Greek Grammar Flashcards
Why Learn Greek?
- To learn to read scripture as it was originally written. The original audience and writers were in Greek. This helps us think in the way the original audience and authors did.
- To see the depth and detail of the original text
How does the language change this exactly? You will see key words that you can’t appreciate in English. You’d miss this word for grace as translated favored or another word. You’ll see an appreciate puns. Philemon. - To teach and preach with confidence and precision
Many pastors don’t know Greek anymore. They depend on commentators. But you don’t know if what they are saying is true. - Knowing Greek will prevent you from getting bad tatoos. (silly reason for fun)
Dipthongs
Proper and Improper, Proper has two vowels, Improper is a single vowel with subscripts.
Syllabification
Each word has as many syllables as they have vowels or diphthongs.
Reading Marks
Rough marks add an h breathing sounds. Smooth marks add no sound.
Every word that starts with a vowel has a rough or smooth breathing mark over the first letter. With diphthongs, they appear over the second letter.
A smooth mark over an empty space at the end of a word happens because a vowel isn’t written if it starts the next word. This is called an elision and is not a breathing mark.
Accents
Greek has three accent marks, Acute (left to right like an acute angle), Grave (grauve, opposite, left to right down instead of up), and Circumflex (appears as a half circle or an arm flexing, and as a tilde).
Punctuation
Punctuation marks, commas and periods. A Greek comma is a minor pause, period is a full stop. There is also a middle dot (semicolon), major stop. The English semicolon is the Greek question mark. “;”
Definite Article Feminine
Fem. (sg.) Fem. (pl.) Translation
- ἡ ἀδελφη αἱ ἀδελφαι (as the subject )
- της ἀδελφης των ἀδελφων (“of” or possessive)
- τῃ ἀδελφῃ ταις ἀδελφαις (“to/in/with/by”)
- την ἀδελφην τας ἀδελφας (as the object )
Definite Article Masculine
Masc. (sg.) Masc. (pl.) Translation
- ὁ ἀδελφος οἱ ἀδελφοι (as the subject )
- του ἀδελφου των ἀδελφων (“of” or possessive)
- τῳ ἀδελφῳ τοις ἀδελφοις (“to/in/with/by”)
- τον ἀδελφον τους ἀδελφους (as the object)
Definite Article Neuter
Neut. (sg.) Neut. (pl.) Translation
το βιβλιον τα βιβλια (as the subject )
του βιβλιου των βιβλιων (“of ” or possessive)
τῳ βιβλιῳ τοις βιβλιοις (“to/in/with/by”)
το βιβλιον τα βιβλια (as the object )
Feminine Pure α
Singular Plural Type
ὥρα ὥραι Nominative
ὥρας ὥρῶν Genιtive
ὥρᾳ ὥραις Dative
ὥραν ὥρας Accusative
ὥρα ὥραι Vocative
Feminine Pure η
Singular Plural Type
φωνή φωναί Nominative
φωνῆς φωνῶν Genιtive
φωνῇ φωναῖς Dative
φωνήν φωνάς Accusative
φωνή φωναί Vocative
Feminine Mixed
Singular Plural Type
δόξα δόξαι Nominative
δόξης δόξῶν Genιtive
δόξῃ δόξαις Dative
δόξαν δὀξας Accusative
δόξα δόξαι Vocative
The vs A
In Greek, while not universal, the lack of an article is the equivalent of the English “a” and the presence of an article is the equivalent of the English “the”.
The is also used with proper names and abstract concepts like life in Greek.
Nominative
“To name or point out” Grammatically it refers to the subject of a finite verb or a predicative nominative (object of a passive verb).
Genitive
“To describe or define, as an adjective does” Often translated with “of” and often used to show possession, as in “the voice of a sister” or “the sister’s voice”.
Dative
Usually expresses personal interest or relationship, such as an indirect object. It completes the idea of to or who an action of a verb is performed. (“to/in/with/by”)
Accusative
Usually limits or qualifies the action of a verb, typically a direct object of a transitive verb.
Vocative
Direct address. Usually the same form of the nominative with some exceptions.
Verb and Noun Accent
Verb accent is recessive, meaning that that accent of a verb recedes as far as the general rules permit. Noun accent is persistent or retentive. As the noun goes through its various inflections, the accent persists all the same.
1) First declension nouns always have a circumflex on the ultima in the genitive plural.
2) When the ultima of a first declension noun is accented, it receives the circumflex in the genitive and dative of both numbers; elsewhere it receives the acute (or grave as required). γῆ is an exception which has the circumflex throughout.
