So, I finished my Ancient greek course, feel ready to really get going on The Iliad on my own. So i buy myself a nice copy of Liddel&Scotts and familiarize myself with the Perseus digital library. So far so good until i come across a verb form that isn't readily apparent. I grab my dictionary and find the word expecting to see 6 clear neatly listed principal parts that i can look through to find which matches the construction i have but all i can find (usually) is gibberish. Am i missing something? how is this helpful? is there a dictionary available on the market that is clear and easy to use with all the principal parts? Latin dictionaries are very easy, why is this so different? I looked in a Homeric dictionary but it didn't look much better. -- Any help or advice will be much appreciated! Thanks
As an example here is the entry from my greek 101 course book (perfect) followed by the LSJ entry (insane) for διδωμι:
Course book:
δίδωμι, δώσω (διδώσω), ἔδωκα, δέδοκα, δέδομαι, ἐδόθην: give, grant, bestow
LSJ:
δίδωμι , Il.23.620, etc. (late δίδω POxy.121 (iii A. D.)); late forms, 1pl. διδόαμεν v. l. in J.BJ3.8.5, etc., 3pl. δίδωσι (παρα-) Id.AJ10.4.1, etc.; but thematic forms are freq. used, esp. in Ep. and Ion., διδοῖς, διδοῖσθα, Il.9.164, 19.270,
A. [select] “διδοῖ” Od.17.350, Mimn.2.16, Hdt.2.48, Hp.Aër.12 (ἀνα-), A.Supp.1010, etc., “διδοῦσι” Il.19.265 (always in Hom.), dub. in Att., Antiph.156; imper. “δίδου” Thgn.1303, Hdt.3.140, E.Or.642, “δίδοι” Pi.O.1.85, Epigr. in Class.Phil.4.78, Ep. “δίδωθι” Od.3.380; inf. διδόναι, also “διδοῦν” Thgn.1329, Ep. “διδοῦναι” Il.24.425, Aeol. “δίδων” Theoc.29.9; part. διδούς, Aeol. “δίδοις” Alc.Supp.23.13: impf. ἐδίδουν -ους -ου, Ar.Eq.678, Od.19.367, 11.289 (Ep. “δίδου”Il. 5.165), etc.; 3pl. “ἐδίδοσαν” Hdt.8.9, etc., ἐδίδουν (v.l. ἐδίδων) Hes. Op.139, D.H.5.6 codd. (ἀπ-), also ἔδιδον prob. in h.Cer.437, δίδον ib.328; Ep. iter. “δόσκον” Il.14.382: fut. “δώσω” 14.268, etc., Ep. “διδώσω” Od.13.358, 24.314; inf. “δωσέμεναι” Il.13.369: aor. 1 ἔδωκα, used only in ind., Od.9.361, etc., Ep. “δῶκα” Il.4.43: aor. 2 ἔδων, used in pl. ind. ἔδομεν ἔδοτε ἔδοσαν (Lacon. “ἔδον” IG5(1).1B1), and in moods, δός, δῶ, δοίην, δοῦναι, δούς; Ep. forms of aor., subj. 3sg. δώῃ, δώῃσι, δῷσι, Il.16.725, 1.324, Od.2.144; 3sg. δώη, Boeot. “δώει” SIG2858.17 (Delph.), IG7.3054 (Lebad.), “δοῖ” PPetr.2.p.24; 1pl. “δώομεν”Il.7.299, Od.16.184, 3pl. “δώωσι” Il.1.137; 3sg. opt. is written “δόη” UPZ1.4, “δοῖ” IG14.1488, etc.; inf. “δόμεναι” Il.1.116, “δόμεν” 4.379 (also Dor., Ar.Lys.1163(ἀπο-)“, δόμειν” SIG942 (Dodona)); Cypr. inf. “δοϝέναι” Inscr.Cypr.135.5H. (also opt. δυϝάνοι ib. 6); Arc. part. “ἀπυ-δόας” IG5(2).6.13 (Tegea); inf. “δῶναι”Schwyzer 666.2 (Orchom., iii B. C.), also in later Greek, BGU38.13 (ii A. D.): pf. “δέδωκα” Pi.N.2.8, etc.; Boeot. 3pl. “ἀπο-δεδόανθι” IG7.3171.35 (Orchom.): plpf. “ἐδεδώκει” X.Cyr.1.4.26:—Med. only in compds.:— Pass., fut. “δοθήσομαι” E.Ph.1650, Is.3.39, etc.: aor. “ἐδόθην” Od.2.78, etc.: pf. “δέδομαι” Il.5.428, A.Supp.1041, Th.1.26, etc.; 3pl. “δέδονται” E.Supp.757: plpf. “ἐδέδοτο” Th.3.109:—give freely, “τινί τι” Od.24.274, etc.: in pres. and impf., to be ready to give, offer, Il.9.519, Hdt.5.94, 9.109, Ar.Fr.100, X.An.6.3.9, etc.; “τὰ διδόμενα” things offered, D.18.119.
