Lemma › Ancient Greek translator
An Ancient Greek translator that explains every word
Machine translators can soon stumble over Ancient Greek: accents and breathings can change the meaning, one form can belong to different verbs, and word order gives little away. With a passage in front of you, you need to know what form a word is before you can know what it means.
Lemma starts there. For every word it shows the form, the headword and the dictionary entry; then it shows you how the sentence is built. The translation is there too, with notes, once you have done the work and want to compare.
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What you see when you paste a sentence
The opening of Xenophon's Anabasis, as Lemma shows it: every word with its form, its headword, its meaning and the source beside it.
Δαρείου καὶ Παρυσάτιδος γίγνονται παῖδες δύο, πρεσβύτερος μὲν Ἀρταξέρξης, νεώτερος δὲ Κῦρος.
Xenophon, Anabasis 1.1.1
| Word | Form | Headword and meaning | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Δαρείου | noun, masculine genitive singular | Δαρεῖος: Darius, name of Persian kings | Morpheus |
| καὶ | conjunction | καί: and, also, even | Dickinson Core Vocabulary |
| Παρυσάτιδος | noun, feminine genitive singular | Παρύσατις: Parysatis, mother of Cyrus the Younger | Morpheus |
| γίγνονται | verb, present indicative middle-passive, 3rd person plural | γίγνομαι: become; be born; happen, be | Dickinson Core Vocabulary |
| παῖδες | noun, nominative plural | παῖς: son, daughter, child | Dickinson Core Vocabulary |
| δύο | numeral, nominative | δύο: two | Dickinson Core Vocabulary |
| πρεσβύτερος | comparative, masculine nominative singular | πρέσβυς: old man; comparative: older, the elder | Dickinson Core Vocabulary |
| μὲν | particle | μέν: with δέ: on the one hand… on the other (often untranslated) | Dickinson Core Vocabulary |
| Ἀρταξέρξης | noun, masculine nominative singular | Ἀρταξέρξης: Artaxerxes (proper name) | Morpheus |
| νεώτερος | comparative, masculine nominative singular | νέος: young, new, fresh; comparative: younger | Dickinson Core Vocabulary |
| δὲ | particle | δέ: and; but; never first in its clause | Dickinson Core Vocabulary |
| Κῦρος | noun, masculine nominative singular | Κῦρος: Cyrus (proper name) | Morpheus |
What Lemma would say
“γίγνονται” is a historic present (present indicative middle-passive of γίγνομαι, 3rd plural): a past event told in the present, rendered “are born” or “were born”. The subject is “παῖδες δύο”; the genitives “Δαρείου καὶ Παρυσάτιδος” name the parents they are born to. “μὲν… δὲ” contrasts the two sons: the elder, Artaxerxes; the younger, Cyrus.
Three ways to work on a passage
- Explain. A form or a sentence, explained step by step: analysis, function, rule.
- Translate. For when you have done the work: a translation of the passage, with notes, to compare with your own.
- Read the authors. 651 works in the original, from Homer to Tacitus. Tap a word to read its dictionary entry.
Why a machine translator isn't enough
- Ready-made translations don't teach you to translate. They won't be there in the exam, and you can't copy a method.
- General-purpose AI can be confidently wrong. It may invent a form or take a genitive for a dative, and sound entirely sure of itself.
- A dictionary gives you the word, not the construction. Why is there a subjunctive here? What does that participle depend on?
Lemma sits in between, like a good teacher: it shows you the rule, tells you where it found it, and leaves the translating to you.
Where the answers come from
For Greek, Lemma relies on these works and names them beside what they say:
- Liddell–Scott–Jones, A Greek-English Lexicon
- H. W. Smyth, Greek Grammar
- W. W. Goodwin, Syntax of the Moods and Tenses
- Morpheus, Perseus Project (Tufts University)
- GLAUx, annotated Greek (KU Leuven)
- Perseus Digital Library
- Dickinson College Commentaries (including the Dickinson Core Vocabulary)
All sources and their licences
Frequently asked questions
Isn't it cheating?
No. In Explain mode Lemma doesn't give you the whole translation: it shows you forms, constructions and rules, and leaves the translating to you. Translate mode is there for when you have done the work and want to compare.
What if it's wrong?
It can happen, as it can to anyone: that is why every statement carries its source, which you can open and read. Greek forms the lexicon doesn't know are flagged. And under every answer there is a “Report an error” option: every report is reviewed.