3) If the nominative singular is short alpha it remains so. If the nominative singular is long alpha it remains so. Elsewhere, (except for -αι in the nominative plural), the ending is long.
Mixed vs pure α
A feminine noun is pure alpha if the letter before the ending is ε, ι, or ρ (basically, a vowel or rho.)
Second Declension Masculine
Masc. (sg.) Masc. (pl.)
ὁ ἀδελφος οἱ ἀδελφοι (N)
του ἀδελφου των ἀδελφων (G)
τῳ ἀδελφῳ τοις ἀδελφοις (D)
τον ἀδελφον τους ἀδελφους (A)
ἀδελφε ἀδελφοι (V)
Second Declension Neuter
Neut. (sg.) Neut. (pl.)
το βιβλιον τα βιβλια (N)
του βιβλιου των βιβλιων (N)
τῳ βιβλιῳ τοις βιβλιοις (D)
το βιβλιον τα βιβλια (A)
First and Second Declension Adjectives - Masculine
καλος καλοι (Ν)
καλου καλῶν (G)
καλῳ καλοῖς (D)
καλον καλους (A)
καλε καλοι (V)
First and Second Declension Adjectives - Feminine
καλη καλαι (N)
καλης καλων (G)
καλῃ καλαις (D)
καλην καλας (A)
First and Second Declension Adjectives - Neuter
καλον καλα (N)
καλου καλων (G)
καλῳ καλοις (D)
καλον καλα (A)
Adjective Syntax
There are three types of adjectives, Attributive, Predicate, and Substantive.
Attributive identify or describe and follow three patterns
article, adjective noun
article, noun, article, adjective
adjective, noun
Predicate are used with a linking verb to assert something about the noun.
three patterns
adjective, article, noun
article, noun, adjective
adjective, noun
Last pattern is context only, the first two for both are article before adjective = attributive.
Substantive adjectives function on their own as nouns and do not link to another noun.
Special Verbs
Special verbs can take nouns in the genitive or dative case (or other cases rarely) as direct objects.
Two common examples include:
ἀκουω (Gen or Dat)
πιστευω (Dat or Acc)
Eta vs Long alpha rule for adjectives
Based on the letter before the ος ending, ι, ε, ρ lead to alpha for the feminine, eta otherwise.
Present Indicative of εἰμί
Singular Plural
εἰμί (I am) ἐσμέν we are
εἶ (you) ἐστέ you all are
ἐστί(ν) (he, she, it is) εἰσί(ν) they are
εἰμί takes the predicate nominative to complete its meaning. It is required as a linking verb in a noun to noun relationship, but not in a noun to adjective relationship.
Accentuation of ἐστί(ν)
It is accented on the penult when it stands first in its clause or sentence, or when it follows certain words such as οὐκ, καί, and ἀλλά.
First Person pronoun
Singular
ἐγώ I
ἐμοῦ or μου of me
ἐμοί or μοι to/for me
ἐμέ or με me
Plural
ἡμεῖς we
ἡμῶν of us
ἡμῖν to/for us
ἡμᾶς us
Emphatic forms are always accented.
Second Person Pronoun
Singular
σύ, you
σοῦ or σου of you
σοί or σοι to/for you
σέ or σε you
Plural
ὑμεῖς you
ὑμῶν of you
ὑμῖν to/for you
ὑμᾶς you
Third Person Pronouns
αὐτός takes on the forms of the masculine/neuter second declension and the feminine first declesion (eta form).
Pronouns and Antecedents
Pronouns take the place of nouns and agree with their antecedent in number and gender, though not necessarily in case.
Note that gender neutral objects in English can have genders in Greek (like stone, which is masculine).
Possession
The genitive of the personal pronoun is the most common way to express possession.
Forms of the Demonstrative - This
Singular
Μ. F. N.
Ν. οὑτος αὑτη τουτο
G. τουτου ταυτης τουτου
D. τουτῳ ταυτῃ τουτῳ
A. τουτον ταυτην τουτο
Plural
Μ. F. N.
Ν. οὑτοι αὑται ταυτα
G. τουτων τουτων τουτων
D. τουτοις ταυταις τουτοις
A. τουτους ταυτας ταυτα
Forms of the Demonstrative - That
Singular
Μ. F. N.
Ν. ἐκεινος ἐκεινη ἐκεινο
G. ἐκεινου ἐκεινης ἐκεινου
D. ἐκεινῳ ἐκεινῃ ἐκεινῳ
A. ἐκεινον ἐκεινην ἐκεινο
Plural
Μ. F. N.
