LESSON VIII
The Past Tense
The first aorist or indefinite past tense follows the type of the future, with a σ before the personal terminations, and an augment ε prefixed to the whole word, as a sign of the past tense, thus—
In liquid verbs, where the future has no σ, the aorist lengthens the vowel of the penult, as—
There is another form of the past in
as ἔτυπον for ἔτυψα, which some verbs prefer, as in ἔβαλον,I threw, from βάλλω, βαλῶ; ἔκραγον from κράζω, and some have both, as ἤνεγκα, ἤνεγκον,I brought, irregular from φέρω,I bring, future οἴσω,I will bring.
and with the past participle, εἰδώς,-ότος.
ἅπερ ἐγὼ ἔπραξα χθές, σὺ πράξεις αὔριον, ἀεὶ γὰρ ὑστερεῖς,what I did yesterday you will do to-morrow; you are always behind.τίς τὰ φύλλα ἔκοψε τῆς καλῆς ἐκείνης βίβλου;who cut the leaves of that beautiful book?ἐγώ,I did.ἔκοψας, νὴ Δία, ἀμβλείᾳ τῇ μαχαίρᾳ· πρὸς δὲ τούτοις ῥυπαροί εἰσι σοὶ οἱ δάκτυλοι,verily you cut it with a blunt knife; besides, your fingers are filthy.νίψω τῶ χεῖρε,[5]I will wash my hands.ἔδωκα ἐκείνῃ παρθένῳ μῆλον, ὁ δὲ παῖς ἥρπαξε· τίς ποτε ἐδίδαξεν αὐτὸν τὸ τέχνημα τόδε;I gave that girl an apple, and the boy seized it. Who taught him that trick?κακοδαίμων τις,an evil genius.τίς ἔβαλε τὸν λίθον;who threw the stone?ὁ παῖς ὁ ἐν τῷ κήπῳ,the boy in the garden.παράνομός τις ἐστί,he is a lawless boy.χθὲς διέθραυσε πλάκα ὑαλίνην ἐν τῇ τοῦ φροντιστηρίου τοῦ ἐμοῦ θυρίδι,yesterday he broke a glass pane in my study window.οὐχί· ὁ αἴλουρος ἦν ὁ ἁμαρτωλός· ἐμήνυσαν αἱ ῥῖνες αἱματηραὶ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ ζῴου,not so; the cat was the sinner; the bloody nose of the animal declared its sin.τὴν βίβλον ἣν ἔδωκά σοι χθὲς ἐγχειρίσεις (Attic ἐγχειριεῖς) τῇ ἀδελφῇ· ἀγαθὴ γὰρ ἡ παρθένος καὶ βιβλοῦ ἀγαθῆς ἀξία,the book which I gave you yesterday you will hand over to your sister; she is a good girl, and worthy of a good book.τίς ᾠκοδόμησε τοῦτο τὸ ἱερόν;who built this church?τέκτων τις,an architect.τέκτων μὲν οὔ, ἐργάτης δέ τις λίθων,not an architect, a stonemason.ὁ γὰρ ἀληθὴς τέκτων ποιητής ἐστι· καὶ τὸ οἰκοδόμημα ὅπερ ᾠκοδόμησε χθὲς ποίημα μένει λίθινον αὔριον καὶ ἀεί, ὡς ἔστιν ἰδεῖν ἐν τῇ Αἰγύπτῳ,for a true architect is a poet; and the edifice which he raised yesterday remains a stone poem to-morrow and for ever, as one may see in Egypt.τίς εἶδε τὸν παῖδα ὃς ἀπέκοψε τὸν κλάδον τοῦ δένδρου ἐκείνου;who saw the boy who cut the branch of that tree?εἶδον ἐγώ,I saw him.ἄγε αὐτὸν δεῦρο· μαστιγώσω τὸν κακοῦργον,bring him to me; I will flog the rascal.σήμερον πάντως οὐ δειπνήσει,he shall have no dinner to-day.ἢ δειπνήσει γε μετὰ τῶν συῶν,or dine with the pigs.ἐβούλευσα αὐτῷ καλὴν βουλήν,I gave him good advice.μάτην,in vain.οὐκ ἤκουσε,he did not hear.κωφός ἐστι,he is deaf.κωφὸς δὴ πρός γε τὴν τῶν σοφῶν βουλήν,yes, deaf to the counsel of the wise.χθὲς ἔκλεισε τὰ ὦτα πρὸς τὸν τοῦ σοφοῦ Σολομῶνος λόγον· τοῦ ἄφρονος οἱ ὀφθαλμοί εἰσιν ἐπ’ ἄκρα τῆς γῆς,yesterday he closed his ears to the word of the wise Solomon: the eyes of a fool are in the ends of the earth.ἤκουσε τοῦ μὲν λόγου, τὸν δὲ νοῦν οὐ κατέλαβε,he heard the word, but he did not take in the sense.ὁ ἀδελφὸς αὐτοῦ ὁ ἄφρων ἐπλήρωσε τὸν ἐγκέφαλον διανοημάτων κενῶν,his foolish brother filled his brain with vain imaginations.καὶ ἐπίστευσε τῷ ἀδελφῷ μᾶλλον ἢ τῇ ἁγίᾳ γραφῇ,and he believed his brother rather than the holy scripture.ὦ τοῦ ἀτυχήματος,sad! sad!
