1.21: The Personal Pronouns; εἷς, οὐδείς, and μηδείς; the Dative and Accusative of Respect; Time Expressions

Module 18

© 2021 Philip S. Peek, CC BY 4.0 https://doi.org/10.11647/OBP.0264.21

Pronouns

In both languages, pronouns have the same definition: they take the place of nouns. The function of the Greek pronoun (ἀντωνυμία) differs from the English because it creates meaning through case endings much more extensively than the English pronoun does. In both languages the personal pronouns refer to the first person I and we, the second person you, and the third person he, she, it, and they.

The English Personal Pronoun

In English the forms of the first person personal pronoun are the following:

	Singular	Plural
Subjective	I	we
Objective	me	us
Possessive	mine	ours
Possessive Adj.	my	our

I and we are the subjective forms. Me and us are the objective forms. Mine and ours are the possessive forms. Note that they are different from the possessive adjectives my and our. Contrast the possessive pronoun mine in the sentence ‘the book is mine’ with the possessive adjectve my in the phrase ‘my book’.

The forms of the second person are the following:

	Singular	Plural
Subjective	you	you
Objective	you	you
Possessive	yours	yours
Possessive Adj.	your	your

Note that the subjective and objective forms are identical in the singular and plural forms. Note also that the possessive pronoun yours is different from the possessive adjective your. Contrast the possessive pronoun yours in the sentence ‘the dog is yours’ with the possessive adjective your in the phrase ‘your dog’.

The forms for the third person plural are the following:

	Singular	Plural
Subjective	he, she, it	they
Objective	him, her, it	them
Possessive	his, hers, its	theirs
Possessive Adj.	his, her, its	their

He, she, it and they are subjective; him, her, it and them are objective; and his, hers, its and theirs are possessive. Note that the possessive pronoun hers and theirs differ from the possessive adjectives her and their. Contrast the possessive pronoun theirs in the sentence ‘the choice is theirs’ with the possessive adjective their in the phrase ‘their choice’. The possessive pronouns his and its are look-a-like forms and identical to their adjectival forms his and its. Contrast the use of the possessive pronoun his in the sentence ‘the opportunity is his’ with the possessive adjective his in the phrase ‘his opportunity’. In the case of his and its, function allows you to determine which part of speech occurs.

Practice Identifying the Personal Pronoun and Adjectives in English. Pick out the personal pronouns and the personal possesssive adjectives. The excerpts are from Billie Holiday’s autobiography, Lady Sings the Blues (1956). Check your answers with those in the Answer Key.

1. You can be up to your boobies in white satin, with gardenias in your hair and no sugar cane for miles, but you can still be working on a plantation.
2. Imagine if the government chased sick people with diabetes, put a tax on insulin and drove it into the black market, told doctors they couldn’t treat them, and then caught them, prosecuted them for not paying their taxes, and then sent them to jail. If we did that, everyone would know we were crazy. Yet we do practically the same thing every day in the week to sick people hooked on drugs. The jails are full and the problem is getting worse every day.
3. You’ve got to have something to eat and a little love in your life before you can hold still for any damn body’s sermon on how to behave. Everything I am and everything I want out of life goes smack back to that.
4. If you think you need stuff to play your music or sing, you’re crazy. It can fix you so you can’t play nothing or sing nothing.
5. I hate straight singing. I have to change a tune to my own way of doing it. That’s all I know. I don’t think I ever sing the same way twice. The blues is sort of a mixed-up thing. You just have to feel it. Anything I do sing is part of my life.

The Greek Personal Pronoun

Memorize these forms of the personal pronoun.

