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Introduction#

Morphology#

Declension#

[[Nouns#Introduction|Nouns]] in [[./index|Ancient Greek]] change their ending to show their [[TODO|case]] and [[TODO|number]]. Based on which set of endings nouns take, they can be divided into three groups called declensions.

The process of changing a noun's form in this way is known as declining and is straight-forward:
- Extract the stem by removing the ending of the [[TODO|genitive]] [[TODO|singular]] form.
- Add the appropriate ending depending on the noun's [[TODO|case]] and [[TODO|number]].

Since the stem is extracted from the [[TODO|genitive]] [[TODO|singular]] form, you will need to learn the [[TODO|nominative]] [[TODO|singular]] and [[TODO|genitive]] [[TODO|singular]] forms of many [[Nouns#Introduction|nouns]] separately. Luckily, this mainly applies to [[Nouns#Introduction|nouns]] of the [[Nouns#Third Declension|third declension]] because you can extract the stem of [[Nouns#Introduction|nouns]] of the [[Nouns#First Declension|first]] and [[Nouns#Second Declension|second declensions]] by removing the ending of the [[TODO|nominative]] [[TODO|singular]].

Tip: Wiktionary

You can use Wiktionary to see all forms of every noun.

First Declension#

The first declension is also known as the a-declension. It contains mainly [[TODO|feminine]] nouns and some [[TODO|masculine]] ones. There are no [[TODO|neuter]] nouns in this declension.

Two types of [[TODO|feminine]] nouns exist - those with a [[TODO|nominative]] [[TODO|singular]] ending in a short -ᾰ and those with a [[TODO|nominative]] [[TODO|singular]] ending in a long -ᾱ.

First Declension (Feminine Nouns)
Number
Singular Dual Plural
Case Nominative -ᾰ -ᾱ / -η -ᾱ -αι
Genitive -ᾱς / -ης -αιν -ων
Dative -ᾳ / -ῃ -αις
Accusative -ᾰν -ᾱν / -ην -ᾱ -ᾱς
Vocative =Nominative

A long -ᾱ- in [[TODO|singular]] endings is only retained after ε, ι and ρ. In all other situations it changes to -η-.

Example: First-Declension Feminine Nouns in -ᾰ










































μοῦσᾰ (muse)
Number
Singular Dual Plural
Case Nominative μοῦσᾰ μούσᾱ μοῦσαι
Genitive μούσης μούσαιν μουσῶν
Dative μούσῃ μούσαιν μούσαις
Accusative μοῦσᾰν μούσᾱ μούσᾱς
Vocative μοῦσᾰ μούσᾱ μούσᾱς










































δῐᾰ́νοιᾰ (thought)
Number
Singular Dual Plural
Case Nominative δῐᾰ́νοιᾰ δῐᾰνοίᾱ δῐᾰ́νοιαι
Genitive δῐᾰνοίᾱς δῐᾰνοίαιν δῐᾰνοιῶν
Dative δῐᾰνοίᾳ δῐᾰνοίαιν δῐᾰνοίαις
Accusative δῐᾰ́νοιᾰν δῐᾰνοίᾱ δῐᾰνοίᾱς
Vocative δῐᾰ́νοιᾰ δῐᾰνοίᾱ δῐᾰ́νοιαι

Example: First-Declension Feminine Nouns in -ᾱ / -η










































χώρᾱ (location, place, spot)
Number
Singular Dual Plural
Case Nominative χώρᾱ χώρᾱ χῶραι
Genitive χώρᾱς χώραιν χωρῶν
Dative χώρᾳ χώραιν χώραις
Accusative χώρᾱν χώρᾱ χώρᾱς
Vocative χώρᾱ χώρᾱ χῶραι










































φῠγή (flight, retreat)
Number
Singular Dual Plural
Case Nominative φῠγή φῠγᾱ́ φῠγαί
Genitive φῠγῆς φῠγαῖν φῠγῶν
Dative φῠγῇ φῠγαῖν φῠγαῖς
Accusative φῠγήν φῠγᾱ́ φῠγᾱ́ς
Vocative φῠγή φῠγᾱ́ φῠγαί

The [[TODO|nominative]] [[TODO|singular]] of [[TODO|masculine]] nouns ends in -ᾱς / -ης-. The endings for [[TODO|masculine]] nouns differ from those for [[TODO|feminine]] nouns only in the [[TODO|nominative]], [[TODO|genitive]] and [[TODO|vocative]] [[TODO|singular]].