ἅπερ ἐγὼ ἔπραξα χθές, σὺ πράξεις αὔριον, ἀεὶ γὰρ ὑστερεῖς,what I did yesterday you will do to-morrow; you are always behind.
τίς τὰ φύλλα ἔκοψε τῆς καλῆς ἐκείνης βίβλου;who cut the leaves of that beautiful book?
ἐγώ,I did.
ἔκοψας, νὴ Δία, ἀμβλείᾳ τῇ μαχαίρᾳ· πρὸς δὲ τούτοις ῥυπαροί εἰσι σοὶ οἱ δάκτυλοι,verily you cut it with a blunt knife; besides, your fingers are filthy.
νίψω τῶ χεῖρε,[5]I will wash my hands.
ἔδωκα ἐκείνῃ παρθένῳ μῆλον, ὁ δὲ παῖς ἥρπαξε· τίς ποτε ἐδίδαξεν αὐτὸν τὸ τέχνημα τόδε;I gave that girl an apple, and the boy seized it. Who taught him that trick?
κακοδαίμων τις,an evil genius.
τίς ἔβαλε τὸν λίθον;who threw the stone?
ὁ παῖς ὁ ἐν τῷ κήπῳ,the boy in the garden.
παράνομός τις ἐστί,he is a lawless boy.
χθὲς διέθραυσε πλάκα ὑαλίνην ἐν τῇ τοῦ φροντιστηρίου τοῦ ἐμοῦ θυρίδι,yesterday he broke a glass pane in my study window.
οὐχί· ὁ αἴλουρος ἦν ὁ ἁμαρτωλός· ἐμήνυσαν αἱ ῥῖνες αἱματηραὶ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ ζῴου,not so; the cat was the sinner; the bloody nose of the animal declared its sin.
τὴν βίβλον ἣν ἔδωκά σοι χθὲς ἐγχειρίσεις (Attic ἐγχειριεῖς) τῇ ἀδελφῇ· ἀγαθὴ γὰρ ἡ παρθένος καὶ βιβλοῦ ἀγαθῆς ἀξία,the book which I gave you yesterday you will hand over to your sister; she is a good girl, and worthy of a good book.
τίς ᾠκοδόμησε τοῦτο τὸ ἱερόν;who built this church?
τέκτων τις,an architect.
τέκτων μὲν οὔ, ἐργάτης δέ τις λίθων,not an architect, a stonemason.
ὁ γὰρ ἀληθὴς τέκτων ποιητής ἐστι· καὶ τὸ οἰκοδόμημα ὅπερ ᾠκοδόμησε χθὲς ποίημα μένει λίθινον αὔριον καὶ ἀεί, ὡς ἔστιν ἰδεῖν ἐν τῇ Αἰγύπτῳ,for a true architect is a poet; and the edifice which he raised yesterday remains a stone poem to-morrow and for ever, as one may see in Egypt.
τίς εἶδε τὸν παῖδα ὃς ἀπέκοψε τὸν κλάδον τοῦ δένδρου ἐκείνου;who saw the boy who cut the branch of that tree?
εἶδον ἐγώ,I saw him.
ἄγε αὐτὸν δεῦρο· μαστιγώσω τὸν κακοῦργον,bring him to me; I will flog the rascal.
σήμερον πάντως οὐ δειπνήσει,he shall have no dinner to-day.
ἢ δειπνήσει γε μετὰ τῶν συῶν,or dine with the pigs.
ἐβούλευσα αὐτῷ καλὴν βουλήν,I gave him good advice.
μάτην,in vain.
οὐκ ἤκουσε,he did not hear.
κωφός ἐστι,he is deaf.
κωφὸς δὴ πρός γε τὴν τῶν σοφῶν βουλήν,yes, deaf to the counsel of the wise.
χθὲς ἔκλεισε τὰ ὦτα πρὸς τὸν τοῦ σοφοῦ Σολομῶνος λόγον· τοῦ ἄφρονος οἱ ὀφθαλμοί εἰσιν ἐπ’ ἄκρα τῆς γῆς,yesterday he closed his ears to the word of the wise Solomon: the eyes of a fool are in the ends of the earth.
ἤκουσε τοῦ μὲν λόγου, τὸν δὲ νοῦν οὐ κατέλαβε,he heard the word, but he did not take in the sense.
ὁ ἀδελφὸς αὐτοῦ ὁ ἄφρων ἐπλήρωσε τὸν ἐγκέφαλον διανοημάτων κενῶν,his foolish brother filled his brain with vain imaginations.
καὶ ἐπίστευσε τῷ ἀδελφῷ μᾶλλον ἢ τῇ ἁγίᾳ γραφῇ,and he believed his brother rather than the holy scripture.
ὦ τοῦ ἀτυχήματος,sad! sad!
English Affinities
Egotism. Practice. Foliation. Chiromancy. The Parthenon. Didactic. Technical. Cacodemon. Lithotomy. Rhinoceros. Zoology. Agatha. Hierarchy. Dendritis. Divine. Acrobat. Geography. Logic. Hagiology. Hagiolatry. Graphic.