Ν. ἐκεινοι ἐκειναι ἐκεινα
G. ἐκεινων ἐκεινων ἐκεινων
D. ἐκεινοις ἐκειναις ἐκεινοις
A. ἐκεινους ἐκεινας ἐκεινα
ἀλλος adjective form note
The endings for this adjective do not have ν in the nominative and accusative singular forms.
Demonstrative Syntax
- If it stands alone, it is a pronoun.
– It agrees with the antecedent in gender and number in this case. - When it is used with a noun it stands in the predicate position usually and will agree in case, number, and gender.
– English translation typically omits the definite article.
Special uses of αὐτος
Attributive: Identical use (same)
Predicate: Intensive use (X-self)
No noun: Pronoun*
Article Shortcut: If the article is in front of a pronoun that matches a noun it is the identical version. If not it is the predicate version. If no article is present, good luck.
*If the article is present with the pronoun without the noun, it uses the identical sense.
Active, Middle, and Passive Voice
Active verbs indicate a noun acting on something. Passive verbs indicate a noun being acted on. Middle verbs indicate a noun acting on itself.
The Present Middle Indicative
Singular
1. λυομαι - I loosen (for myself)
2. λυῃ - you loosen
3. λυεται - he, she, or it loosens
Plural
1. λυομεθα - we loosen
2. λυεσθε - you loosen
3. λυονται - they loosen
Present Passive Indicative
Singular
1. λυομαι - I am being loosened
2. λυῃ - you are being loosened
3. λυεται - he, she, or it is being loosened
Plural
1. λυομεθα - we are being loosened
2. λυεσθε - you all are being loosened
3. λυονται - they are being loosened
The Present Middle/Passive Infinitive
Form: λυεσθαι
It is used like the present active infinitive.
Personal Agent with ὑπο
If the passive voice is being used, the performer of the action is not identified. (Unless added by genitive modifier.)
Impersonal Dative of Means
Instrument or means of an action is expressed by a dative case usually without prepositions.
Deponent Verbs
Some verbs have no active forms, only passive and middle forms. These verbs appear in the vocab lists as ending in -ομαι.
δύναμαι special forms
present tense form uses a connecting alpha.
It’s dative singular is δύνασαι.
ἀποκρίναμαι Dative
This verb takes the dative for its object.
ἄρχω Genitive
In it’s “I Rule” sense, this verb takes the genitive for its object.
Tenses
Primary - Present, Past, Future
Secondary - aorist, imperfect, and pluperfect
The primaries refer to present and future time. The secondaries all refer to past time.
What is important is the “kind” of action in play.
(A future perfect also exists, but is rare.)
The Imperfect Tense
This tense denotes continuous, repeated, or attempted actions in the past in the indicative mood only.
Imperfect Active Indicative Forms
Singular
1. ἔλυον - I was loosening
2. ἔλυες - You were loosening
3. ἔλυε(ν) - It was loosening
Plural
1. ἔλυομεν - We were loosening
2. ἔλυετε - You were loosening
3. ἔλυον - It was loosening
The Augment
The imperfect forms also involve an augment which is added onto the beginning of the verb, in this case ἔ.
For all verbs that begin with a consonant, it is just an added epsilon. If it begins with a vowel or diphthong, then the vowel changes instead; alpha becomes eta, epsilon becomes eta, and omicron becomes omega.
i.e. ἄγω becomes ἠγον
Additional note: It replaces the entire diphthong.
Compound Augments
When augmenting a verb with a compound at the beginning, the augment appears after the compound. If the compound ends in a vowel, that vowel will usually be replaced.
θελω Compound
ἤθελον (ἔθελον happens in none Biblical Greek.)
μελλω
ἔμελλον or ἤμελλον, I was about to
εἰμί Imperfect Indicative Form
Singular
1. ἤμην - I was
2. ἤς - you were
3. ἤν - he, she, or it was
Plural
1. ἤμεν - we were
2. ἤτε - you were
3. ἤσαν - they were
Less common forms:
S.2. ἤσθα
P.1. ἤμεθα
The Imperfect Middle/Passive Indicative Forms
Singular
1. ἐλυομην - I was being loosened
2. ἐλυου - You were being loosened
3. ἐλυετο - he, she, it was being loosened
Plural
1. ἐλυομεθα - We were being loosened
2. ἐλυεσθε - You were being loosened
3. ἐλυοντο - They were being loosened
Imperfect Deponents
If a verb has no active voice
in the present then it continues to have no active voice in the imperfect tense.
