Some Greek help

William
William Member Posts: 1,152 ✭✭
edited November 2024 in English Forum

I was just looking at some vocabulary and I wanted to ask a question.

I have read that kai is and.  I also see that de or d' is but, and.  It is also saying something about de being a postpositive.  This is a word, especially a particle, that cannot stand as the first word in its clause. It usually stands second.  Can you help me understand this?  Maybe give an example or two?

Thanks

Comments

  • MJ. Smith
    MJ. Smith MVP Posts: 55,539

    Does this help? I'm not sure what you are asking:

    A number of Greek particles are
    "postpositive," meaning that they cannot stand as the first
    word in the Greek sentence; these are usually best
    translated into English as the first word of the
    sentence.

    For example, the particle gar
    meaning "for," is postpositive: "For he's a jolly good
    fellow." In Greek, gar would be the second word in
    the sentence.

    Orthodox Bishop Alfeyev: "To be a theologian means to have experience of a personal encounter with God through prayer and worship."; Orthodox proverb: "We know where the Church is, we do not know where it is not."

  • Paul N
    Paul N Member Posts: 2,087 ✭✭✭

    After enough translations you start to automatically reading them as the first word in the sentence.

  • William
    William Member Posts: 1,152 ✭✭

    Ok I think I understand....For example. 

    The Honda fit is a good car, but  (de) its steering wheel is on the wrong side.   Greek would read.......The Honda fit is a good car,  its de steering wheel is on the wrong side. 

    with the understanding it should be in Greek.   If that is right, I understand.

    How does that and function as a postpositive? 

     

  • Kevin Becker
    Kevin Becker Member Posts: 5,604 ✭✭✭

    How does that and function as a postpositive? 

    You example is fine for illustrating word order differences between Greek and Hebrew.

    Postpositive means that the work will almost exclusively come second in a sentence. Having a word that always comes second is helpful when you have an inflected language that doesn't have a set word to start with and was written without spaces!