Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek Article: Full Table and 8 Solved Exercises
The Greek article has 3 genders and 4 cases: ὁ, ἡ, τό in the nominative. Full table, attributive vs predicate position, common errors, 8 solved exercises.
Recommended for: Grade 9 · Grade 10
The Ancient Greek article is only definite (ὁ, ἡ, τό) and agrees with its noun in gender, number and case. There is no indefinite article. Below you get the full table, the position rules, the most common errors and 8 solved exercises.
What the article is in Greek
Ancient Greek has just one article, the definite one, which corresponds to English “the”. To say “a man” you simply write ἄνθρωπος, with no article. In Homer the same word still works as a demonstrative pronoun; in Attic, the dialect usually studied at school, it is a true article but keeps some demonstrative uses (for example ὁ μὲν … ὁ δέ, “the one … the other”).
The article changes form like an adjective: you need the gender of the noun to choose it, and the case to decide its function in the sentence.
The full table of the article
| Case | Masc. sg | Fem. sg | Neuter sg | Masc. pl | Fem. pl | Neuter pl |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | ὁ | ἡ | τό | οἱ | αἱ | τά |
| Genitive | τοῦ | τῆς | τοῦ | τῶν | τῶν | τῶν |
| Dative | τῷ | τῇ | τῷ | τοῖς | ταῖς | τοῖς |
| Accusative | τόν | τήν | τό | τούς | τάς | τά |
A dual also exists, used for pairs, but it rarely appears in school texts. The vocative takes no article: at most the interjection ὦ comes before the noun.
How to memorize the table easily
Three regularities cut the work:
| Rule | Example |
|---|---|
| The neuter nominative equals the accusative | τό / τό ; τά / τά |
| Masculine and neuter coincide in the genitive and dative | τοῦ, τῷ, τοῖς |
| The genitive plural is the same for all genders | τῶν |
| In the feminine dative singular the iota is written under the vowel | τῇ |
| Every form begins with τ- except the four nominatives ὁ, ἡ, οἱ, αἱ | ὁ, ἡ, οἱ, αἱ |
So only a few forms are really new; the rest follows by comparison.
Agreement and gender: nouns not to get wrong
The article follows the gender of the noun, not its ending. For the first and second declension the typical cases are:
| Noun type | Expected gender | Frequent exception | Article |
|---|---|---|---|
| First decl. in -α, -η | feminine | νεανίας, πολίτης, ποιητής (masculine) | ὁ νεανίας, ὁ πολίτης |
| Second decl. in -ος | masculine | ὁδός, νῆσος (feminine) | ἡ ὁδός, ἡ νῆσος |
| Second decl. in -ον | neuter | no significant exception | τὸ δῶρον |
Adjectives follow the same pattern: ἡ ὁδὸς καλή, ὁ λόγος καλός, τὸ δῶρον καλόν.
The accent of the article
| Forms | Accent | Note |
|---|---|---|
| ὁ, ἡ, οἱ, αἱ | none | proclitics, they lean on the next word |
| τοῦ, τῆς, τῷ, τῇ, τῶν, τοῖς, ταῖς | circumflex | always |
| τόν, τήν, τό, τούς, τάς, τά | acute | in the middle of a sentence it becomes grave: τὸν λόγον |
If this part is shaky, review the guide to Greek accents and breathings and the Greek alphabet guide.
Attributive and predicate position
This rule earns you the most points in translations:
| Pattern | Position | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ὁ ἀγαθὸς ἄνθρωπος | attributive | the good man |
| ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὁ ἀγαθός | attributive | the good man |
| ἀγαθὸς ὁ ἄνθρωπος | predicate | the man is good |
| ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἀγαθός | predicate | the man is good |
Trick: check whether the adjective is “inside” or “outside” the article + noun group. Inside (or with a repeated article) it is attributive. Outside, with no article, the verb “to be” is understood.
The same applies to a genitive: τὰ τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἔργα means “the works of the Greeks”, with the genitive wedged between article and noun.
Other uses of the article
| Use | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Adjective used as a noun | οἱ σοφοί | the wise |
| Neuter used as a noun | τὰ ἀγαθά | good things |
| Substantivized infinitive | τὸ γράφειν | writing |
| Demonstrative value | οἱ μὲν … οἱ δέ | some … others |
| Abstract nouns in a general sense | ἡ ἀρετή | virtue |
| With proper names | ὁ Σωκράτης | Socrates (the article is often not translated) |
The article before proper names and abstract nouns is not always rendered in English: it depends on the sentence.