First Declension (Masculine Nouns)
Number
Singular Dual Plural
Case Nominative -ᾱς / -ης -ᾱ -αι
Genitive -ου -αιν -ῶν
Dative -ᾳ / -ῃ -αις
Accusative -ᾱν / -ην -ᾱ -ᾱς
Vocative -ᾰ, -ᾱ / -η = Nominative

Once again, a long -ᾱ- in [[TODO|singular]] endings is only retained after ε, ι and ρ. In all other situations it changes to -η-.

The [[TODO|vocative]] [[singular]] is formed as follows:
- Nouns ending in -της and the names of races use the short ending -ᾰ (e.g. "κριτής", voc.sg. "κρῐτᾰ́"; "Πέρσης", voc.sg. "Πέρσᾰ́").
- All proper names ending -άδης / -ίδης take -ᾱ / -η, respectively (e.g. "Ἀτρείδης", voc. sg. "Ἀτρείδη").
- For other nouns, the [[TODO|vocative]] [[singular]] should be learnt separately.

Example: First-Declension Masculine Nouns










































νεᾱνῐ́ᾱς (young man between 20 and 40 years old)
Number
Singular Dual Plural
Case Nominative νεᾱνῐ́ᾱς νεᾱνῐ́ᾱ νεᾱνῐ́αι
Genitive νεᾱνῐ́ου νεᾱνῐ́αιν νεᾱνῐῶν
Dative νεᾱνῐ́ᾳ νεᾱνῐ́αιν νεᾱνῐ́αις
Accusative νεᾱνῐ́ᾱν νεᾱνῐ́ᾱ νεᾱνῐ́ᾱς
Vocative νεᾱνῐ́ᾱ νεᾱνῐ́ᾱ νεᾱνῐ́αι










































δεσπότης (master, ruler)
Number
Singular Dual Plural
Case Nominative δεσπότης δεσπότᾱ δεσπόται
Genitive δεσπότου δεσπόταιν δεσποτῶν
Dative δεσπότῃ δεσπόταιν δεσπόταις
Accusative δεσπότην δεσπότᾱ δεσπότᾱς
Vocative δέσποτᾰ δεσπότᾱ δεσπόται

Second Declension#

The second declension is also known as the o-declension. It contains mainly [[TODO|masculine]] and [[TODO|neuter]] nouns but some [[TODO|feminine]] ones are found as well. There also a few nouns such as "θεός" ("god" / "goddess") and "ἄνθρωπος" ("man" / "woman") which can occur in both [[TODO|genders]] depending on their meaning.

Second Declension (Masculine and Feminine Nouns)
Number
Singular Dual Plural
Case Nominative -ος, -ους -ω -οι
Genitive -ου -οιν -ων
Dative -ῳ -οις
Accusative -ον -ω -ους
Vocative ε = Nominative = Nominative
Example: Second Declension Masculine and Feminine Nouns










































δοῦλος (slave)
Number
Singular Dual Plural
Case Nominative δοῦλος δούλω δοῦλοι
Genitive δούλου δούλοιν δούλων
Dative δούλῳ δούλοιν δούλοις
Accusative δοῦλον δούλω δούλους
Vocative δοῦλε δούλω δοῦλοι










































νοῦς (mind)
Number
Singular Dual Plural
Case Nominative νοῦς νώ νοῖ
Genitive νοῦ νοῖν νῶν
Dative νῷ νοῖν νοῖς
Accusative νοῦν νώ νοῦς
Vocative νοῦ νώ νοῖ

Warning: Exceptions

For the word "θεός", the [[TODO|vocative]] [[TODO|singular]] is identical to the [[TODO|nominative]] [[TODO|singular]] and so does not end in -ε.

There are many [[Nouns#Second Declension|second-declension]] [[Nouns#Introduction|nouns]] which are [[TODO|neuter]]. Furthermore, some [[Nouns#Introduction|nouns]] can be either [[TODO|neuter]] or [[TODO|masculine]].

