Lesson 1

Question 1

Name the 4 Greek noun cases.

Answer 1

Nominative
Accusative
Genitive
Dative

Question 2

Give the main uses of each of the four Greek noun cases.

Answer 2

Nominative: subject of verb
Accusative: direct object of verb
Genitive: possessive
Dative: indirect object of verb

Question 3

Give a rough translation of “the sister” in each of the Greek noun cases.

Answer 3

Nominative: “the sister” (subject)
Accusative: “the sister” (direct object)
Genitive: “of the sister”
Dative: “to/for/with the sister”

Question 4

Translate “the sister” into each of the four noun cases.

Answer 4

Nominative: ἡ ἀδελφή
Accusative: τὴν ἀδελφήν
Genitive: τῆς ἀδελφῆς
Dative: τῇ ἀδελφῇ

Question 5

Translate “the sisters” (plural) into each of the four noun cases.

Answer 5

Nominative: αἱ ἀδελφαί
Accusative: τὰς ἀδελφάς
Genitive: τῶν ἀδελφῶν
Dative: ταῖς ἀδελφαῖς

Question 6

Translate “the tongue” into each of the four noun cases.

Answer 6

Nominative: ἡ γλῶττα
Accusative: τὴν γλῶτταν
Genitive: τῆς γλῶττης
Dative: τῇ γλῶττῃ

Question 7

Translate “the tongues” (plural) into each of the four noun cases.

Answer 7

Nominative: αἱ γλῶτται
Accusative: τὰς γλῶττας
Genitive: τῶν γλωττῶν
Dative: ταῖς γλῶτταις

Question 8

Name the noun case which would be uses for “the sister” or “the sisters” in the following sentence:

I see the sisters’ house.

Answer 8

genitive

Question 9

Name the noun case which would be uses for “the sister” or “the sisters” in the following sentence:

I give the sisters food.

Answer 9

dative

Question 10

Name the noun case which would be uses for “the sister” or “the sisters” in the following sentence:

I send a letter to the sisters.

Answer 10

dative

Question 11

Name the noun case which would be uses for “the sister” or “the sisters” in the following sentence:

The sister is coming.

Answer 11

nominative

Question 12

Name the noun case which would be uses for “the sister” or “the sisters” in the following sentence:

The sisters are laughing.

Answer 12

nominative

Question 13

Name the noun case which would be uses for “the sister” or “the sisters” in the following sentence:

I see the sisters.

Answer 13

accusative

Question 14

Name the noun case which would be uses for “the sister” or “the sisters” in the following sentence:

The house of the sisters is big.

Answer 14

genitive

Question 15

Name the noun case which would be uses for “the sister” or “the sisters” in the following sentence:

Do you see the sisters?

Answer 15

accusative

Question 16

Name the noun case which would be uses for “the sister” or “the sisters” in the following sentence:

The sister’s turtle is sick.

Answer 16

genitive

Question 17

Name the noun case which would be uses for “the sister” or “the sisters” in the following sentence:

The turtle of the sister is sick.

Answer 17

genitive

Question 18

Name the noun case which would be uses for “the sister” or “the sisters” in the following sentence:

They like the sister.

Answer 18

accusative

Question 19

Name the noun case which would be uses for “the sister” or “the sisters” in the following sentence:

I send the sister a letter.

Answer 19

dative

Question 20

Translate the following sentence:

τὸ ὄωομα τὴς ἀδελφῆς μου Νὶκη ἐστιν.

Answer 20

My sister’s name is Victoria.

Question 21

Translate the following sentence:

τὴν ἀδελφὴν φιλῶ καὶ δίδωμι αὐτῇ χελὼνας.

Answer 21

I love my sister and I give turtles to her.

Question 22

Translate the following sentence:

τὰς χελὼνας τῆς Νίκης οὐ φιλῶ.

Answer 22

I do not love Victoria’s turtles.

Question 23

Translate the following sentence:

λέγω τῇ Νίκῃ ὅτι φωνὴν οὐκ ἔχουσιν αἱ χελῶναι αὐτῆς διότι γλῶτταν οὐκ ἔχουσιν.

Answer 23

I say to Victoria that they don’t have a voice because they don’t have a tongue.

Question 24

Translate:

ἄνθρωπός τις

Answer 24

a certain person, a certain man

Notice how accented τίς at the beginning of a sentence asks a question. But unaccented τις coming after a word makes that word indefinite.

ἄνθρωπός = a man

ἄνθρωπός τις = some man, a certain man

Question 25

What is a postpositive?

Answer 25

Some Greek words, including δέ, οὖν, and γάρ, must come second rather than first in their sentence. They are called postpositive, which means “put after.”

Question 26

Unless a sentence begins a wholly new unit of thought, it will be connected to the previous sentence by some __________, or linking word. (English easily omits linking words.)

Name 5 linking words and their equivalents in English.

Answer 26

conjunctions

δέ - This is the briefest all-purpose linking word – and or but, but whatever the context needs. It is the most common word for linking sentences. (postpositive)

καί - (and) This word links equivalents.

ἀλλά - (but), This word links equivalents in an oppositional way: A. But B. This shows that B is not what one would expect given A.

οὖν - (therefore) makes an inference. A. So B. (postpositive)

γάρ - (for) gives the reason for the preceding statement (postpositive)
Note that the English word “for” has two different uses: A. as a preposition: It is hard for me, with the phrase “for me” equivalent to a Greek dative, and B. as a conjunction: I took the food. For I was hungry. γάρ is used as a conjunction only.

Question 27

Translate the following:

ἐπιστολή ἐστι τῇ ἀδελφῇ.

Answer 27

This literally translates: A letter is to the sister. (Notice that τῇ ἀδελφῇ is in the dative.)

In English, we would say: The sister has a letter.

Question 28

Translate the following:

ἐπιστολή ἐστί μοι.

Answer 28

This literally translates: A letter is to me. (Notice that μοι is dative.)

In English, we would say: I have a letter.

Question 29

Translate the following:

ἐπιστολή οὐκ ἔστι μοι

Answer 29

This literally translates: A letter is not to me. (Notice μοι is dative.)

In English, we would say: I don’t have a letter.

Question 30

Our word “time” combines a number of concepts that were separate for the Greeks. Name 5 Greek words for “time” and their English equivalents.

Answer 30

χρόνος - clock time
σχολή - free time
καιρός - right time, opportune moment
ὥρα - season
αἰών - lifetime or eternity

Question 31

If αὐτῇ means “to her,” what must αὐταῖς mean?

Answer 31

to them (female “them”)