Help with translation

[Big John]

[face=SPIonic]o(i pa/lai sofoi\ ou)k apoqnh/skousin a)lla\ paideusin a)ei/[/face]


First of all, did the above go through and, if so, does the translation read:


The wise ones of long ago have not died but they always teach.


I should say that I am using a book called Ancient Greek: A New Approach
by Carl A.P. Ruck. The book has no answer key and no attribution is given for the above sentence, though it occurs in a chapter dealing with verbal sentences. This is the second chapter with the first being on nominal sentences.

[whiteoctave]

that's pretty much correct, yes. the perfect need not be introduced in the former verb:

the wise men of yore die not but teach for evermore.

~D

[PeterD]

I should say that I am using a book called Ancient Greek: A New Approach
by Carl A.P. Ruck.

Except for the lack of answers to the exercises, it is an excellent text, Big John. Ruck has you thinking like a Greek in no time. But, if I may, it would be wise to supplement it with a more traditional grammar book, perhaps with one of the fine, online texts right here on textkit.

PeterD

[Big John]

Thank you for your response:I was dying to know how I did. I am really glad about what you said about not needing to use the perfect in the former verb. I had plenty of reservations about employing it as my author is nowhere near going over the perfect, but I had been mulling over what the most correct translation most probably was for so long that I finally said to myself, "Heck, I had better just write something that sounds right before I go bananas."

I hope that I do not lack imagination, but because the author glossed the last word [face=spionic] a)ei/ [/face] as "always" and [face=spionic] pa/lai [/face] as "of long ago" I just could not understand how much leeway I had to translate the sentence. Yours seems the perfect translation. I guess I need to not be so literal about some things and more creative with others. I knew my translation seemed stilted but I could not figure out what to do about it.
Thanks again,
Big John

that's pretty much correct, yes. the perfect need not be introduced in the former verb:

the wise men of yore die not but teach for evermore.

~D

[face=SPIonic][/face][face=Arial][/face][face=SPIonic][/face][face=Arial][/face]

[Big John]

PeterD wrote:
Except for the lack of answers to the exercises, it is an excellent text, Big John. Ruck has you thinking like a Greek in no time. But, if I may, it would be wise to supplement it with a more traditional grammar book, perhaps with one of the fine, online texts right here on textkit.


Peter, thanks for the good review of my primary text. I will indeed consider getting one of the textbooks at Textkit. This is a great site and thanks again for your response.
Take care,
Big John

[Skylax]

Hi, there !

(I'd like to apologize for seeming maybe abrupt, but I am no native English speaker, so...)

"They teach" : I think it should be [face=SPIonic]paideu/ousin[/face], from [face=SPIonic]paideu/w[/face], just like [face=SPIonic]lu/ousi[/face] from [face=SPIonic]lu/w[/face] (and [face=SPIonic]a)kou/ousi[/face] from[face=SPIonic]a)kou/w[/face]. [face=SPIonic]pai/deusin[/face] would be the substantive [face=SPIonic]pai/deusis[/face], "process or system of education" in the accusative.

[face=SPIonic]xai=re[/face][/i]

[whiteoctave]

clearly that is true, though I am sure a typographical error is more likely here than the introduction of a relatively rare deverbal noun in the accusative without a stated transitive verb governing it. that would, of course, be nonsense.

~D

[Big John]

Let's see if I can type it correctly this time:[face=spionic] paideu/ousin [/face]

Hi, there !

(I'd like to apologize for seeming maybe abrupt, but I am no native English speaker, so...)

"They teach" : I think it should be [face=SPIonic]paideu/ousin[/face], from [face=SPIonic]paideu/w[/face], just like [face=SPIonic]lu/ousi[/face] from [face=SPIonic]lu/w[/face] (and [face=SPIonic]a)kou/ousi[/face] from[face=SPIonic]a)kou/w[/face]. [face=SPIonic]pai/deusin[/face] would be the substantive [face=SPIonic]pai/deusis[/face], "process or system of education" in the accusative.

[face=SPIonic]xai=re[/face][/i]