Most common mistakes
| Mistake | Why it is wrong | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| ἡ λόγος | the gender comes from the noun, λόγος is masculine | ὁ λόγος |
| τὸ νῆσος | νῆσος is feminine | ἡ νῆσος |
| Treating τῶν as a masculine form | τῶν is identical in all three genders | the noun decides |
| ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὁ ἀγαθός translated “the man is good” | repeated article = attributive | ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἀγαθός |
| Looking for an indefinite article | it does not exist | translate “a” or “the” from context |
| Giving a plural verb to every neuter plural subject | a neuter plural normally takes a singular verb | τὰ ἔργα ἐστίν |
30-second review
- Find the noun and its gender (watch out for ὁδός, νῆσος, ποιητής).
- Identify the case from the logical function: subject, possession, indirect object, direct object.
- Choose the form from the table, checking whether masculine and neuter coincide.
- If there is an adjective, check whether it is attributive or predicate.
To practice endings, compare with the Latin second declension: the -os/-us pattern is very similar.
Solved exercises
1. Write the nominative singular article before each noun: λόγος, ἀρετή, δῶρον, ὁδός, νῆσος. base
Show solution
- The article depends on the gender of the noun, not on its ending, so decide the gender of each noun first.
- λόγος is masculine, so ὁ λόγος. ἀρετή is feminine (-η), so ἡ ἀρετή. δῶρον is neuter (-ον), so τὸ δῶρον.
- ὁδός and νῆσος end in -ος like λόγος, but they are feminine: two exceptions to memorize.
- So ἡ ὁδός (the road) and ἡ νῆσος (the island).
Answer: ὁ λόγος ; ἡ ἀρετή ; τὸ δῶρον ; ἡ ὁδός ; ἡ νῆσος
2. Parse these forms of the article, giving every possible case, gender and number: τῆς, τοῖς, τόν, αἱ, τῶν, τά. base
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- τῆς occurs only in the feminine singular: genitive feminine singular.
- τοῖς is shared by masculine and neuter: dative plural masculine or neuter.
- τόν is only masculine: accusative singular masculine.
- αἱ is only feminine: nominative plural feminine.
- τῶν is identical in all three genders: genitive plural masculine, feminine or neuter (the noun decides).
- τά is only neuter plural: nominative or accusative, because the neuter uses one form for both.
Answer: τῆς = gen. sg. f. ; τοῖς = dat. pl. m./n. ; τόν = acc. sg. m. ; αἱ = nom. pl. f. ; τῶν = gen. pl. m./f./n. ; τά = nom./acc. pl. n.
3. Put the article and noun in the required case: a) genitive singular of χώρα, ἵππος, ἔργον; b) dative plural of the same three nouns. base
Show solution
- Gender: χώρα is feminine, ἵππος masculine, ἔργον neuter.
- a) Genitive singular: τῆς χώρας (f.), τοῦ ἵππου (m.), τοῦ ἔργου (n.). Masculine and neuter share τοῦ.
- b) Dative plural: ταῖς χώραις (f.), τοῖς ἵπποις (m.), τοῖς ἔργοις (n.). Here masculine and neuter share τοῖς.
- Check: article and noun must always agree in gender, number and case.
Answer: a) τῆς χώρας ; τοῦ ἵππου ; τοῦ ἔργου b) ταῖς χώραις ; τοῖς ἵπποις ; τοῖς ἔργοις
4. Translate the four phrases and explain the difference: 1) ὁ σοφὸς ἄνθρωπος 2) σοφὸς ὁ ἄνθρωπος 3) ὁ ἄνθρωπος σοφός 4) ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὁ σοφός. intermedio
Show solution
- Rule: an adjective between the article and the noun, or after the noun with the article repeated, is attributive. An adjective outside the article + noun group is predicate, and 'is' is understood.
- 1) Adjective between article and noun: attributive, 'the wise man'.
- 2) Adjective before the article: predicate, 'the man is wise'.
- 3) Adjective after the noun with no article: predicate, 'the man is wise'.
- 4) Article repeated before the adjective: attributive, 'the wise man'.
Answer: 1) the wise man ; 2) the man is wise ; 3) the man is wise ; 4) the wise man. Attributive: 1 and 4. Predicate: 2 and 3.
