λέγεται (legetai) in John 1:38: Verb Third Person Singular Present Passive Indicative

Verb: the form names an action or state, here the speaking verb from λέγω, and its function is read in the sentence rather than in isolation.

Present: often views the action as in progress, customary, or presently in view. Context decides the exact force.

Passive: presents the subject as receiving or being affected by the action.

Indicative: presents the verbal idea as an assertion or statement in the clause.

Third person: the form speaks about someone or something rather than directly as I/we or you.

Not applicable: this verb form is not using noun case to mark its sentence role.

Singular: the form is third person singular, so it presents the speaking as one verbal action linked to a single implied subject in context.

Not applicable: this verb form does not use grammatical gender to make its point.

ὃ

The form stands in the parenthetical explanation that follows Ῥαββί and gives the translation note, 'which is interpreted, Teacher.'

It functions as the explanatory verb for the glossed title, introducing the translation or sense of the Aramaic address in the narrative.

It does not introduce a new action in the dialogue, and it does not change the meaning of Ῥαββί into another word by morphology alone.

Moderate: The present passive verb marks the explanatory aside that helps readers understand the title Rabbi.

Present passive indicative in an explanatory parenthesis. introduces the meaning or rendering of the title rather than advancing a new dialogue action. Attached to the relative clause explaining Rabbi. Governed by John's parenthetical translation note. The form functions as explanatory speech in context, not as a fresh event in the narrative.

What is this explanatory verb doing? It signals that Rabbi is being explained for the reader as Teacher.

Direct: The present passive form directly supports a smooth explanatory rendering such as 'which means' or 'that is.'

The passive form should not be made into a separate agency claim; it functions as an explanatory formula here. The present form supports the parenthetical explanation without turning it into a new scene action.

Passive voice creates a hidden theological actor: The passive form belongs to the explanatory parenthesis and should not be overread. literal say must replace contextual meaning: The context shows that the verb introduces the title's meaning, so a wooden rendering can obscure the verse.

The witness reads λέγεται in the phrase ὃ λέγεται ἑρμηνευόμενον, Διδάσκαλε, within the saying of the disciples to Jesus.

The lemma is λέγω, a common saying verb whose basic sense is 'to say' or 'to speak,' and here it serves an explanatory function.

The present passive form fits a contextual gloss or identification formula, not a fresh narrative speech event, so the reader hears an interpretive comment on Ῥαββί.

In this verse the form helps the text clarify that Ῥαββί is being rendered as 'Teacher,' so the dialogue is immediately understandable to the audience.

Across the canon this kind of saying verb can introduce speech, report meaning, or support explanation, and here it serves the explanatory strand of the verse.

For communication, the form signals that the writer pauses the dialogue to help the reader receive the title in accessible terms.

Do not derive more than the sentence allows, such as a special theological status for the verb voice or a claim that the passive form alone determines the translation.