1. Intro to the Middle

What are the different forms of the middle voice?

• intransitively

• reflexive

• causative (subject gets something done)

How to translate intransitively?

When there is no object

• I stopped the battle is TRANSITIVE (active) as there is an object

• The battle stopped (or ceased) is INTRANSITIVE (middle) as there is no object

An example is “The video ceased”.

How to translate reflexively?

The object is the same as the subject

• I washed the floor is ACTIVE (and transitive)

• I washed before going to bed is REFLEXIVE as the object is the same as the subject. The sentence implies "‘I washed myself’

An example is “The girl hides in the forest”

How to translate the causative?

When the subject actively gets something done passively

• The boy teaches the slave is ACTIVE, and the boy is be implied to be the one teaching the boy

• The slave is taught by the boy is CAUSATIVE as the boy actively causes the slave to be taught passively, by someone else

While this is called the causative, the words cause or needs don’t need to show up. An example is: “Winston Churchill built garden walls” (He personally didn’t build them but got them built by someone else)

What are the middle endings for the present and imperfect?

The same as the passive endings for the present and imperfect, only the weak and strong aorist change