Adverbial και
When και is used as a single element as an adverb, it will be translated “also” or “even”.
Observation: In such instances, other words or punctuation may be present to indicate that και has another use.
Correlative Constructions
και…και
τε…τε
τε…και
οὔτε…οὔτε
both…and
as…so
and
neither…nor
Future Active Indicative Forms
Singular
1: λυσω - I will loosen
2: λυσεις - you will loosen
3: λυσει - etc.
Plural
1: λυσομεν
2: λυσετε
3: λυσουσι(ν)
Future participle Part Formation
Standard verbs add σ
Voiceless, Voiced, Aspirate
1. Labial Stops: π, β, φ
2. Palatal Stops: κ, γ, χ
3. Dental Stops: τ, δ, θ
1 becomes ψ
2 becomes ξ
3 becomes σ
Irregular Verb Forms
These are forms that function normally in the present, but are deponent in the future. They have major stem changes.
Example: γινομαι -> γενησομαι
Future Indicative of εἰμι
Singular:
ἔσομαι - I will be
ἔσῃ - You will be
ἔσται - etc.
Plural:
ἐσομεθα
ἔσεσθε
ἔσονται
The second principal part and the third principal part
The future active indicative for second.
The aorist (A1) active indicative for third.
Aorist Tense
This is a secondary past tense that refers to the simple past, meaning that it can be either completed or continuous.
It will also have an augment.
First Aorist (A) Active Indicative
Singular
1: ἔλυσα - I loosened
2: ἔλυσας - you loosened
3: ἔλυσε(ν) - etc.
Plural
1: ἐλυσαμεν
2: ἐλυσατε
3: ἔλυσαν
First Aorist (A) Middle Indicative
Singular
1: ἐλυσαμην - I loosened (for myself)
2: ἐλυσω - you loosened
3: ἐλυσατο - etc.
Plural
1: ἐλυσαμεθα
2: ἐλυσασθε
3: ἐλυσαντο
First Aorist Infinitive
AAI: λυσαι
AMI: λυσασθαι
Note: There is no augment. Augments only appear in the Indicative.
Formation of the First Aorist
If the verb ends in “certain vowels or diphthongs” like -ω, -υω, -ευω, are formed by adding the suffix -σα.
Otherwise if they end in consonants they transform like the future active indicative form, but with the added note that ζ also drops and becomes a σ like dental stops.
Second Aorist (2A) Active Indicative Forms
Singular
1. ἔλαβον - I took
2. ἔλαβες - you take
3. ἔλαβε(ν) - etc.
Plural
1. ἐλάβομεν
2. ἐλάβετε
3. ἔλαβον
Second Aorist (2A) Middle Indicative Forms
Singular
1. ἐλαβόμην
2. ἐλάβου
3. ἐλάβετο
Plural
1. ἐλαβόμεθα
2. ἐλάβεσθε
3. ἐλάβοντο
Second Aorist Infinitives
2AAInf: λαβειν
2AMInf: λαβέσθαι
Note, it drops the augment like all other infinitives, but here that also results in the initial vowel reverting to its original form while being added to the 2A stem.
Second and First Aorist in Koine
Unfortunately, the distinction is not strictly maintained. Sometimes the first aorist forms show up with second aorist forms and vice versa. However, as long as both are memorized, they should not be a problem when they appear.
Second Aorist vs Imperfect
These forms look similar, but the Imperfect does not have a stem change, only the second Aorist does.
Fourth and Fifth Principal Parts
4th: Perfect Active Indicative first person singular
5th: Perfect middle/passive indicative first person singular
Perfect Tense Meaning
This signifies an action completed in the past with an effect that continues to the present. Sometimes this allows for a present version of “to be” to be used in translation.
Perfect Active Indicative Forms
Singular:
1. λέλυκα, I have loosened
2. λέλυκας, you have loosened
3. λέλυκε(ν), etc.
Plural:
1. λελύκαμεν
2. λελύκατε
3. λελύκασι(ν) or -καν
Note: These forms are very similar to the secondary endings of the aorist tense. Reduplication vs stem change.
Perfect Middle/Passive Indicative Forms
Singular:
1. λέλυμαι - I have been loosened
2. λέλυσαι - you have been loosened
3. λέλυται - etc.
Plural:
1. λελύμεθα
2. λέλυσθε
3. λέλυνται
Perfect Active Infinitive and Perfect Middle/Passive Infinitive
Perfect Active Infinitive: λελυκέναι
Perfect Middle/Passive Infinitive: λελύσθαι