(Ancient) Greek Help Please [resolved]

[Kneenibble]

My Greek is still pretty weak, having only started with it in September. I'm sure there's somebody around here who might help me.

I'm doing some practice sentences and I can't recognize a word. It's the same stem with different prefixes in three sentences. It appears thusly:

1) προσελθόντος (participle in a genitive absolute)
2) ἔξελθε (seems to be the main verb)
3) εἰσελθὸντος (complementary participle)

So the stem is, by my best guess, ελθ-. I'm trying to figure out if it isn't the aorist of the verb λανθάν- (since we learned it in the latest chapter) which has the strong aorist ἔλαθ-, and prefixing that stem contracts the vowel... but it's a stretch, and it doesn't really make sense in the sentence.

It's probably something stupidly obvious and I will slap myself when it's pointed out, but I can't find that stem in the textbook's glossary or online dictionaries.

It's giving me a study rage-on, such that I might need to go for a run in ten minutes or wind up breaking my fist against a wall.

*Pre-emptively slaps any clown in their clown face who is about to write "it's all Greek to me"*

[Syka]

....When do you need it by?

If it's after Monday, I can dig out my Greek text and/or my Liddel and Scott (one of the better Greek Dictionaries) and check it out. I'll warn you now, most of my translation ability was not in actually parcing the verbs. :smallwink: It was more getting the definitions and figuring out what made sense. Buuuut, I made A's in all my Greek classes (except Greek I, which was a B+), so I've got something going for me. :)

Do you have the full sentences? That actually may help in determining context.

[Kneenibble]

We go over the homework on Monday. It's not even for marks, so my not understanding one word in three sentences each will carry no penalty except shame and frustration.

I already have the words in question fully parsed except for tense (they're either present or strong aorist [edit unless it's some weird nonreduplicated perfect I suppose]) and understand the remainder of the sentences. I don't wish to spend the time with character map to put the full sentences though.

:sigh:
*slaps self in the face, and drinks a bottle of sulphuric acid*

Just as I predicted, totally rookie mistake... it's from the aorist of ercomai, "come, go".

Thanks for responding though, Syka.

[Djinn_in_Tonic]

Aww...the one time my St. John's mandatory Ancient Greek classes could be used, and I miss it.:smallfrown:

Glad you got it solved! :smallbiggrin:

[Kneenibble]

Thanks anyways.

Just out of curiosity, the both of yous, having studied the language, do you still read or practice it without the requirement to do so?

[Djinn_in_Tonic]

Thanks anyways.

Just out of curiosity, the both of yous, having studied the language, do you still read or practice it without the requirement to do so?

I occasionally glance at some of the philosophy in the original, simply because it's a challenge to translate, and often quite interesting. I also translated Oedipus Tyrannus (Oedipus Rex for all you non-greek students out there) on a whim once.

[Syka]

Unfortunately, I don't get a chance to read it much.

I'm better with Latin than Greek, since I'd done Latin from about 14-21, and Greek only 20-21. I'm too stressed trying to figure out all this new fangled Economics and Finance and Accounting stuff (I'm getting my MBA) to translate of late. Honestly...as much trouble as I had translating, I'm yearning for the days where I was intimately acquainted with Plato in the original. And that's saying something, since Plato's Apology is hell in written form for a native English speaker to translate. :smallwink:

I plan on brushing up on it fairly soon, though, particularly as I'm planning a trip to either Italy or Greece. Both Latin and Greek are really handy for understanding the modern versions. Like, I've seen some Modern Greek in pictures and such and could translate it no problem.