Understanding Agreement of Adjectives in Greek
In Greek, adjectives are words that describe or give more information about nouns. Just like in English, where you might say 'a big dog' or 'a happy child,' adjectives in Greek need to match the noun they describe in gender, number, and case. This means that the ending of the adjective changes depending on the noun.
Important Points
- Gender: Adjectives must match the noun's gender. Greek nouns can be masculine, feminine, or neuter.
- Number: Adjectives must match the noun's number. This means they must be singular if the noun is singular, and plural if the noun is plural.
- Case: Greek nouns and adjectives change form depending on their role in the sentence. Common cases include nominative, accusative, genitive, and vocative.
- Endings: The ending of the adjective changes based on the gender, number, and case of the noun.
Examples
- Ο μεγάλος σκύλος (The big dog - masculine, singular, nominative)
- Η μεγάλη γάτα (The big cat - feminine, singular, nominative)
- Το μεγάλο σπίτι (The big house - neuter, singular, nominative)
Let's break it down with some simple rules. If the noun is masculine, the adjective usually ends in -ος. If the noun is feminine, the adjective usually ends in -η or -α. And if the noun is neuter, the adjective usually ends in -ο. These are general rules and there can be exceptions, but they are a good starting point.
Examples
- Οι μεγάλοι σκύλοι (The big dogs - masculine, plural, nominative)
- Οι μεγάλες γάτες (The big cats - feminine, plural, nominative)
- Τα μεγάλα σπίτια (The big houses - neuter, plural, nominative)
Remember, practicing with different nouns and adjectives will help you get better at matching them correctly. Try to say them out loud and listen to how they sound together.