5. The article can turn an adjective, an infinitive or a participle into a noun. Translate: οἱ σοφοί ; τὰ ἀγαθά ; ἡ καλή ; τὸ γράφειν ; οἱ μὲν ἔμενον, οἱ δὲ ἔφευγον. intermedio
Show solution
- Article + adjective with no noun makes the adjective a noun: the gender and number of the article say who or what.
- οἱ σοφοί: masculine plural article, 'the wise' (wise men).
- τὰ ἀγαθά: neuter plural, 'good things', 'goods'.
- ἡ καλή: feminine singular, 'the beautiful woman'.
- τὸ γράφειν: neuter article before an infinitive, 'writing' (the act of writing).
- οἱ μὲν ... οἱ δέ: the article works as a demonstrative, 'some ... others': some stayed, others fled.
Answer: the wise ; good things ; the beautiful woman ; writing ; some stayed, others fled
6. Fill in the correct article and translate: ___ στρατηγὸς λέγει ___ λόγον ___ πολίταις. intermedio
Show solution
- στρατηγός: masculine singular, subject, nominative → ὁ.
- λόγον: masculine singular, direct object, accusative → τόν (in a sentence: τὸν).
- πολίταις: dative plural, 'to the citizens' → τοῖς.
- Full sentence: ὁ στρατηγὸς λέγει τὸν λόγον τοῖς πολίταις.
Answer: ὁ στρατηγὸς λέγει τὸν λόγον τοῖς πολίταις = the general gives the speech to the citizens.
7. Correct the errors: a) ἡ λόγος b) τὸ νῆσος c) ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὁ ἀγαθός, meant as 'the man is good'. avanzato
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- a) λόγος is masculine: ἡ is wrong, the form needed is ὁ λόγος.
- b) νῆσος is feminine despite -ος: ἡ νῆσος, not the neuter τό.
- c) With the article repeated the phrase is attributive ('the good man'), but the intended meaning is 'the man is good'.
- For the predicate sense the adjective must have no article: ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἀγαθός (or ἀγαθὸς ὁ ἄνθρωπος).
Answer: a) ὁ λόγος ; b) ἡ νῆσος ; c) ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἀγαθός
8. Parse and translate τὰ τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἔργα καλά ἐστιν. Why is the verb singular? avanzato
Show solution
- τὰ ... ἔργα: neuter plural article agreeing with ἔργα, nominative (subject).
- τῶν Ἑλλήνων: genitive plural, 'of the Greeks'. It sits between article and noun: attributive position, so 'the works of the Greeks'.
- καλά: no article, so predicate ('are beautiful').
- ἐστιν is singular: in Attic Greek a neuter plural subject normally takes a singular verb.
- Translation: the works of the Greeks are beautiful.
Answer: The works of the Greeks are beautiful. τὰ ἔργα = subject (nom. pl. n.), τῶν Ἑλλήνων = attributive genitive, καλά = predicate; singular verb because of the neuter plural rule.
FAQ
How do you decline the Greek article?
The definite article has three genders (masculine, feminine, neuter), singular and plural, and four cases you need for translation: nominative, genitive, dative, accusative. Learn the table: ὁ, τοῦ, τῷ, τόν in the masculine singular; ἡ, τῆς, τῇ, τήν in the feminine; τό, τοῦ, τῷ, τό in the neuter.
Is there an indefinite article in Greek?
No. Greek has no indefinite article: a noun without an article, such as ἄνθρωπος, can be translated 'a man' or just 'man' in general, depending on context.
Why is ὁδός feminine if it ends in -ος?
Because gender in Greek does not depend only on the ending. A few second-declension nouns in -ος are feminine, such as ὁδός (road) and νῆσος (island), and they must be memorized. Articles and adjectives agree with the real gender: ἡ ὁδὸς καλή.
How do you tell attributive from predicate position?
If the adjective stands between article and noun (ὁ ἀγαθὸς ἄνθρωπος) or after the noun with a repeated article (ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὁ ἀγαθός), it is attributive. If it stands outside the article + noun group (ἀγαθὸς ὁ ἄνθρωπος, ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἀγαθός), it is predicate and English adds 'is'.
Does the Greek article have an accent?
The four nominative forms ὁ, ἡ, οἱ, αἱ have no accent and lean on the next word. The others carry one: τοῦ, τῆς, τῷ, τῇ, τῶν, τοῖς, ταῖς take the circumflex, while τόν, τήν, τό, τούς, τάς, τά take the acute, which becomes a grave before another word (τὸν λόγον).