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Prepositions with the accusative: direction
ἐπὶ τὰ δεῖπνα τῶν φίλων βραδέως πορεύου, ἐπὶ δὲ τὰς ἀτυχίας ταχέως
‘Go slowly to your friends' banquets, but swiftly to their misfortune.’ (Stob. Flor. 3.1.172)
A direction is signalled mainly by the prepositions εἰς, ἐπί, παρά, πρός and ὡς with the accusative.
Lexical usage
The prepositions ἐπί, κατά and πρός 'to' are not terminative, i.e. they do not imply that the objective of the motion has been reached, in contrast to prepositions such as εἰς 'into'.
Simple direction
- εἰς (into, inside, to); - ἀμφί (to both sides of);
- ἐπί, πρός (to
- παρά, ὡς (to
Complex direction
- ἀνά (onto);
- κατά (underneath);
- μετά (between); [in epic and late poetry]
- μέχρι (up to);
- ὑπέρ (beyond, over]); [rare after Homer]
- ὑπό (underneath, behind).
μηδεὶς ἄλλος ἀνθρώπων καθίσειεν εἰς τὸν Κύρου θρόνον πλὴν Ἀλεξάνδρου.
Other than Alexander nobody may sit on Cyrus' throne. ֍
οὗτοι γὰρ πολλοὺς μὲν τῶν πολιτῶν εἰς τοὺς πολεμίους ἐξήλασαν.
They sent many citizens into exile to hostile regions.
ἀπικομένη δὲ παρὰ τοῦτον ἡ Φερετίμη ἐδέετο στρατιῆς ἣ κατάξει σφέας ἐς τὴν Κυρήνην.
Pheretime went to him and asked for an army to take them to Cyrene.
ὤρυττον ἔσωθεν [...] ἄλλην κατὰ γῆς τάφρον ὑπὸ τὸ τεῖχος.
They began to dig a subterranean passage from the inside, which went underneath the wall.