Madrid PAU Greek II (Griego II)

A short Greek prose passage to translate with dictionary support, followed by questions on the forms and syntax of that passage, a literary or genre commentary, context questions and an etymology or lexicon item. The exact structure and marks are set each year by the Comunidad de Madrid; check its published model and criteria.

Translation dominates the mark, with the remaining questions rewarding precise identification and justified answers. Time limits and the exact mark distribution change between calls, so consult the official convocatoria and model paper on the Comunidad de Madrid site rather than relying on second-hand numbers.

Yes, entrance exams are held in ordinary and extraordinary sittings, and you may improve your mark in later calls within the rules in force. The conditions, deadlines and any limits on using the best score are published by the official bodies, so confirm the current rules before planning a resit.

Typically adapted or lightly annotated Attic prose, often from historians, orators or Plato, at a level where a well-prepared student recognises most vocabulary and constructions. Difficulty rises with unfamiliar proper names and long periodic sentences, so practise breaking clauses before translating.

Start with the core morphology: the article, first three declensions, and the present and aorist of regular and contract verbs. Then add the middle-passive system, participles and infinitives, since these carry most of the syntax. Only after that move to subordinate clauses and particles.

Usually because they label a form without saying what it does in the sentence. Examiners want case function, tense and mood in context, and the governing word. Naming an optative correctly but missing that it is in indirect speech after a past tense costs marks.

Read the set authors in translation alongside the Greek, and learn for each genre its conventions, typical audience and historical setting. Keep short notes on authors, works and dates, and practise writing two or three sentences that tie a feature of the text to its genre.

It is a smaller part of the paper but easy marks: learn common roots, prefixes and suffixes, and be ready to explain how a Greek word reached modern Spanish through Latin or learned borrowing. Learn word families rather than isolated pairs.

Train yourself to identify the lemma before looking it up, and to check principal parts for verbs. Read the whole entry for the sense that fits the context, and note constructions the dictionary gives, such as the case a verb governs.