Second Declension (Neuter Nouns)
Number
Singular Dual Plural
Case Nominative -ο, -ον, -ουν -ω -ᾰ
Genitive -ου -οιν -ων
Dative -ῳ -οις
Accusative = Nominative
Vocative = Nominative
Example: Second Declension Neuter Nouns










































δῶρον (gift)
Number
Singular Dual Plural
Case Nominative δῶρον δώρω δῶρᾰ
Genitive δώρου δώροιν δώρων
Dative δώρῳ δώροιν δώροις
Accusative δῶρον δώρω δῶρᾰ
Vocative δῶρον δώρω δῶρᾰ










































ὀστοῦν (bone)
Number
Singular Dual Plural
Case Nominative ὀστοῦν ὀστώ ὀστᾶ
Genitive ὀστοῦ ὀστοῖν ὀστῶν
Dative ὀστῷ ὀστοῖν ὀστοῖς
Accusative ὀστοῦν ὀστώ ὀστᾶ
Vocative ὀστοῦν ὀστώ ὀστᾶ

There is also a subset of [[Nouns#Second Declension|second-declension]] [[Nouns|nouns]] which have -ω- in the endings instead of -ο-. This is known as the Attic declension.

Attic Declension (Masculine and Feminine Nouns)
Number
Singular Dual Plural
Case Nominative -ως -ω -ῳ
Genitive -ω -ῳν -ων
Dative -ῳ -ῳς
Accusative -ων -ω -ως
Vocative = Nominative
Example: Attic Declension Masculine and Feminine Nouns










































νεώς (temple)
Number
Singular Dual Plural
Case Nominative νεώς νεώ νεῴ
Genitive νεώ νεῴν νεών
Dative νεῷ νεῴν νεῴς
Accusative νεών νεώ νεώς
Vocative νεώς νεώ νεῴ

Attic Declension (Neuter Nouns)
Number
Singular Dual Plural
Case Nominative -ων -ω -ω
Genitive -ω -ῳν -ων
Dative -ῳ -ῳς
Accusative = Nominative
Vocative = Nominative

Third Declension#

The third declension is by far the most versatile. It contains nouns of all three [[TODO|genders]]. The [[TODO|nominative]] [[TODO|singular]] of [[Nouns#Third Declension|third-declension]] [[Nouns#Introduction|nouns]] can have many different endings, mostly in a [[TODO|consonant]]. This is why the [[TODO|genitive]] [[TODO|singular]] is required to determine the [[Nouns#Declension|stem]].

Third Declension (Masculine and Feminine Nouns)
Number
Singular Dual Plural
Case Nominative -ε -ες
Genitive -ος -οιν -ων
Dative -ῐ -σῐ(ν)
Accusative -ᾰ -ε -ᾰς
Vocative ε = Nominative = Nominative
Third Declension (Neuter Nouns)
Number
Singular Dual Plural
Case Nominative -ω -ᾰ
Genitive -ος -οιν -ων
Dative -ῐ -σῐ(ν)
Accusative = Nominative
Vocative = Nominative

Unfortunately, the third declension is plagued by irregularities.

