Greek Cases Explained: A Complete Beginner’s Guide
Greek cases power up your grammar game, bending nouns, pronouns, and adjectives to fit their roles in a sentence. Whether you’re chatting about people or places, cases—nominative, genitive, accusative, and vocative—are your foundation. This guide walks you through them step-by-step, from singular to plural forms, and into prepositions, with examples and tables to seal the deal. Let’s dive in!
What Are Greek Cases?
Cases tweak a word’s ending to show its job: who’s acting, owning, receiving, or being called. Greek has four:
- Nominative: The subject.
- Genitive: Possession or “of.”
- Accusative: The object.
- Vocative: Direct address.
Definite Articles and Cases
The definite article (opens in a new window) clues you into a noun’s case, gender, and number:
Masculine
| Case | Article | Example | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | Ο | Ο άνθρωπος | O ánthropos | The man (subject) |
| Genitive | Του | Του ανθρώπου | Tou anthrópou | Of the man |
| Accusative | Τον | Τον άνθρωπο | Ton ánthropo | The man (object) |
| Vocative | Ω | Άνθρωπε | Ánthrope | Man! |
Feminine
| Case | Article | Example | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | Η | Η γυναίκα | I gynaíka | The woman (subject) |
| Genitive | Της | Της γυναίκας | Tis gynaíkas | Of the woman |
| Accusative | Την | Την γυναίκα | Tin gynaíka | The woman (object) |
| Vocative | Ω | Γυναίκα | Gynaíka | Woman! |
Neuter
| Case | Article | Example | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | Το | Το σπίτι | To spíti | The house (subject) |
| Genitive | Του | Του σπιτιού | Tou spitioú | Of the house |
| Accusative | Το | Το σπίτι | To spíti | The house (object) |
| Vocative | Ω | Σπίτι | Spíti | House! |
The Four Cases in Action
Nominative: The Subject
- Ο Νίκος γράφει. (O Níkos gráfei.) – Nikos writes.
Genitive: Possession
- Το βιβλίο του Νίκου. (To vivlío tou Níkou.) – Nikos’ book.
Accusative: The Object
- Βλέπω το Νίκο. (Vlépo ton Níko.) – I see Nikos.
Vocative: Direct Address
- Νίκο, έλα! (Níko, éla!) – Nikos, come!
Note
In the Vocative case, the definite article is generally dropped, and the noun itself often undergoes a slight change. In more formal or poetic contexts, the letter Omega (Ω) is used as an exclamatory article, irrespective of the noun's gender. This practice has its roots in Ancient Greek.
Cases in Plural Forms
Cases stretch into plural nouns too (e.g., “άνθρωπος” – man).
For instance: Οι άνθρωποι φωνάζουν. (Oi ánthropoi fonázoun.) – The men shout.
| Case | Article | Example | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | Οι | Οι άνθρωποι | Oi ánthropoi | The men (subject) |
| Genitive | Των | Των ανθρώπων | Ton anthrópon | Of the men |
| Accusative | Τους | Τους ανθρώπους | Tous anthrópous | The men (object) |
| Vocative | Ω | Άνθρωποι | Ánthropoi | Men! |
Cases with Prepositions
Prepositions team up with cases to pinpoint location, direction, or time.
Note
"The preposition 'σε,' when placed before the accusative and genitive forms of the article, combines with it to form a single word, e.g., σε + τον = στον, σε + τις = στις, σε + της = στης etc."
Common Prepositions
| Preposition | Case | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| σε | Accusative | Πάω στην Αθήνα | I go to Athens |
| από | Genitive | Έρχομαι από τον σταθμό | I come from the station |
| με | Accusative | Μιλάω με την Μαρία | I talk with Maria |
Examples
- Examples with σε:
- Πηγαίνω στο σχολείο. (Pigaino sto scholeío.) – I go to school.
- Μιλάω στον Αντρέα. (Milao ston Andrea.) – I am talking to Andreas.
- Examples with από:
- Φεύγω από το σπίτι. (Févgo apó to spíti.) – I leave from the house.
- Examples with με:
- Γράφω με το στυλό. (Gráfo me to styló.) – I write with the pen.
- Examples with για:
- Μιλάω για το ταξίδι. (Miláo gia to taxídi.) – I'm talking about the trip.
Advanced Prepositions
| Preposition | Case | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| πάνω σε | Accusative | Πάνω στο τραπέζι | On the table |
| πάνω από | Genitive | Πάνω από τη θάλασσα | Above the sea |
| κάτω από | Genitive | Κάτω από το κρεβάτι | Under the bed |
πάνω Examples
- Το βιβλίο είναι πάνω στο τραπέζι. (To vivlío eínai páno sto trapézi.) – The book is on the table.
- Το αεροπλάνο είναι πάνω από τη θάλασσα. (To aeropláno eínai páno apó ti thálassa.) – The plane is above the sea.
κάτω Example
- Η γάτα είναι κάτω από το κρεβάτι. (I gáta eínai káto apó to kreváti.) – The cat is under the bed.
Practice Sentences
- [Nominative]: Η γυναίκα βλέπει. (I gynaíka vlépei.) – The woman sees.
- [Genitive]: Το σπίτι των ανθρώπων. (To spíti ton anthrópon.) – The men’s house.
- [Accusative + Preposition]: Πάω στην Αθήνα. (Páo stin Athína.) – I go to Athens.
- [Vocative]: Μαρία! (María!) – Maria!
- [Genitive + Preposition]: Έρχομαι από το σπίτι. (Érchomai apó to spíti.) – I come from the house.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Wrong Case: Σε του φίλου (wrong) vs. στον φίλο (correct accusative).
- Preposition Mix: Από τον σταθμό (colloquial) vs. από του σταθμού (formal genitive).
Conclusion
Greek cases—nominative, genitive, accusative, vocative—shine in singular, plural, and with prepositions. Master them here, test yourself with our quiz, and check out time in greek (opens in a new window) or suffixes (opens in a new window) next!
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