Language/Modern-greek-1453/Grammar/Adjective-Agreement
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Greek language learners often find the use of adjectives confusing, especially when trying to make them agree in gender, number, and case with their corresponding nouns. In this lesson, I will explain the rules of adjective agreement in Modern Greek (1453-) and provide examples to help you understand how to use them correctly.
Take some time to dive into these other pages after completing this lesson: Paronyms and Homonyms & Verb To Be.
Adjectives in Greek[edit | edit source]
In Greek, adjectives are used to describe or modify nouns. They usually come before the noun and agree with it in gender, number, and case. Greek adjectives can be either attributive, indicating a characteristic or quality of the noun, or predicate, indicating a state or action of the noun.
For example, let's look at the sentence "Ο ωραίος άντρας κοιτάζει τη θάλασσα" (O oraíos ánthras koitázei ti thálassa), which means "The handsome man is looking at the sea". In this sentence, "ωραίος" (oraíos) is an attributive adjective that agrees with "άντρας" (ánthras) in gender (masculine) and number (singular).
Adjective Agreement Rules[edit | edit source]
In Greek, adjectives have to agree with the noun they modify in gender, number, and case. Let's look at each of these rules in more detail.
Gender Agreement[edit | edit source]
In Greek, the nouns are either masculine, feminine, or neuter. Adjectives must agree in gender with the noun they describe.
- Masculine nouns: άντρας (anthras) - man, ίππος (íppos) - horse, ήλιος (ílios) - sun - Feminine nouns: γυναίκα (gynaíka) - woman, θάλασσα (thálassa) - sea, νύχτα (nýchta) - night- Neuter nouns: παιδί (pedí) - child, λουλούδι (louloudi) - flower, σπίτι (spíti) - house
For example:
Number Agreement[edit | edit source]
In Greek, nouns and adjectives can be singular or plural. Adjectives must agree in number with the noun they modify.
- Singular nouns: άντρας (anthras) - man, γυναίκα (gynaíka) - woman, παιδί (pedí) - child - Plural nouns: άντρες (ántres) - men, γυναίκες (gynaíkes) - women, παιδιά (pediá) - children
For example:
| Noun | Adjective masculine | Adjective feminine | Adjective neuter |
|---|---|---|---|
| ο γιατρός (o giatrós) - the doctor (masculine) | ο ωραίος (oraíos) - handsome | η ωραία (oraía) - beautiful | το ωραίο (oraío) - beautiful |
| η ηθοποιός (i ithopoios) - the actress (feminine) | |||
| το παιδί (to pedí) - the child (neuter) |
| Noun | Adjective (singular) | Adjective (plural) |
|---|---|---|
| ο ωραίος άντρας (o oraíos ánthras) - the handsome man (singular) | ο ωραίος (oraíos) | οι ωραίοι (oraíoi) |
| οι ωραίοι άντρες (oi oraíoi ántres) - the handsome men (plural) | οι ωραίοι (oraíoi) | οι ωραίοι (oraíoi) |
Case Agreement[edit | edit source]
In Greek, the case of the adjective must agree with the case of the noun it modifies. There are four cases in Greek: nominative, genitive, accusative, and vocative.
- Nominative case: used for the subject of the sentence - Genitive case: used for possession or origin - Accusative case: used for the direct object of the sentence - Vocative case: used when addressing someone
For example:
| Noun | Adjective Nominative case | Adjective Genitive case | Adjective Accusative case |
|---|---|---|---|
| ο ωραίος άντρας (o oraíos ánthras) - the handsome man | ο ωραίος (oraíos) | του όμορφου (ómorfou) | το ωραίο (oraío) |
| η όμορφη γυναίκα (tin ómorfi gynaíka) - the beautiful woman | η όμορφη (ómorfi) | της όμορφης (ómorfis) | την όμορφη (ómorfi) |
| τα όμορφα παιδιά (ta oraía pediá) - the cute children | η ωραία (oraía) | των ωραίων (oraíon) | την ωραία (oraía) |
Exceptions to the Adjective Agreement Rules[edit | edit source]
As with any language, there are always exceptions to the rules. In Greek, there are a few exceptions to the adjective agreement rules that you need to keep in mind.
One common exception is with irregular adjectives that do not follow the usual patterns of agreement. For example, the adjective "καλός" (kalós) means "good", but it has a different form for the feminine singular, "καλή" (kalí), and for the neuter singular, "καλό" (kaló).
Another exception is with ellipsis, which occurs when the noun is omitted from the sentence but is implied. In this case, the adjective will still agree in gender, number, and case with the implied noun.
Conclusion[edit | edit source]
Adjective agreement is an important aspect of Greek grammar and is essential for communicating accurately in the language. By understanding the rules of adjective agreement, you can use adjectives correctly in speech and writing. Practice is key when it comes to mastering adjective agreement, so be sure to review and practice these rules until you feel confident in your ability to use them. Good luck!
Now that you've completed this lesson, don't stop learning! Check out these related topics: Greek Deponent Verbs & Writing and spelling.
Other Lessons[edit | edit source]
- Particularities of: Πώς, πως, πού, που, ή, η
- Declension patterns for Greek nouns
- The use of uppercase and lowercase
- Nouns and gender
- Present perfect and past perfect tense
- Definite and Indefinite Articles
- Verbs Conjugation Groups
- Present Tense
- Paronyms and Homonyms
- Noun Gender and Plurals
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