ἐγώ I, ἡμεῖς we 1st Person (I, me, mine; we, us, ours)   S Pl N ἐγώ ἡμεῖς A ἐμέ, με ἡμᾶς G ἐμοῦ, μου ἡμῶν D ἐμοί, μοι ἡμῖν	σύ you, ὑμεῖς you 2nd Person (you, you, yours)   S Pl N σύ ὑμεῖς A σέ, σε ὑμᾶς G σοῦ, σου ὑμῶν D σοί, σοι ὑμῖν
1st Person (I, me, mine; we, us, ours)   S Pl N ἐγώ ἡμεῖς G ἐμοῦ, μου ἡμῶν D ἐμοί, μοι ἡμῖν A ἐμέ, με ἡμᾶς	2nd Person (you, you, yours)   S Pl N σύ ὑμεῖς G σοῦ, σου ὑμῶν D σοί, σοι ὑμῖν A σέ, σε ὑμᾶς
Possessive Adjectives: ἐμός, ἐμή, ἐμόν: my ἡμέτερος, ἡμετέρᾱ, ἡμέτερον: our	σός, σή, σόν: your (singular) ὑμέτερος, ὑμετέρᾱ, ὑμέτερον: your (plural)
αὐτός he, αὐτή she, αὐτό it 3rd Person (he, him, his; she, her, hers; it, it, its; they, them, theirs)
Singular M F N N αὐτός αὐτή αὐτό A αὐτόν αὐτήν αὐτό G αὐτοῦ αὐτῆς αὐτοῦ D αὐτῷ αὐτῇ αὐτῷ	Plural   M F N N αὐτοί αὐταί αὐτά A αὐτούς αὐτάς αὐτά G αὐτῶν αὐτῶν αὐτῶν D αὐτοῖς αὐταῖς αὐτοῖς
Singular M F N N αὐτός αὐτή αὐτό G αὐτοῦ αὐτῆς αὐτοῦ D αὐτῷ αὐτῇ αὐτῷ A αὐτόν αὐτήν αὐτό	Plural   M F N N αὐτοί αὐταί αὐτά G αὐτῶν αὐτῶν αὐτῶν D αὐτοῖς αὐταῖς αὐτοῖς A αὐτούς αὐτάς αὐτά

1. For more meanings of αὐτός, αὐτή, αὐτό, see Module 20.
2. In the predicate position or when standing alone in the nominative, it means –self: ὁ ἄνθρωπος αὐτός ὁράει, the man himself sees and αὐτὴ ὁράει, she herself sees.
3. In all cases except for the nominative and vocative, it functions as the third person pronoun, just as the pronouns he, she, it, they, do in English: αὐτοὺς εἶδον, I saw them.

σφεῖς they, σφέα they

3rd Person Plural (they, them, theirs)
	M/F	N
N	σφεῖς	σφέα, σφεα
A	σφέας, σφεας	σφέα, σφεα
G	σφέων, σφεων	σφέων, σφεων
D	σφίσι (ν), σφισι (ν)	σφίσι (ν), σφισι (ν)

3rd Person Plural Contracted Forms (they, them, theirs)
	M/F	N
N	σφεῖς	σφέα, σφεα
A	σφᾶς, σφας	σφέα, σφεα
G	σφῶν, σφων	σφῶν, σφων
D	σφίσι (ν), σφισι (ν)	σφίσι (ν), σφισι (ν)

3rd Person Plural (they, them, theirs)
	M/F	N
N	σφεῖς	σφέα, σφεα
G	σφέων, σφεων	σφέων, σφεων
D	σφίσι (ν), σφισι (ν)	σφίσι (ν), σφισι (ν)
A	σφέας, σφεας	σφέα, σφεα

3rd Person Plural Contracted Forms (they, them, theirs)
	M/F	N
N	σφεῖς	σφέα, σφεα
G	σφῶν, σφων	σφῶν, σφων
D	σφίσι (ν), σφισι (ν)	σφίσι (ν), σφισι (ν)
A	σφᾶς, σφας	σφέα, σφεα

1. The unaccented forms are enclitic. Enclitics are pronounced closely with the word that precedes them. Some common ones are the adverbs γε, ποθέν, ποι, ποτέ, που, πως, and τοι; the conjunction τε; the pronouns με, μοι, μου, σε, σοι σου, τι, and τις; and the verbs εἰμί, φημί. Enclitics sometimes have an accent and sometimes do not. They can also affect the accent of the word that precedes them. How they do is covered in Part II of the 21st-Century series.
2. For the third person plural pronoun Herodotos and writers of the Ionic dialect regularly use σφεῖς. In the Attic dialect, for the third person writers use the pronouns αὐτός, ὅδε, and οὗτος, presented in Module 20.