2. [select] of the gods, grant, assign, κῦδος, νίκην, et
As an example here is the entry from my greek 101 course book (perfect) followed by the LSJ entry (insane) for διδωμι:
Course book:
δίδωμι, δώσω (διδώσω), ἔδωκα, δέδοκα, δέδομαι, ἐδόθην: give, grant, bestow
LSJ:
δίδωμι , Il.23.620, etc. (late δίδω POxy.121 (iii A. D.)); late forms, 1pl. διδόαμεν v. l. in J.BJ3.8.5, etc., 3pl. δίδωσι (παρα-) Id.AJ10.4.1, etc.; but thematic forms are freq. used, esp. in Ep. and Ion., διδοῖς, διδοῖσθα, Il.9.164, 19.270,
A. [select] “διδοῖ” Od.17.350, Mimn.2.16, Hdt.2.48, Hp.Aër.12 (ἀνα-), A.Supp.1010, etc., “διδοῦσι” Il.19.265 (always in Hom.), dub. in Att., Antiph.156; imper. “δίδου” Thgn.1303, Hdt.3.140, E.Or.642, “δίδοι” Pi.O.1.85, Epigr. in Class.Phil.4.78, Ep. “δίδωθι” Od.3.380; inf. διδόναι, also “διδοῦν” Thgn.1329, Ep. “διδοῦναι” Il.24.425, Aeol. “δίδων” Theoc.29.9; part. διδούς, Aeol. “δίδοις” Alc.Supp.23.13: impf. ἐδίδουν -ους -ου, Ar.Eq.678, Od.19.367, 11.289 (Ep. “δίδου”Il. 5.165), etc.; 3pl. “ἐδίδοσαν” Hdt.8.9, etc., ἐδίδουν (v.l. ἐδίδων) Hes. Op.139, D.H.5.6 codd. (ἀπ-), also ἔδιδον prob. in h.Cer.437, δίδον ib.328; Ep. iter. “δόσκον” Il.14.382: fut. “δώσω” 14.268, etc., Ep. “διδώσω” Od.13.358, 24.314; inf. “δωσέμεναι” Il.13.369: aor. 1 ἔδωκα, used only in ind., Od.9.361, etc., Ep. “δῶκα” Il.4.43: aor. 2 ἔδων, used in pl. ind. ἔδομεν ἔδοτε ἔδοσαν (Lacon. “ἔδον” IG5(1).1B1), and in moods, δός, δῶ, δοίην, δοῦναι, δούς; Ep. forms of aor., subj. 3sg. δώῃ, δώῃσι, δῷσι, Il.16.725, 1.324, Od.2.144; 3sg. δώη, Boeot. “δώει” SIG2858.17 (Delph.), IG7.3054 (Lebad.), “δοῖ” PPetr.2.p.24; 1pl. “δώομεν”Il.7.299, Od.16.184, 3pl. “δώωσι” Il.1.137; 3sg. opt. is written “δόη” UPZ1.4, “δοῖ” IG14.1488, etc.; inf. “δόμεναι” Il.1.116, “δόμεν” 4.379 (also Dor., Ar.Lys.1163(ἀπο-)“, δόμειν” SIG942 (Dodona)); Cypr. inf. “δοϝέναι” Inscr.Cypr.135.5H. (also opt. δυϝάνοι ib. 6); Arc. part. “ἀπυ-δόας” IG5(2).6.13 (Tegea); inf. “δῶναι”Schwyzer 666.2 (Orchom., iii B. C.), also in later Greek, BGU38.13 (ii A. D.): pf. “δέδωκα” Pi.N.2.8, etc.; Boeot. 3pl. “ἀπο-δεδόανθι” IG7.3171.35 (Orchom.): plpf. “ἐδεδώκει” X.Cyr.1.4.26:—Med. only in compds.:— Pass., fut. “δοθήσομαι” E.Ph.1650, Is.3.39, etc.: aor. “ἐδόθην” Od.2.78, etc.: pf. “δέδομαι” Il.5.428, A.Supp.1041, Th.1.26, etc.; 3pl. “δέδονται” E.Supp.757: plpf. “ἐδέδοτο” Th.3.109:—give freely, “τινί τι” Od.24.274, etc.: in pres. and impf., to be ready to give, offer, Il.9.519, Hdt.5.94, 9.109, Ar.Fr.100, X.An.6.3.9, etc.; “τὰ διδόμενα” things offered, D.18.119.
2. [select] of the gods, grant, assign, κῦδος, νίκην, et