Supriya Ghosh (Editor)

Ancient Greek grammar (tables)

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First declension

Examples ending with -ας or -ης
Examples ending with -ᾱ and -ᾰ (gen. -ᾱς)
Examples ending with -ᾰ or -η (gen. -ης)

Second declension

Second-declension suffixes
Contracted nouns
Attic second declension

Third declension

Third-declension suffixes
Vowel stem in -ως (gen. -ωος)
Vowel stem in -υς (gen. -υος)
Double vowel stem
Vowel stem in -εύς, -οῦς and -αῦς

The nouns βοῦς and γραῦς are unique.

Contents

Without suffix double-stem in -ώ
Consonant stem (κ, π, τ)
Consonant stem in -ντ and in -α
Nasal single-stem
Nasal double-stem
Liquid stem
Nouns that add an ε in the stem
Sibilant stem
Without suffix double-stem

Irregular nouns

The tables of the irregular nouns do not include the dual number.

All the third declension plural suffixes of the dative (-σι) can accept a ν at the end. For example, ὁ γίγας → τοῖς γίγασι and γίγασιν and ἡ γραῦς → ταῖς γραυσί and γραυσίν.

Second declension

Three suffixes – three genders
Two suffixes – three genders

Third declension

Vowel stem
  • Three suffixes in ῠς-, ειᾰ-, and -ῠ
    • Two suffixes - three genders
    Sibilant-stem, two suffixes - three genders
  • The adjectives whose suffix is -ώδης, -ώλης or -ήρης are declined like εὐώδης. The restemraise the accent in several forms. These adjectives are declined this way:

    • Irregular adjectives

    πολύς and μέγας

    Personal Pronoun

    Attic

    Numerals

  • The numerals from one to four are declined.

    • Conjugation of verbs

    The conjugation within each cell is listed (top to bottom): 1st Person Singular, 2nd Person Singular, 3rd Person Singular, 1st Person Plural, 2nd Person Plural, 3rd Person Plural.

    The tables do not include the dual number. To make the dual the following rules can be used:

  • 2nd person dual ("you both"): Replace the final -ε of the 2nd pl. with -ον:
  • 3rd person dual ("they both"): Replace the final -ε of the 2nd pl. with -ον (present, future, and perfect indicative and all subjunctives) or -ην (imperfect, aorist, pluperfect indicative and all optatives):

    • There is no 1st person dual form in common use.

    The verb εἶμι "I (will) go"

    In the classical period, the present tense indicative of εἶμι is usually used with future meaning.

    The verb ἔχω

  • Only the first person singular is shown.

    • Verb example

  • The verb λῡ́ω (stem: λῡ-) (= I set loose, release, untangle, take apart) is generally used as a model Greek verb: it is conjugated using the thematic vowel -o-, and has a short and straightforward stem. The only irregularity is that the stem has a long vowel (λῡ- )in the present, future and aorist active and middle (λῡ́ω, λῡ́σω, ἔλῡσα) but a short vowel (λῠ-) in the other tenses (λέλυκα, ἐλελύκη, ἐλύθην, λυθήσομαι, λέλυμαι) .

    • Consonant-stem verbs

  • Perfect and pluperfect indicative of middle and passive voice of verbs whose stem ends with consonant.

    • Aorist II (also called the strong aorist)

  • Verb: βάλλω

    • Passive future II and aorist II

  • Verb: γράφομαι

    • Verbs in -άω

    Rules

  • α + ε or η → ᾱ
  • α + ει or ῃ → ᾳ
  • α + ο or ω or ου → ω
  • α + οι → ῳ

    • Verb τῑμάω → τῑμῶ (st. τῑμα-)

    Note that the optative singular of contracted verbs usually has -οιην, -οιης, -οιη rather than the expected -οιμι, -οις, -οι of regular verbs.

    Verbs in -έω

    Rules

  • ε + ε → ει
  • ε + ο → ου
  • ε + diphthong or long vowel → the diphthong or the long vowel.

    • Verb ποιέω → ποιῶ (st. ποιε-)

    Verbs in -όω

    Rules

  • ο + ε or ο or ου → ου
  • ο + η or ω → ω
  • ο + ει or ῃ or οι → οι

    • Verb δηλόω → δηλῶ (st. δηλο-)

    Other tenses

    The other tenses are formed without contraction. The vowel of the stem is lengthened and the suffix is added normally. e.g.:

  • τῑμάω → τῑμῶ: future: τῑμήσω, aorist: ἐτῑ́μησα, perfect: τετῑ́μηκα, past perf.: ἐτετῑμήκειν
  • ποιέω → ποιῶ: future: ποιήσω, aorist: ἐποίησα, perfect: πεποίηκα, past perf.: ἐπεποιήκειν
  • δηλόω → δηλῶ: future: δηλώσω, aorist: ἐδήλωσα, perfect: δεδήλωκα, past perf.: ἐδεδηλώκειν

    • νυ-stem verbs

  • Verb δείκνῡμι "to show" (st. δεικ-)

    • References

    Ancient Greek grammar (tables) Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA