imperfect of πειθω?

Here you can discuss all things Ancient Greek. Use this board to ask questions about grammar, discuss learning strategies, get help with a difficult passage of Greek, and more.
Post Reply
hlawson38
Textkit Zealot
Posts: 1076
Joined: Tue Mar 02, 2010 12:38 am
Location: Tampa, Florida, USA

imperfect of πειθω?

Post by hlawson38 »

This replaces a query I answered on my own. I don't know how to just delete a query once it has appeared. :-(

The way I found the answer was this: I did a google search on the exact Greek word that was bothering me. Among the hits was a dictionary entry that showed me that I had confused one word with another word.

That's my "Hail Mary" play for this kind of problem.
Hugh Lawson

User avatar
jeidsath
Textkit Zealot
Posts: 5332
Joined: Mon Dec 30, 2013 2:42 pm
Location: Γαλεήπολις, Οὐισκόνσιν

Re: imperfect of πειθω?

Post by jeidsath »

Why don't you post what you found, so that others can find the answer too when they stumble across this thread? (I always have trouble keeping forms of πείθω and πάσχω apart myself).
“One might get one’s Greek from the very lips of Homer and Plato." "In which case they would certainly plough you for the Little-go. The German scholars have improved Greek so much.”

Joel Eidsath -- jeidsath@gmail.com

hlawson38
Textkit Zealot
Posts: 1076
Joined: Tue Mar 02, 2010 12:38 am
Location: Tampa, Florida, USA

Re: imperfect of πειθω?

Post by hlawson38 »

jeidsath wrote:Why don't you post what you found, so that others can find the answer too when they stumble across this thread? (I always have trouble keeping forms of πείθω and πάσχω apart myself).
I confused two different words,
#1. πειθω
#2. επιθuμεω.

The problematic word in the exercise was επεθυμουν, which the answer key translated "were eager to".

I was trying to make επεθυμουν be a form of #1, πειθω, which led me into much confusion. That in turn led to my Hail Mary google search on επεθυμουν, which made me decide to stop looking at πειθω.

I'm leaving the middle/passive of πειθω for another day. I'm still too weak at punching the verb tables to get to this quickly.
Hugh Lawson

User avatar
jeidsath
Textkit Zealot
Posts: 5332
Joined: Mon Dec 30, 2013 2:42 pm
Location: Γαλεήπολις, Οὐισκόνσιν

Re: imperfect of πειθω?

Post by jeidsath »

"επεθυμουν"

It can be easy to miss the augment on επι- verbs. If you aren't ready for it, you might see ε-πεθυμ-ουν (augment-root-suffix) when it's actually επ-ε-θυμ-ουν (prefix-augment-root-suffix)
“One might get one’s Greek from the very lips of Homer and Plato." "In which case they would certainly plough you for the Little-go. The German scholars have improved Greek so much.”

Joel Eidsath -- jeidsath@gmail.com

hlawson38
Textkit Zealot
Posts: 1076
Joined: Tue Mar 02, 2010 12:38 am
Location: Tampa, Florida, USA

Re: imperfect of πειθω?

Post by hlawson38 »

jeidsath wrote:"επεθυμουν"

It can be easy to miss the augment on επι- verbs. If you aren't ready for it, you might see ε-πεθυμ-ουν (augment-root-suffix) when it's actually επ-ε-θυμ-ουν (prefix-augment-root-suffix)
Many thanks, jeidsath!
Hugh Lawson

npc
Textkit Neophyte
Posts: 16
Joined: Mon Feb 12, 2018 1:35 am

Re: imperfect of πειθω?

Post by npc »

hlawson38 wrote: The way I found the answer was this: I did a google search on the exact Greek word that was bothering me. Among the hits was a dictionary entry that showed me that I had confused one word with another word.

That's my "Hail Mary" play for this kind of problem.
I'm curious as to why you'd do a Google search for this before using the Perseus word study tool?
Example:

http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/mor ... ek#lexicon

mwh
Textkit Zealot
Posts: 4791
Joined: Fri Oct 18, 2013 2:34 am

Re: imperfect of πειθω?

Post by mwh »

Perhaps a little morphology would have helped. There’s no way επεθυμουν could have anything to do with πείθω. πειθ- could not reduce to πεθ-, and where would the –υμ- have come from? (θυμ- on the other hands, is very common, θυμος etc.etc.) And remember that the imperfect of –ω verbs is always perfectly regular, and uses the present stem, with augment: επειθ-ον –ες –ε(ν) –ομεν –ετε –ον. Unlike Latin, where you have all those pesky conjugations to contend with.

Easy in retrospect, of course.

hlawson38
Textkit Zealot
Posts: 1076
Joined: Tue Mar 02, 2010 12:38 am
Location: Tampa, Florida, USA

Re: imperfect of πειθω?

Post by hlawson38 »

npc wrote:
hlawson38 wrote: The way I found the answer was this: I did a google search on the exact Greek word that was bothering me. Among the hits was a dictionary entry that showed me that I had confused one word with another word.

That's my "Hail Mary" play for this kind of problem.
I'm curious as to why you'd do a Google search for this before using the Perseus word study tool?
Example:

http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/mor ... ek#lexicon
I haven't figured out how to use Perseus for Greek.
Hugh Lawson

donhamiltontx
Textkit Member
Posts: 105
Joined: Tue Jul 28, 2015 5:27 pm

Re: imperfect of πειθω?

Post by donhamiltontx »

hlawson38 wrote:I haven't figured out how to use Perseus for Greek.
There are instructions at DIY Classics for creating a keyboard shortcut to Perseus Latin or Greek here
https://diyclassics.com/2014/08/15/sear ... e-firefox/

The instructions are for the Latin dictionary, but just a tiny change makes it work for Greek, too. Hope this helps.

hlawson38
Textkit Zealot
Posts: 1076
Joined: Tue Mar 02, 2010 12:38 am
Location: Tampa, Florida, USA

Re: imperfect of πειθω?

Post by hlawson38 »

Many thanks donhamiltontx and mwh for the comments.
Hugh Lawson

Post Reply