Koine Greek: Definite Article

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Lesson

Indefinite article

There is no indefinite article in Greek, that is, there is no word for "a". For example

  • αδελφος (adelphos) may mean either "brother" or "a brother"

Definite article

The definite article is the word "the". In Koine Greek, the definite article various depending upon the noun's case, gender and number. For example:

  • ῾ο αδελφος (ho adelphos) = "the brother" (a masculine, singular, nominative noun)
  • ῾οι αδελφοι (hoi adelphoi) = "the brothers" (a masculine, plural, nominative noun)
  • ῾η γη (he ge) = "the land" (a feminine, singular, nominative noun)
  • το πλοιον (to ploion) = "the boat" (a neuter, singular, nominative noun)

Definite article: Singular form

The following table shows the definite article in its various singular forms depending on case and gender.

Case Masculine Feminine Neuter
Nom `ο το
Gen του τη του
Dat τω τη τω
Acc τον την το

Definite article: Plural form

Case Masculine Feminine Neuter
Nom `οι `αι τα
Gen τωn τωn τωn
Dat τοις ταις τοις
Acc τους τας τα

Rules regarding usage

The definite article is used much more frequently than in English. It is generally used before names of people and places, and also prior to abstract nouns (abstract nouns are those that describe a concept such as love - Αγαπη)

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