Basic Greek Grammar
A basic Greek grammar covering part one of the FSI-Greek course and also illustrated using phrases, sentences and snippets taken from some of the
Greek phrases
on SurfaceLanguages.
The rules given are general and simplified.
All the examples in this basic Greek Grammar use the Greek alphabet.
Learn the Greek Alphabet.
Adjectives
Greek adjectives agree with nouns in gender, number and case. They are listed in the dictionary as :-
'καλος' is used when referring to a masculine noun, καλη to a feminine noun and καλο to a neuter noun.
Adjectives condensed
In brief, when a noun is the subject, the adjective describing the noun
often ends in -ο if the noun is masculine, -η if the noun is feminine and -ο if the noun is neuter.
In the plural these endings are ούς, ες, α.
Greek Adjectives describes adjectives in more
depth.
The Definite Article
The definite article in Greek varies depending on the gender and case of the noun.
| Singular | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter |
| Nominative | ο | η | το |
| Accusative | το(ν) | τη(ν) | το |
| Plural | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter |
| Nominative | οι | οι | τα |
| Accusative | τους | τις | τα |
τον and
την are used before a vowel.
A few examples using the definite article.
| ι πληροφορια | the piece of information |
| οι πληροφοριες | the information (plural) |
| βλέπώ τον επιβάτη | I see the passenger |
| Ευχαριστώ για τις πληροφοριες | thanks for the information (plural) |
The accusative case is used after 'για' (for) so the phrase 'thanks for the information' uses the definite article in the accusative.
The Indefinite Article
| Singular | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter |
| Nominative | ενας | μια | ένα |
| Accusative | ενα(ν) | μια | ένα |
Before a vowel the accusative masculine indefinite article is '
εναν'. E.g.
'βλέπώ
εναν άχθοφόρο' (I see a porter.)
The indefinite article agrees in gender and case with the noun. So, a hotel '
ένα ξενοδοχείο' uses '
ένα' in the nominative
since the word hotel is neuter, but when referring to a masculine noun '
ενας' is used. E.g. '
ενας σταθμός' (a station).
Similarly, the Masculine definite article is '
τον' and feminine definite
article is '
την' before a vowel.
The indefinite article is not used in the plural.
Nouns and Gender
Greek nouns decline and can be masculine, feminine or neuter. (See
grammatical terms.
Nouns in Greek are listed in the nominative case in the dictionary. 'ο άυτρας' (the man), η δραχμή (the drachma) and το δωμάτιο (the room) are
masculine, feminine and neuter respectively (in the nominative case).
Masculine nouns commonly end in -ος, -ας and -ης.
Feminine nouns commonly end in -η and -α. Most animate nouns ending in -η are feminine.
Neuter nouns commonly end in -ο and -ι. Most inanimate nouns ending in -η are neuter.
But to be totally sure of the gender of a noun you have to learn it. The
nouns from FSI-Greek
are listed along with their definite article which gives the gender.
Greek Nouns. Singular
Masculine nouns change their ending depending on the case. The definite article also differs or disappears altogether in the singular depending on case and gender.
| Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter |
| Nominative | ο άντρας | η δραχμή | το δωμάτιο |
| Accusative | τον άντρα | τη δραχμή | το δωμάτιο |
| Vocative | άντρα | δραχμή | δωμάτιο |
Greek Nouns. Plural
Some guidelines :-
There is no indefinite article in the plural.
To form the plural of a masculine noun ending -ας or -ης, replace the ending with ες.
To form the plural of a masculine noun ending -ος , replace the ending with -οι.
To form the plural of a feminine noun replace the last letter with -ες.
To form the plural of a neuter noun replace the last letter with -α.
The definite article can either change or be ommitted completely depending on gender and case. See table.
| Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter |
| Nominative | οι άυτρας | οι θέσεις | τα εισιτήρια |
| Accusative | τους άυτρας | τις θέσεις | τα εισιτήρια |
| Vocative | άυτρας | θέσεις | εισιτήρια |
A few examples of plurals in the nominative.
| το εισιτήριο (ticket) | τα εισιτήρια' (tickets) |
| η θέση (the seat) | οι θέσεις (seats) |
| το τρένο (the train) | τα τρένα (the trains) |
| ο σταθμός (the station) | οι σταθμοι (the stations) |
Personal Pronouns
Personal pronouns in the nominative. Singular and plural.
| I | εχώ | We | εμείς |
| You | εσύ | You (plural, polite) | εσείς |
| He (informal) | αυτός | They (masc) | αυτοί |
| She | αυτή | They (fem) | αυτές |
| It | αυτό | They (neuter) | αυτά |
Personal pronouns are not used as frequently in Greek as in English as the person of the verb (E.g. I, you, etc ) is indicated from the ending. They are used
for emphasis or when it is not clear to whom the verb refers from the context.
