http://www.hotforwords.com/bio/

Greek was (still is? I don’t know modern Greek) characterized by a huge number of different set of conjugation patterns. I’m going to write in Latin characters rather than Greek because I do not have a Greek keyboard or translit program. There are the -ein verbs (like “luein” above, “to loosen/free”), which become “esthai” in the middle voice, e.g. luesthai, “to be loosened or freed.” Then there are the -emi verbs, like hiemi (I send), didomi (I give), istami (I stand), etc. And then a whole bunch of others. When I get home I might actually try to tally up all the declension patterns — however boring this might be to ecerybody else. I wonder how they would compare to Russian.

????????, ????????, ????????, ???????????, ?????, ?????, ?????, ????, ?????????, ??????, ???????, and so on…all conjugated differently

Har! Look at a complete Classical Greek conjugation,list sometime, just for a boring verb like “luein.” (Seemingly the only completely regular verb in Athenian dialect.) Russian has usually two infinitives for every verb. Greek has at least 6 (luein, lusai, luesthai, lusasthai, lelukenai, luthenai, and I’m sure I’m forgetting the passive plusperfect infinite at least).

luo, lueis, luei, luomen, luete, luousin
luomai, lue, luetai, luometha, luesthe, luontai
eluon, elues, elue, eluomen, ulete, eluon
elusa, elusas, eluse, elusamen, elusate, elusan
luoimi, luois, luoi, luiomen, luoite, luoien

Etc. etc, etc, etc.

I find it’s more than just aspect that’s the problem. I once sat down and tried to figure out exactly how many ways there are to conjugate a Russian verb. I came up with upwards of 10 different conjugations, and that’s just my informal count.

This is why Macedonia doesn’t have an embassy in Canberra: the Greek dispora has prevented it.

Incidentally, Russian verbs are okay until you get to the perfective and imperfective: when you use which is completely beyond me and, I suspect, anyone.