → spoke

[Roland]

Does anyone know which verb form this is?  Present principal part of the verb is λαλέω.  It is translated as "he spoke."  If 3rd person, Perfect Active, why not ἐλάλασι(ν)?  Thanks!

[billberg23]

Third pers. sing. perf. act. indicative would be λελάληκε(ν), "(s)he has chattered/spoken."  Ἐλάλησεν is third pers. sing. aorist act. indicative, meaning "(s)he chattered," or, as you indicated, Roland, "(s)he spoke."

[Roland]

Ah!  Thank you for your response.  I am unable to find the principal parts for this verb after having looked in numerous sources.  I would have guessed the principal parts to be λαλέω (pres.act.), λαλέσω (fut.act.), λάλεσα (1st aor.act.), λέληκα (perf.act.), λάλεμαι (perf.mid.), and λαλέθην (aor.pass.).

Can you tell me the principal parts or suggest where I can find them?  Based on what you've told me, are they λαλέω (pres.act.), λαλέσω (fut.act.?), ἐλάλησα (1st aor.act.), ἐλάληκα (perf.act.?), ἐλάλημαι (perf.mid.?), and ἐλάθην (aor.pass.?)?

[billberg23]

Dictionaries generally don't bother to give the principal parts of regular epsilon-contract verbs that are conjugated exactly like ποιέω (the usual model verb for this type of conjugation).  In addition, some parts of λαλέω, like the aorist passive, probably never occur in literature.  If they did, the complete list of principal parts would be λαλέω, λαλήσω, ἐλάλησα, λελάληκα, λελάλημαι, and ἐλαλήθην.

[banned8]

Visit:
http://www.eaglenet.gr/eagleid/default.aspx
Change Νέα Ελληνικά to Αρχαία Ελληνικά.
Type your word next to Λέξη.
Pick the right word from the pull-down list that will appear to the right.
Choose Κλίση.
And you will have access to all the forms of the verb or noun.

[billberg23]

Eaglenet can be a wonderful thing, provided you can read all the grammatical terms (active, passive, perfect, optative, etc.) in Greek.  And know the contracted form of the verb (e.g. λαλῶ instead of λαλέω).  Otherwise (if you like books), I recommend the list of verbs in H. W. Smyth's Greek Grammar.

[banned8]

You are so right. You are more likely to get a nice list in your pull-down if you give ελάλησεν than if you give λαλέω.

[Roland]

Thank you both for your valuable input!  H. W. Smyth's Greek Grammar, what an excellent book.  (My library has it.)

EagleNet is a great resource.  I'm glad you pointed it out.