William Watson Goodwin, Syntax of the Moods and Tenses of the Greek Verb

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[*] 87. The present and aorist here differ only in this, that the present expresses an action in its duration, that is, as going on or repeated, while the aorist expresses simply its occurrence, the time of both tenses being otherwise precisely the same. E.g.

• Ἐὰν ποιῇ τοῦτο, if he shall be doing this, or if he shall do this (habitually);
• ἐὰν ποιήσῃ τοῦτο, (simply) if he shall do this;
• εἰ ποιοίη τοῦτο, if he should be doing this, or if he should do this (habitually);
• εἰ ποιήσειε τοῦτο, if he should do this;
• ποίει τοῦτο, do this (habitually);
• ποίησον τοῦτο, do this.
• Οὕτω νικήσαιμί τ᾽ ἐγὼ καὶ νομιζοίμην σοφός, on this condition may I gain the victory (aorist) and be considered (present) wise.
• AR. Nub. 520. “Βούλεται τοῦτο ποιεῖν” , he wishes to do this (habitually);
• βούλεται τοῦτο ποιῆσαι, (simply) he wishes to do this.

For other examples see below.

This is a distinction entirely unknown to the Latin, which has (for example) only one form, si faciat, corresponding to εἰ ποιοίη and εἰ ποιήσειεν, and only facere to correspond to both ποιεῖν and ποιῆσαι (as used above).