God Fearing Atheist

I've been (very slowly) trying to learn my Greek, but it's difficult to check how accurate I am at translating stuff from the book. Could one of you kind Greek speakers take a look at this and see how close I am? Maybe fill in the blanks where i'm having trouble?

Please and thank you!

Ben C Smith

I applaud your desire and effort to learn Greek!

I am not a Greek speaker, since nobody is around to speak ancient Greek. But here goes.

This all looks good to me.

The next bit you have a question mark for; τι καθευδεις μη ουτως αργος ισθι αλλα σπευδε would mean: Why are you sleeping [καθευδεις]? Do not be so [ουτως] lazy but rather hurry (or get a move on ) [σπευδε].

This is okay, but keep in mind that the verbs are in the present tense, not in any of the past tenses.

Why are you [ει] so difficult (or harsh), O master?

You saw αργος further up in the passage; it means lazy. Field would be αγρος (which comes later). This line would be: For I am not [ου] lazy; I am already hurrying [σπευδω], or (more colloquially) already on my way.

Present tense again, not past.

If the transcription is correct, then this is αργος again, not αγρος. For the lazy man is small, but the work is big. I guess it means that any project seems large to a lazy person.

Again, I am impressed by your desire to learn (one of) the original languages. May this illness afflict more of us.

(Is Athenaze the book you are using, perchance?)

Ben.

Wedge

Athenaze. Wow, is that familiar.

(I just finished the first volume, starting on the second.)

God Fearing Atheist

Thanks for your help Ben!

Yes, it is the book i'm using. It would probably help to purchase the teacher's guide, but I can't find any copies for the second edition.

ETA: My transcription of the last sentence there should have had αγρος, not αργος. I need to pay better attention.

spin

Euthanaze, perhaps?


sinp

Wedge

I take it you don't mean 'eu' as in good?:Cheeky:

It's not the best of textbooks, but it's the one we started with before the class was cancelled due to lack of interest. And while I'm not a huge fan of its teaching style, I'm learning.

Ben C Smith

I hate to see Greek classes dry up for lack of interest.

Athenaze was the textbook I was started on, too. The class went through both volumes before turning to other textbooks and actual student texts of ancient authors (Herodotus, Homer, Thucydides, Xenophon, Euripides, and others).

I am not a big fan of that style of instruction, either, at least for ancient languages. Immersion is tops for living languages (and is how I learned Spanish). But for dead ones? Nevertheless, Athenaze at least had cumulative charts everywhere that one could consult from a grammatical point of view.

Fortunately, my Greek (and Latin) professors, one and all, were huge on grammar and syntax; we students received a lot more information than what was in the textbook... and we all had Smyth in hand by our second year.

Ben.

God Fearing Atheist

Another question...

The postpositive enclitic in:

ο Δικαιοπολις ιδου φησιν λιθος μεγας το αροτρον εμποδιζει

It translated as:

Dicaeopolis says, "Look, the big rock is blocking the plow."

Right?

Ben C Smith

Yes, I think you have it right.

Ben.

God Fearing Atheist

Word up. Thanks brotha'.