Warning: Exceptions for Stems Ending in -τ- (except -ντ-), -δ- or -θ-:
  • The final letter of the stem disappears before the σ in the [[TODO|dative]] [[TODO|plural]]: nom. sg. "ἐλπίς", gen. sg. "ἐλπίδος", dat. pl. "ἐλπίσι(ν)"; nom. sg. "τέρας", gen. sg. "τέρᾰτος", dat. pl. "τέρασι(ν)".
  • Nouns ending in -ις / -υς whose [[Orthography and Phonology#Accent|accent]] in the stem does not fall on the final syllable drop the final syllable in the [[TODO|accusative]] [[TODO|singular]] and add the ending -ιν / -υν, respectively: nom. sg. "ὄρνις", gen. sg. "ὄρνιθος", acc. sg. "ὄρνιν"; nom. sg. "κόρυς", gen. sg. "κόρυθος", acc. sg. "κόρυν"; BUT nom. sg. "ἐλπίς", gen. sg. "ἐλπίδος", acc. sg. "ἐλπίδα".
  • The [[TODO|vocative]] [[TODO|singular]] is usually formed by dropping the -τ / -δ / -θ from the stem: nom. sg. "παῖς", gen. sg. "παιδός", voc. sg. "παῖ". For some nouns, however, it is identical to the [[TODO|nominative]].
Warning: Exceptions for Stems Ending in -ντ-:
  • The -ντ- of the stem disappears before the σ in the [[TODO|dative]] [[TODO|plural]] and the preceding [[TODO|syllable]] is lengthened: nom. sg. "γέρων", gen. sg. "γέροντος", dat. pl. "γέρουσῐ(ν)"; nom. sg. "δρᾰ́κων", gen. sg. "δρᾰ́κοντος", dat. pl. "δρᾰ́κουσῐ(ν)".
  • The [[TODO|vocative]] [[TODO|singular]] is usually formed by dropping the -τ- from the stem: nom. sg. "γέρων", gen. sg. "γέροντος", voc. sg. "γέρον"; nom. sg. "δρᾰ́κων", gen. sg. "δρᾰ́κοντος", voc. sg.. "δρᾰ́κον"
Warning: Exceptions for Stems Ending in -ν-:
  • The -ν- of the stem disappears before the σ in the [[TODO|dative]] [[TODO|plural]] and the preceding [[TODO|syllable]] is lengthened: nom. sg. "ᾰ̓γών", gen. sg. "ᾰ̓γῶνος", dat. pl. "ᾰ̓γῶσῐ(ν)"; nom. sg. "δαίμων", gen. sg. "δαίμονος", dat. pl. "δαίμοσῐ(ν)".
  • The [[TODO|vocative]] [[TODO|singular]] is usually identical to the [[TODO|nominative]] [[TODO|singular]], although some nouns shorten a final [[Orthography and Phonology#Vowels|long vowel]]: nom. sg. "Ἀγαμέμνων", voc. sg. "Ἀγάμεμνον"; nom. sg. "δαίμων", voc. sg. "δαῖμον"; nom. sg. "Ἀπόλλων", voc. sg. "Ἄπολλον"; nom. sg. "Ποσειδῶν", voc. sg. "Πόσειδον".
  • The words "Ἀπόλλων" and "Ποσειδῶν" have two interchangeable forms for the [[TODO|accusative]] [[TODO|singular]]: "Ἀπόλλω" / "Ἀπόλλωνᾰ" and "Ποσειδῶ" / "Ποσειδῶνᾰ".
Warning: Exceptions for Stems Ending in -λ- or -ρ-
  • The [[TODO|vocative]] [[TODO|singular]] is usually just the stem with the final syllable shortened: nom. sg. "ῥήτωρ", gen. sg. "ῥήτορος", voc. sg. "ῥῆτορ". In other situations, it is identical to the [[TODO|nominative]] [[TODO|singular]]: nom. sg. "κρᾱτήρ", voc. sg. "κρᾱτήρ".
  • The [[TODO|dative]] [[TODO|plural]] of "χείρ" is "χερσί".
  • The [[TODO|dative]] [[TODO|plural]] of "μᾰ́ρτῠς" is "μάρτυσι".
Warning: Exceptions for Nouns Ending in -τηρ

The nouns "πᾰτήρ" ("father"), "μήτηρ" ("mother"), "θυγάτηρ" ("daughter"), "γαστήρ" ("belly") have stems ending in -τρ- which are also found in the [[TODO|dative]] [[TODO|singular]] and [[TODO|dative]] [[TODO|plural]]. However, an -ε- is inserted between the τ and the ρ in the [[TODO|accusative]] and [[TODO|vocative]] [[TODO|singular]], all [[TODO|dual]] forms and the [[TODO|nominative]], [[TODO|genitive]] and [[TODO|accusative]] [[TODO|plural]].










































μήτηρ (mother)
Number
Singular Dual Plural
Case Nominative μήτηρ μητέρε μητέρες
Genitive μητρός μητέροιν μητέρων
Dative μητρῐ́ μητέροιν μητρᾰ́σῐ(ν)
Accusative μητέρᾰ μητέρε μητέρᾰς
Vocative μῆτερ μητέρε μητέρες

There are also many other exceptions, but these are best learnt on a case-by-case basis.