Great advice! To get the feeling for how it actually works in the language, you'll learn more with an hour or two of this than from many hours in a book.Paul Nitz wrote:Ignore the book and learn them now. The τίς, τί pattern is very useful in internalizing Greek.
For example, in learning the verb endings:
λέγει.... (Ask yourself, τίς λέγει; Answer, οὗτος λέγει! he speaks)
δεχόμεθαι.... (Ask yourself, τίνες δέχονται; Answer: ἡμεῖς δεχόμεθα! we receive)
Or, in learning noun endings:
λέγει πρὸς αὐτόν...... (Ask yourself, πρός τίνα λέγει; Answer, λέγει πρὸς αὐτὸν! he speaks to him)
δεχόμεθαι τῷ ξένῳ.... (Ask yourself, τίνι δεχόμεθα; Answer: τῷ ξένῳ δεχόμεθα! we welcome the foreigner)
Or you can construct your own simple 'τίς dialogues' with the text - using constructions from the text itself to 'teach you'. Here is one using Mark 1:40-41 (all corrections welcome):
Q: Τίς ἔρχεται πρὸς Ἰησοῦν; Who comes to Jesus?Mark 1:40-41 wrote:Καὶ ἔρχεται πρὸς αὐτὸν λεπρὸς παρακαλῶν αὐτὸν [καὶ γονυπετῶν] καὶ λέγων αὐτῷ ὅτι ἐὰν θέλῃς δύνασαί με καθαρίσαι. 41 καὶ σπλαγχνισθεὶς ἐκτείνας τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ ἥψατο καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ θέλω, καθαρίσθητι
A: Ὁ λεπρός. The leper.
Q: Τἱ εἶπέν Ἰησοῦ ὁ λεπρὸς; What did the leper say to Jesus?
A: Ἰησοῦ εἶπεν ὁ λεπρὸς ὅτι ἐὰν θέλῃς δύνασαί με καθαρίσαι. The leper said to Jesus, “If you will, you can cleanse me.”
Q: Τί ἐποίησεν τῷ λεπρῷ Ἰησοῦς; πῶς ἐκαθάρισεν τὸν ἄνθρωπον; What did Jesus do to the leper? How did he cleanse the man?
A: Ἐκτείνας τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ ἥψατο καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ· θέλω, καθαρίσθητι. Stretching forth his hand he touched him and said to him, “I will. Be cleansed”
Q: Τίνος ἡ χείρ ἥψατο τοῦ λεπροῦ; Whose hand touched the leper?
A: Ἤψατο αὐτοῦ ἡ χείρ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ. The hand of Jesus touched him.