Possessive Adjectives:

σφέτερος, σφετέρᾱ, σφέτερον: their

Adjectives and Pronouns

Remember that adjectives agree in gender, case, and number with the nouns they modify. If no noun is present, supply the appropriate noun based upon the adjective’s gender and number or upon context. Adjectives that function as nouns are referred to as substantive adjectives. Pronouns take the place of nouns. Otherwise they function just as other Greek nouns do.

εἷς; οὐδείς; and μηδείς

These forms can be adjectives, modifying nouns, or they can be pronouns taking the place of nouns. Their function in a sentence determines their identity.

εἷς, μία, ἕν one   Singular M F N   N εἷς μία ἕν A ἕνα μίαν ἕνα G ἑνός μιᾶς ἑνός D ἑνί μιᾷ ἑνί
οὐδείς, οὐδεμία, οὐδέν no one, nothing   Singular   M F N N οὐδείς οὐδεμία οὐδέν A οὐδένα οὐδεμίαν οὐδέν G οὐδενός οὐδεμιᾶς οὐδενός D οὐδενί οὐδεμιᾷ οὐδενί	μηδείς, μηδεμία, μηδέν no one, nothing   Singular   M F N N μηδείς μηδεμία μηδέν A μηδένα μηδεμίαν μηδέν G μηδενός μηδεμιᾶς μηδενός D μηδενί μηδεμιᾷ μηδενί
εἷς, μία, ἕν one   Singular   M F N N εἷς μία ἕν G ἑνός μιᾶς ἑνός D ἑνί μιᾷ ἑνί A ἕνα μίαν ἕνα
οὐδείς, οὐδεμία, οὐδέν no one, nothing   Singular   M F N N οὐδείς οὐδεμία οὐδέν G οὐδενός οὐδεμιᾶς οὐδενός D οὐδενί οὐδεμιᾷ οὐδενί A οὐδένα οὐδεμίαν οὐδέν	μηδείς, μηδεμία, μηδέν no one, nothing   Singular   M F N N μηδείς μηδεμία μηδέν G μηδενός μηδεμιᾶς μηδενός D μηδενί μηδεμιᾷ μηδενί A μηδένα μηδεμίαν μηδέν

1. Like μή and οὐ, οὐδείς, οὐδεμία, οὐδέν and μηδείς, μηδεμία, μηδέν mean the same thing: no one, nothing. It is generally the case that οὐδείς, οὐδεμία, οὐδέν is found in factual situations and μηδείς, μηδεμία, μηδέν in hypothetical ones.

Practice Translating Personal Pronouns and Adjectives. Practice translating this slightly adapted poem of Sappho. Note that in the below the noun, pronoun, and adjective endings are not marked and will not be in subsequent modules. Use your memory to identify endings and their meanings. If you forget, consult the Adjective, Adverb, Noun, and Pronoun Chart in Appendix VIII and the Case and Function Chart in Appendix I. Check your understanding with the translations in the Answer Key, making sure that you understand why each word translates as it does. Now go back and read each sentence two or three times, noticing with each rereading how much better your understanding of the sentence becomes. Make this a habit and you will improve quickly.

1. ἐγὼ λέγω πρὸς σέ. (ἐγὼ λέγω σοί.)
2. ὦ Αφροδίτη, παῖ Δίος, λίσσομαί σε.
3. οὐ σὲ δεῖ ἄσαις μοὶ δαμνάειν θυμόν.
4. σὺ τὰς ἔμας αὔδας κλύεις;
5. πάτρος δὲ δόμον λείπεις καὶ εἰς μὲ ἔρχῃ;
6. σὲ κάλοι δέ ἄγουσιν στροῦθοι.
7. σὺ δ᾿, ὦ Αφροδίτη, μειδιάεις ἀθανάτῳ προσώπῳ;
8. ἔρῃ τί δηὖτε κάλημμί σε;
9. ἔρῃ ὅτι μοι μάλιστα θέλω γένεσθαι θυμῷ;
10. ἔρῃ τίνα δηὖτε πείθω ἄψ σε ἄγειν ἐς φιλότητα;
11. τίς σε, ὦ Ψάπφ᾿, ἀδικέει;
12. καὶ γὰρ εἰ φεύγει, κελεύω αὐτὴν ταχέως διώκειν.
13. εἰ δὲ δῶρα μὴ δέχεται ἐκ σοῦ, ἀλλὰ ἐγὼ κελεύω αὐτῇ διδόναι σοί.
14. εἰ δὲ μὴ φιλέει, ἐγὼ κελεύω αὐτὴν ταχέως φιλέειν καὶ εἰ μὴ ἐθέλει.
15. ἐμὲ δεῖ χαλεπῶν λύειν ἐκ μερίμνων.
16. ὅτι δέ μοι τελέειν θυμὸς ἱμείρει, βούλομαί σε τελέειν.
17. σὺ δὲ σύμμαχος ἐμὸς εἶ.

