English translation by Bruna Pogliano
One of the most frequent approaches adopted by the Greek language in order to avoid hiatus consisted in adding a consonant at the end of the preceding word. Such consonant is called movable for the reason that it is added only when the successive word starts with a vowel. The most fequent movable consonant is ν, therefore, it is also referred to as ephelkystic (from ἐφελκύω, I attract, I draw on) or euphonic.
The following table shows movable consonants and their occurrences:
| Consonant | Occurrence or specific word | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
ν |
3rd declension dative plurals ending in -σι -ψι -ξι |
πόλεσιν |
to the cities |
κλωψίν |
to the thieves |
||
γυναιξὶν |
to the women |
||
Verb forms ending in -σι |
λύουσιν |
they loosen |
|
λύσουσιν |
they will loosen |
||
τίθησιν |
he puts |
||
εἰσίν |
they are |
||
Verb forms ending in -ε |
ἔλυεν |
he was loosening |
|
ἔλυσεν |
he loosened |
||
Suffix of motion from -θε |
οἴκοθεν |
from home |
|
ἐστίν - 3rd pers. sing. pres. indic. of εἰμί |
- |
he is |
|
εἴκοσιν |
- |
twenty |
|
| παντάπασιν |
- |
wholly |
|
πέρυσιν |
- |
last year |
|
ς |
οὕτως |
- |
so, thus |
ἄχρις |
- |
as far as, until |
|
μέχρις |
- |
as far as, until |
|
κ |
οὐκ - negative adverb οὐ preceding a vowel with smooth breathing |
οὐκ ἔλασσον |
not less |
χ |
οὐχ - negative adverb οὐ preceding a vowel with rough breathing |
οὐχ οὕτως |
not so |
Finally, remember that the preposition of motion ἐξ, out of, retains its original form when preceding a vowel, whereas it appears as ἐκ in front of a consonant.