So in the phrase 'αυτός θέλει καφέ' (he wants coffee) it is not necessary to use 'αυτός' (he) as this is clear from the ending of the
verb 'θέλει'.
The pronouns for he, she, it and they are also used for the
this and
these.
| This | αυτός, αυτή, αυτό |
| These | αυτοί, αυτές, αυτά |
Examples using
this and
these:
| αυτός ο αχθοφόρος | this porter (masculine noun) |
| αυτή η βαλίτςα | this case (feminine noun) |
Prepositions
In Greek prepositions come before
nouns
and the noun usually takes the Accusative case.
| χωρίς | without | |
| χωρίς γάλα | without milk | |
| με | with | |
| με γάλα | with milk | |
| με μπάνιο | with bathroom | |
| με ντους | with shower | |
| παρά | to (time related) | |
| Είναι έντεκα παρά τέταρτο | It is quarter to eleven |
| και | and (also past) | |
| Είναι τέσσερις και τέταρτο | It is quarter past four | |
Prepositions. From
| από | from | |
| απ εδώ | from here | |
| απ τήν Αθήνα | from Athens | |
Prepositions. For
| για | for | |
| Αυτό είναι το τρένο για ..; | Is this the train for ..? | |
| για τήυ Πάτρα | for Patras | |
| για τήυ Αθήυα | for Athens | |
| Ένα εισιτήριο για .. | a ticket for/to | |
| Ευχαριστώ για τις πληροφοριες | thanks for the information (plural) | |
Prepositions. At, In, On, To
The Prepositions 'σε' can mean 'at', 'in', 'on' or 'to' depending on the context.
| σε | at, in, on, to | |
| Μπορείτε να μου το δείξετε στο χάρτη | Can you show me on the map? | |
| όλες ο κόσμος πηγαϊνει στό καφενείο | Everyone goes to the cafe | |
Verbs
Greek verbs are divided into three categories.
Category 1
Regular verbs ending in unstressed -ω (in the first person present).
These are broadly split into verbs which have two syllables (dissyllabic) in the first person present
such as 'πίνω' and 'εχω', and
those which have more than two (polysyllabic) such as 'αρχίζω'.
An example of a dissyllabic verb
The verb εχω 'to have', a dissyllabic verb is conjugated as follows :
| I have | εχ ω |
| You have | εχ εις |
| He/she/it has | εχ ει |
| We have | εχ ονμε |
| You have | εχ ετε |
| They have | εχ ουν |
An example of a polysyllabic verb
The verb αρχίζω 'to leave', a polysyllabic verb is conjugated as follows :
| I leave | αρχίζ ω |
| You leave | αρχίζ εις |
| He/she/it leaves | αρχίζ ει |
| We leave | αρχίζ ονμε |
| You leave | αρχίζ ετε |
| They leave | αρχίζ ουν |
The Verb - can, to be able
The verb μπορώ 'to be able' is conjugated as follows :
| I can | μπορώ |
| You can | μπορεις |
| He/she/it can | μπορει |
| We can | μπορούμε |
| You can | μπορείτε |
| They can | μπορούν |
The Verb - to be
The irregular verb είμαι 'to be' is conjugated as follows :
| I am | είμαι |
| You are | είσαι |
| He/she/it is | είυαι |
| We are | είμαστε |
| You are | είστε |
| They are | είυαι |
Verb. Examples
Examples of Greek verbs. The ending 'ω' gives the meaning 'I' and ετε 'You' (formal) to the verb.
These two endings in particular occur in many of the Greek phrases on SurfaceLanguages.
| φεύγω για τήυ Πάτρα | I leave for Patra |
| φεύγεις για τήυ Πάτρα | You leave for Patra |
| όλες ο κόσμος πηγαϊυει στό καφενείο | Everyone goes to the cafe |
| πίνω | I drink |
| πίνετε | You drink |
| δίψω | I am thirsty |
| αρχίζω | I start |
| αρχίζει | It starts |
| αvτός θελει καφέ | He wants coffee |
| πίνετε πάντα καφέ | You always drink coffee |