Chapter 23: Third Declension Nouns, part 2
Day One: Explaining Third Declension Nouns: Mute stem endings
- Last week you learned that third declension nouns have two forms, known as liquid stems and mute stems, based on the final letter of the stem.
- You do not need to memorize which nouns belong to each category. Learn the nominative singular, stem, and endings to translate them.
- As a reminder, liquid stems end with λ, μ, ν, or ρ. Mute stems end with β, γ, δ, θ, κ, π, τ, φ, or χ and usually have more changes inside the word.
Third Declension endings
| Masculine and Feminine | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| N | -ς | -ες |
| G/A | -ος | -ων |
| D/L/I | -ι | -σι(ν) |
| Ac | -ν or -α | -ας |
| Vocative (command) | none, same, or similar to nominative | none, same, or similar to nominative |
| Neuter | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| N | none | -α |
| G/A | -ος | -ων |
| D/L/I | -ι | -σι(ν) |
| Ac | none | -α |
| Vocative | none, same, or similar to nominative | none, same, or similar to nominative |
Good news: nouns have only three declensions.
Day Two: New word: woman, wife
- γυνή, γυναικός, ἡ
- Pronounced: goo - nay.
- Stem: γυν.
- For third declension nouns, the first form is nominative singular and is usually simplest. The second is genitive/ablative singular and supplies the form used throughout the rest of the noun. Vocative forms are usually like the nominative forms.
- A vocative command stands out in context: “Father, love your children.”
- Remember only the stem and ending, so changes inside the word - such as the ξ in the D/L/I plural - do not cause confusion.
| Singular | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| N | γυνή | γυναῖκες |
| G/A | γυναικός | γυναικῶν |
| D/L/I | γυναικί | γυναιξί(ν) κ + σ = ξ |
| Ac | γυναῖκα | γυναῖκας |
| Vocative (command) | γύναι | γυναῖκες |
Day Three: New word: hope, expectation, confidence
- ἐλπίς, ἐλπιδος, ἡ
- Pronounced: el - pis.
- Stem: ελπι.
| Singular | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| N | ἐλπίς | ἐλπίδες |
| G/A | ἐλπίδος | ἐλπιδων |
| D/L/I | ἐλπίδι | ἐλπίσι(ν) |
| Ac | ἐλπίδα | ἐλπιδας |
| Vocative (command) | έλπίς | ἐλπίδας |
Day Four: New word: grace, favor, kindness
- χάρις, χάριτος, ἡ
- Pronounced: ka (short a) - ris (as in risk).
| Singular | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| N | χάρις | χάριτες |
| G/A | χάριτος | χάριτων |
| D/L/I | χάριτι | χάρισι(ν) |
| Ac | χάριτα | χάριτας |
| Vocative (command) | χάρις | χάριτες |
Day Five: New word: night
- νύξ, νυκτός, ἡ
- Pronounced: nuks (long u sound).
- Stem: νυκτ.
- This noun does not have a vocative form.
| Singular | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| N | νύξ | νυκτές |
| G/A | νυκτός | νυκτῶν |
| D/L/I | νυκτί | νυξί(ν) |
| Ac | νυκτά | νυκτάς |
Day Six: Weekly Exercises
- Ἀκοῦομεν τήν γυναῖκα και τήν θυγάτερα ἐν τῴ οἶκω.
- Πρός νυκτί ἡ μήτηρ διδάσκει τά τέκνα.
- Ἔχετε ἐλπιδα καί χάριτα ἐν Χριστῷ.
- Ἰησοῦς λέγει παραβολήν εἰς γλῶσσας.
- A little Greek humor.
- Ἡ ἐκκλησία ἒχει ἐλπιδά ὅτι Ἰησοῦς ἐστίν ὁ Χριστός.
- You have two sentences separated by ὅτι.
- Ἂνθρωπος δέ ἐστίν οὐ Θεός.
- Ὁ ἀνήρ πέμπει ἂρτον εἰς καί θυγἀτερα καί μητέρα.
- Ὁ ἀδελφός πέμπει τόν υἱόν ἀπο τοῦ ὂχλου.
- Οὐ γινώσκουσι τόν ἂγγελον Θεοῦ.
- Οὐ κρίνω τόν ἀνδρά ὅτι ἒχω τήν ἀγάπην Θεοῦ.
Answers
- We hear the mother and the daughter in the house.
- At night the mother teaches the children.
- You (plural) have hope and grace in Christ.
- Jesus speaks a parable in tongues.
- The church has hope that Jesus is the Christ.
- But man is not God.
- The man sends bread to both a daughter and a mother.
- The brother sends the son away from the crowd.
- They do not know the messenger/angel of God.
- I do not judge the man because I have the love of God.
