φθάνω
Etym. φθανω always in attic; φθα_νω twice in Il.
"to come or do first or before" others:
I. c. acc. pers. "to be beforehand with, overtake, outstrip, anticipate", Il., Hdt., attic; so, ἔφθησαν τὸν χειμῶνα Hdt.:—Pass. "to be overtaken", Anth.
II. absol. "to come first", Eur., etc.; τοῦ φθάσαντος ἁρπαγή the prey of "the first comer", Aesch.:—with Preps. "to come or arrive first", ἐς τὸν Ἑλλήσποντον Thuc., etc.
III. the action "in which one outstrips" another is expressed by the part. agreeing with the subject, [Ἄτη] φθάνει βλάπτουσα "is beforehand" in doing mischief, Il.; φθῆ μιν Τηλέμαχος βαλών Telemachus "was beforehand with" him "in" striking, Od.:—in translation, the part. often becomes the chief Verb and φθάνειν is rendered by an adv., "quicker, sooner, first, before, beforehand", ἔφθησαν ἀπικόμενοι arrived "first", Hdt.; so with part. pass. εἴ κε φθήηι τυπείς should he be wounded "first", Il.; φθάνω εὐεργετῶν I "am the first" to shew a kindness, Xen.:— these clauses, being compar. in sense, are sometimes foll. by a gen., φθὰν ἱππήων κοσμηθέντες they were marshalled "before" the horsemen, Il.; or by πρὶν.., πρὶν ἢ.., ἔφθη ὀρεξάμενος, πρὶν οὐτάσαι id=Il.; ἔφθησαν ἀναβάντες πρὶν ἢ.. Hdt.
2. part. φθάς or φθάσας, epic φθάμενος, used like an adv., ὅς μ᾽ ἔβαλε φθάμενος, for ὅς μ᾽ ἔφθη βαλών, Il.; οὐκ ἄλλος φθὰς ἐμεῦ κατήγορος ἔσται no other shall be an accuser "before" me, Hdt.; ἀνέωιξάς με φθάσας you opened the door "before" me, Ar.
3. rarely with the inf., like Lat. occuro, μόλις φθάνει θρόνοισιν ἐμπεσοῦσα μὴ χαμαὶ πεσεῖν hardly "escapes" falling on the ground by falling "first" on the seat, Eur.; φθάνει ἐλθεῖν he "is first" to come, Ar.
IV. φθάνω with οὐ and part., followed by καί, like Lat. simul ac, denotes two actions following close on each other, οὐ φθάνειν χρὴ συσκιάζοντας γένυν, καὶ ὁρμᾶν you must "no sooner" get your beard, than you march, id=Ar.; οὐκ ἔφθη μοι συμβᾶσα ἡ ἀτυχία καὶ εὐθὺς ἐπεχείρησαν "no sooner" had misfortune befallen me, "when" they attempted, Dem.
2. οὐκ ἂν φθάνοις, οὐκ ἂν φθάνοιτε, with part. pres., denote impatience, οὐκ ἂν φθάνοιτε ἀπαλλασσόμενοι you could "not be too quick" in departing, i. e. "make haste and" be off, Hdt.; οὐκ ἂν φθάνοιτε τοῦτο πράττοντε Ar.; οὐκ ἂν φθάνοις λέγων Plat.:—so, the part. φθάσας is used with imperat., λέγε φθάσας speak "quickly", τρέχε φθάσας, etc.
3. in answers, οὐκ ἂν φθάνοιμι I could not "be too quick", i. e. I will begin directly, Plat.