Prepositions and conjunctions (Grammar 3)

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γράψαντος αὐτοῖς τοῦ Φιλίππου ‘ἂν ἐμβάλω εἰς τὴν Λακωνικήν, ἀναστάτους ὑμᾶς ποιήσω,’ ἀντέγραψαν ‘αἴκα.’

(Plutarch, De garrulitate, 17)

("when Philip wrote to them, ‘If I invade Laconia, I shall drive you out,’ they wrote back, ‘If.’")

γράψαντος .. τοῦ Φιλίππου: "when Philip wrote", part sg aor act masc GEN, genitive absolute; from γράφω (part. aor act NOM sg masc: γρᾰ́ψᾱς). Philip is Philip II of Macedon.

αὐτοῖς: "to them", pl masc DAT (NOM pl: αὐτοί, NOM sg: αὐτός).

ἂν: "if", also found as ἤν, which are contracted forms of ἐάν (which in turn derives from εἰ + ἄν). It is followed by either present or aorist SUBJ.

ἐμβάλω: "I will invade", verb 1st sg aor subj act (which in this case is the same form as the fut ind), from ἐμβάλλω.

εἰς τὴν Λακωνικήν: "into Laconia".

ποιήσω: "I will make", verb 1st sg fut ind act doric contr (which in this case is the same as aor subj act), from ποιέω;

ὑμᾶς: "you", pron 2nd pl ACC indeclform, NOM: σύ;

ἀναστάτους: "removed, made to depart, driven out from one's home", adj pl masc ACC (NOM: ἀνάστατος);

ἀντέγραψαν: "they wrote back", verb 3rd pl aor ind act elide_preverb, from ἀντιγράφω;

αἴκα: "if", doric version of ἐάν. Doric was the dialect of Laconia, were Sparta was.

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