What you have learned so far
1. Present Active Indicative endings
| PIA | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| first person | ἔχω I have I am having | ἔχομεν we have we are having |
| second person | ἔχεις you (singular) have you are having | ἔχετε you (plural) have you are having |
| third person | ἔχει he/she/it has he/she/it is having | ἔχουσι(ν) they have they are having |
| infinitive | ἔχειν to have |
2. Present active indicative of εἰμί
| PIA | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| first person | εἰμί I am | ἐσμέν we are |
| second person | εἶ you (singular) are | ἐστέ you (plural) are |
| third person | ἐστί(ν) he/she/it is | εἰσί(ν) they are |
| infinitive | εἶναι to be |
3. Masculine definite article
| Case | Singular | Plural | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | ὁ | οἱ | the |
| Genitive/Ablative | τοῦ | τῶν | of/from the |
| Dative/Locative/Instrumental | τῷ | τοῖς | to/in/with the |
| Accusative | τόν | τούς | the |
4. Neuter definite article
| Case | Singular | Plural | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative (N) | τό | τά | the |
| Genitive/Ablative (G/A) | τοῦ | τῶν | of/from the |
| Dative/Locative/Instrumental (D/L/I) | τῷ | τοῖς | to/in/with the |
| Accusative (A) | τό | τά | the |
5. Feminine definite article
| Case | Singular | Plural | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative (N) | ἡ | αἱ | the |
| Genitive/Ablative (G/A) | τῆς | τῶν | of/from the |
| Dative/Locative/Instrumental (D/L/I) | τῇ | ταῖς | to/in/with the |
| Accusative (A) | τήν | τάς | the |
6. First Declension: Feminine
| Case | Singular | Translation | Plural | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| N | ἀγάπη | love | ἀγάπαι | loves |
| G/A | ἀγάπης | of/from love | ἀγάπηων | of/from loves |
| D/L/I | ἀγάπῃ | to/in/with love | ἀγάπαις | to/in/with loves |
| A | ἀγάπην | love | ἀγάπας | loves |
7. Second Declension: Masculine
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| N | ἂνθρωπος | ἂνθροποι |
| G/A | ἀνθρώπου | ἀνθρώπων |
| D/L/I | ἀνθρώπῳ | ἀνθρώποις |
| A | ἂνθρωπον | ἀνθρώπους |
8. Second Declension: Neuter
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| N | ἱερόν | ἱερά |
| G/A | ἱεροῦ | ἱερῶν |
| D/L/I | ἱερῷ | ἱεροῖς |
| A | ἱερόν | ἱερά |
9a. Third Declension: Masculine and Feminine
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| N | -ς | -ες |
| G/A | -ος | -ων |
| D/L/I | -ι | -σι(ν) |
| Ac | -ν or -α | -ας |
| Vocative | none, same, or similar to nominative | none, same, or similar to nominative |
9b. Third Declension: Neuter
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| N | none | -α |
| G/A | -ος | -ων |
| D/L/I | -ι | -σι(ν) |
| Ac | none | -α |
| Vocative | none, same, or similar to nominative | none, same, or similar to nominative |
Vocabulary
| Greek | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ἀγάπη, ἡ | love |
| ἀδελφός, ὁ | brother |
| ἂγγελος, ὁ | messenger, angel |
| ἀκούω | I hear |
| ἀνήρ, ἀνδρός, ὁ | man, male, husband |
| ἂνθρωπος, ὁ | man/human/person |
| ἀπο | from, away from |
| ἂρτος, ὁ | bread, loaf |
| βασιλεία, ἡ | kingdom |
| βλέπω | I see |
| γινώσκω | I know |
| γλῶσσα, ἡ | tongue |
| γράφω | I write |
| γυνή, γυναικός, ἡ | woman, wife |
| δέ | but, and, now |
| διά | through, by; because of |
| διδάσκω | I teach |
| δοῦλος, ὁ | servant/slave |
| δῶρον, τό | gift |
| εἰμί | I am |
| εἰς | into, in, to |
| ἐκ | out of |
| ἐκκλησία, ἡ | church, assembly |
| ἐλπίς, ἐλπιδος, ἡ | hope, expectation, confidence |
| ἐν | in, at, on, with |
| εὑρίσκω | I find |
| ἒχω | I have |
| ἢ | or |
| ἡμέρα, ἡ | day |
| θέλω | I wish, will |
| θεός, ὁ | God |
| θυγάτηρ, θυγατρός, ἡ | daughter |
| ἱερόν, τό | temple |
| Ἰησοῦς | Jesus |
| ἰχθύς, ὁ | fish |
| καί | and, also, even; both . . . and |
| καρπός, ὁ | fruit |
| κρίνω | I judge |
| λαμβάνω | I take, receive |
| λέγω | I say or speak |
| λόγος, ὁ | word |
| μαθητής, ὁ | disciple |
| μήτηρ, μητρός, ἡ | mother |
| νόμος, ὁ | law |
| νύξ, νυκτός, ἡ | night |
| οἶκος, ὁ | house, household |
| ὅτι | because, that; beginning of a quote |
| ὂχλος, ὁ | crowd |
| οὐ, οὐκ, οὐχ | not |
| παραβολή, ἡ | parable |
| πατήρ, ὁ | father |
| πέμπω | I send |
| πρός | for; at, on, near; toward, with, at |
| προφήτης, ὁ | prophet |
| σύν | with, together with |
| σωτήρ, ὁ | savior |
| τέκνον, τό | child |
| υἱός, ὁ | son |
| φέρω | I bring, bear |
| χάρις, χάριτος, ἡ | grace, favor, kindness |
| Χριστός, ὁ | Christ |
© 2024 Mark Nickens