Direct and Indirect Speech Flashcards
What are the four different ways to show direct speech?
The word ὁτι is used
e.g. λεγει ὁτι Ἀγαθος ὁ θεος. = He says, “God is good.”
The participle of λεγω is used
e.g. ἐδιδασκεν λεγων· Ἀγαθος ὁ θεος. = He was teaching, saying, “God is good.”
Both of the above
e.g. ἐδιδασκεν λεγων ὁτι Ἀγαθος ὁ Θεος. = He was teaching, saying, “God is good.”
None of the above
e.g. λεγει· Ἀγαθος ὁ θεος. = He says, “God is good.”
What is indirect speech?
Reported words, often using the word ‘that’
e.g. Indirect: He says that God is good.
How to show indirect speech in Greek?
uses the word ὁτι (“that”)
How to tell the difference between direct and indirect speech?
Direct usually uses a capital letter
The subject and verb form changes
e.g. Direct: λεγει ὁτι Ἐγω εἰμι ὁ Χριστος. = He says, “I am the Messiah.”
Indirect: λεγει ὁτι ἐστιν ὁ Χριστος. He says that he is the Messiah.
How do Greeks report past speech?
report the speech as it would have been reported at the time.
e.g. ἐλεγεν ὁτι Ὁ Ἰησους κηρυσσει.
He was saying, “Jesus is preaching.”
How to change from Greek to English when reporting past speech?
ἐλεγεν ὁτι ὁ Ἰησους κηρυσσει.
He was saying that Jesus is preaching.
…….He was saying that Jesus was preaching. (correct translation)
What is the double past?
When in the past, someone says something happened in the past, we translate to they ‘had been’ doing something.
If the introducing verb of the Greek sentence is
some kind of past………
in English put the reported speech back one step in the past. So if
the reported speech in Greek is present, put it in the imperfect in English. If it’s in
imperfect/aorist in Greek, put it the double past (e.g. “had been preaching,” or “had
preached.”)