Vocabulary

*ἄγω, ἄξω do, drive, lead	ἱμείρω long for, yearn for, desire
*ἀδικέω, ἀδικήσω be unjust, do wrong	κάλημμι call
ἀθάνατος, ἀθάνατον immortal, undying	*καλός, καλή, καλόν beautiful, good, noble
ἄση, ἄσης ἡ distress, nausea; longing, desire	*κελεύω, κελεύσω bid, order, command
αὐδή, αὐδῆς ἡ voice, speech; song	κλύω hear, give ear to, attend to
αὐτή, αὐτῆς ἡ she, her, hers	*λέγω, λέξω or ἐρέω say, tell, speak
Ἀφροδίτη, Ἀφροδίτης ἡ Aphrodite, goddess of love	λείπω, λείψω leave
ἄψ back	λίσσομαι beg
*βούλομαι, βουλήσομαι want, prefer; wish, be willing	λύω, λύσω loose, free, destroy
*γίγνομαι, γενήσομαι be, be born	μειδιάω smile
δαμνάω tame, conquer, subdue	μέριμνα, μερίμνης ἡ care, thought
*δεῖ it is necessary + ‘x’ in gen. or dat. or acc. + inf., δεῖ ἐλθεῖν it is necessary to come	ὅτι, ὅτινος τό what, whatever
δέχομαι, δέξομαι receive; meet; accept	*παῖς, παιδός ἡ ὁ child
δηὖτε = δὴ αὖτε again	*πατήρ, πατρός ὁ father
*δίδωμι, δώσω give	*πείθω, πείσω persuade + inf.; (mid. or pass.) listen to, obey + dat. or gen.
διώκω, διώξω chase	πρόσωπον, προσώπου τό face, mask, person
δόμος, δόμου ὁ house	στρουθός, στρουθοῦ ὁ ἡ sparrow
δῶρον, δώρου τό gift	σύμμαχος, συμμάχου ὁ ally
*ἐθέλω (θέλω), ἐθελήσω (θελήσω) wish, be willing	ταχέως quickly, soon
*ἔμαι, ἔμων my	τελέω, τελέσω fulfill, accomplish
*ἐμός, ἐμοῦ my	*φεύγω, φεύξομαι flee
*ἔρομαι, ἐρήσομαι ask	φιλέω, φιλήσω love
*ἔρχομαι, ἐλεύσομαι come, go	φιλότης, φιλότητος ἡ friendship, love, affection
*Ζεύς, Διός ὁ Zeus	χαλεπός, χαλεπή, χαλεπόν difficult, harsh
*θέλω, θελήσω wish, be willing	Ψάπφω, Ψάπφους ἡ Sappho, a famous poet from Lesbos c. 630 B.C.E.
θυμός, θυμοῦ ὁ soul, spirit; passion, heart, will, desire

1. The asterisk indicates the top 250 most frequently occurring vocabulary, which you are to memorize.

The Dative and Accusative of Respect

To state the respect in which a statement is true, you use the dative or accusative case without a preposition. Consider these two examples:

1. πόδας ὠκὺς Ἀχιλλεύς,

   Achilleus, swift in respect to his feet;

   or

   swift-footed Achilleus;

2. νοῦν ὠκὺς Ὅμηρος,

   Homer, swift in respect to his mind;

   or

   Homer of the swift mind.

