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144. When the aorist participle is used with any form of λανθάνω, to escape the notice of, τυγχάνω, to happen, and φθάνω, to anticipate, except the present and imperfect, it does not denote time past with reference to the verb, but coincides with it in time. Thus ἔλαθον ἀπελθόντες means they went away secretly (= ἀπῆλθον λάθρα); οὐκ ἔφθησαν ἀπελθόντες, no sooner were they gone (= οὐ πρότερον ἀπῆλθον); ἔτυχον εἰσελθόντες, they came in by chance, or they happened to come in (= εἰσῆλθον τύχῃ). E.g.

The last four examples show that this use of the aorist participle is allowed even when both participle and verb refer to the future.

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