Short-cut to the (2nd) Aorist:
The older aorist is marked off from other forms by 3 features:
1) augment (the initial ἐ-) indicates a past tense.
2) ‘2ndary endings’ also distinguish past from present
(- ον, -ες, -ε, ...-ον.....-όμην, -ου, -ετο ...-οντο)
(3) a distinctive ‘stem’, and often one that is ‘weak’ or shorter than the present stem
(not always)
Present markers, omitted in aorist:
-σκ- as in – ἀπο-θνηί-σκ-ω, ἀπ-ε-θαν-ον
--εὑρι-σκ-ω, ηὗρ-ον
--πα-σχ-ω, ἔ-παθ-ον
-αν- or –νε as in ἀφ-ικ-νε-ομαι, ἀφ-ῑκ-ό-μην
--λα-μ-β-αν-ω, --> ἔ-λαβ-ον
--μα-ν-θ-αν-ω --> ἔ-μαθ-ον
reduplication (with –ι-) as in
γι – γν-ο-μαι --> ἐ-γεν-ό-μην
πι-πτ-ω --> ἔ-πεσ-ον (from –πετ-)
others weaken the stem from diphthong to short vowel:
λείπ-ω --> ἔ-λιπ-ον
φεύγω --> ἔ-φυγ-ον
Now practice with 'Aorist Warm-Up'