Understanding Greek Prepositions and Their Cases for English Learners

Introduction to Greek Prepositions and Cases

Greek prepositions are words that link nouns, pronouns, or phrases to other words within a sentence. Unlike English, Greek prepositions often require the noun that follows them to be in a specific grammatical case. Understanding which case a preposition governs is essential for mastering Greek grammar.

The Four Cases Governed by Greek Prepositions

Greek has four main cases that prepositions can govern: the accusative, genitive, dative (mostly replaced by the genitive in Modern Greek), and vocative. Each case changes the form of the noun or pronoun following the preposition, affecting the meaning of the phrase.

Accusative Case

Prepositions that govern the accusative case often indicate motion towards a place or direction. For example, the preposition "σε" (se) meaning "to" or "into" requires the accusative case.

Genitive Case

Prepositions governing the genitive case typically express origin, cause, or separation. For example, "από" (apó) meaning "from" requires the genitive case.

Dative Case

The dative case is largely obsolete in Modern Greek but was used in Ancient Greek to indicate the indirect object or the means by which an action is performed. Some prepositions governed the dative case historically.

Vocative Case

The vocative case is used for direct address and is not typically governed by prepositions.

Common Greek Prepositions and Their Cases

• σε (se) – accusative: meaning "to", "into", "at"
• από (apó) – genitive: meaning "from"
• με (me) – accusative: meaning "with"
• για (gia) – accusative: meaning "for"
• χωρίς (chorís) – genitive: meaning "without"
• προς (pros) – accusative: meaning "towards"
• εντός (entós) – genitive: meaning "inside of"

Examples of Greek Prepositions with Cases

Tips for English Speakers Learning Greek Prepositions

1. Memorize common prepositions along with the case they govern.
2. Practice with example sentences to see how cases change the noun endings.
3. Use flashcards to reinforce preposition-case pairs.
4. Listen to native speakers to get a feel for natural usage.
5. Be aware that some prepositions can govern different cases depending on context.