Understanding Greek Nouns: Gender and Number Explained for English Speakers

Introduction to Greek Nouns: Gender and Number

Greek nouns are fundamental building blocks of the language, and understanding their gender and number is essential for mastering Greek grammar. Unlike English, Greek nouns have grammatical gender and change form depending on number.

What is Gender in Greek Nouns?

In Greek, every noun has a gender: masculine, feminine, or neuter. This gender affects the form of the noun itself and the words that relate to it, such as adjectives and articles.

For example, the word for 'book' is βιβλίο (vivlío), which is neuter, while 'man' is άνδρας (ándras), which is masculine.

How to Identify Gender in Greek Nouns

While there are exceptions, many Greek nouns follow patterns that help identify their gender:

• Masculine nouns often end in -ος (-os) or -ας (-as).
• Feminine nouns often end in -η (-i) or -α (-a).
• Neuter nouns often end in -ο (-o) or -ι (-i).

Recognizing these endings can help learners predict the gender of many nouns.

Number in Greek Nouns: Singular and Plural

Greek nouns change form to indicate number: singular (one) or plural (more than one). The endings of nouns change accordingly.

For example, the singular άνδρας (man) becomes plural άνδρες (men), and βιβλίο (book) becomes βιβλία (books).

Forming the Plural in Greek Nouns

Plural endings vary depending on the gender and the noun's ending in the singular form:

• Masculine nouns ending in -ος often change to -οι in plural.
• Feminine nouns ending in -η or -α often change to -ες in plural.
• Neuter nouns ending in -ο or -ι often change to -α in plural.

Examples of Greek Nouns with Gender and Number