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1361. The genitive is used with verbs signifying to hear and perceive: ἀκούειν, κλύειν (poet.) hear, ἀκροᾶσθαι listen to, αἰσθάνεσθαι perceive, πυνθάνεσθαι hear, learn of, συνι_έναι understand, ὀσφραίνεσθαι scent. The person or thing, whose words, sound, etc. are perceived by the senses, stands in the genitive; the words, sound, etc. generally stand in the accusative.

““τινὸς ἤκουσ᾽ εἰπόντοςI heard somebody sayD. 8.4, ““ἀκούσαντες τῆς σάλπιγγοςhearing the sound of the trumpetX. A. 4.2.8, ἀκούσαντες τὸν θόρυβον hearing the noise 4. 4. 21, ““ἀκροώμενοι τοῦ ᾁδοντοςlistening to the singerX. C. 1.3.10, ““ὅσοι ἀλλήλων ξυνί_εσανall who understood each otherT. 1.3, ““ἐπειδὰν συνι_ῇ τις τὰ λεγόμεναwhen one understands what is saidP. Pr. 325c (verbs of understanding, συνι_έναι and ἐπίστασθαι, usually take the accus.), ““κρομμύων ὀσφραίνομαιI smell onionsAr. Ran. 654.

a. A supplementary participle is often used in agreement with the genitive of the person from whom something is heard: ““λέγοντος ἐμοῦ ἀκροά_σονται οἱ νέοιthe young men will listen when I speakP. A. 37d.

b. The accusative is almost always used when the thing heard is expressed by a substantivized neuter adjective or participle, but the genitive plural in the case of οὗτος, ὅδε, αὐτός, and ὅς is frequent.

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  • Cross-references to this page (1):
    • Raphael Kühner, Bernhard Gerth, Ausführliche Grammatik der griechischen Sprache, KG 1.3.1
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