Note that both πόδας foot and νοῦν mind are in the accusative case. This function of the accusative we call an accusative of respect. These nouns can also be in the dative case:

1. πόσιν ὠκὺς Ἀχιλλεύς,

   Achilleus, swift in respect to his feet;

   or

   swift-footed Achilleus;

2. νόῳ ὠκὺς Ὅμηρος,

   Homer, swift in respect to his mind;

   or

   Homer of the swift mind.

Note that there is no difference in meaning.

Practice Translating the Dative and Accusative of Respect. Translate and check your understanding with the answers below.

1. ὁ βασιλεὺς ἀρετῇ καλός.
2. ἡ γραῦς ψυχὴν νέα.
3. ἡ γυνὴ νοῦν καὶ σῶμα ἰσχυρά.
4. τίς νῷ καὶ σώματι ἰσχυρός;
5. νοῦν καὶ σῶμά τις ἰσχυρός;

Translations.

1. The king is good in virtue.
2. The old lady is young in spirit.
3. The woman is strong in mind and body.
4. Who is strong in mind and body?
5. Is anyone strong in mind and body?

Time Expressions

Duration of Time. We already have seen that duration of time and extent of space in Greek are expressed by the accusative case typically without a preposition: for five days = πέντε ἡμέρας; for five stades = πέντε στάδια.

Time When. To express time when, use the dative case typically without a preposition: on the next day = τῇ ὑστεραίᾳ ἡμέρᾳ. Often the noun ἡμέρᾳ is omitted because it is implied. And so τῇ ὑστεραίᾳ by itself can mean on the next day.

Time Within Which. To express time within which, use the genitive case typically without a preposition: within five days = πέντε ἡμερῶν.

Practice Translating Time Phrases. Translate the below into ancient Greek and check your understanding with the answers below.

1. for five days	2. within one day	3. on the fifth day
Answers:
1. πέντε ἡμέρας	2. μιᾶς ἡμέρας	3. τῇ πέμπτῃ ἡμέρᾳ

Black Humor and Euripides’ Alkestis

Black humor is the comic treatment of material that is serious—cruelty, death, genocide, murder, rape, torture—to create meaning. Like the Blues and life, black humor is a mixed-up thing. In his modest proposal Jonathan Swift uses black humor to fight against inequity, injustice, and prejudice. In The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien argues that the brutality of war necessitates a black comic response. Barack Obama argues that calamities require us to respond with calm and optimism, a sense of humor, and sometimes gallows humor. Flannery O’Connor writes that everything funny she has written is more terrible than it is funny, or only funny because it is terrible, or only terrible because it is funny. In doing so she is inextricably linking horror with humor, just as pain and pleasure are linked. Euripides also links the two in his comic tragedies and does so to a great extent in his play the Alkestis, Ἄλκηστις, which was performed in the position of the satyr play, typically defined by its bawdy, comic, and ribald features. Though Euripides’ Alkestis lacks the sexual humor of the satyr play, it maintains a steady black comic gaze on the tragedy of death, greed, and selfishness.

Practice Translating. Translate the sentences below adapted from Euripides’ Alkestis (Ἄλκηστις). Remember the meanings and functions of the cases presented in Module 7. Use your memory to identify endings and their functions. Check your understanding with the translations in the Answer Key, making sure that you understand why each word translates as it does. Now go back and read each sentence two or three times, noticing with each rereading how much better your understanding of the sentence becomes. Make this a habit and you will improve quickly.

Note that in the below the noun, pronoun, and adjective endings are not marked and will not be in subsequent modules. Use your memory to identify endings and their meanings. If you forget, consult the Adjective, Adverb, Noun, and Pronoun Chart in Appendix VIII and the Case and Function Chart in Appendix I.

	Θάνατος: ἡ δὲ ὑφίσταται πόσιν ἐκλύειν καὶ προθανεῖν, Πελίου παῖς. καίτοι νῦν δὲ σὺ φρουρεῖς;
	Ἀπόλλων: δεῖ σοὶ θαρσεῖν· δίκην σοι καὶ λόγους κεδνοὺς ἔχω.
	Θάνατος: τί δῆτα τόξων ἔργον, εἰ δίκην ἔχεις;
	Ἀπόλλων: σύνηθες αἰεὶ ταῦτα βαστάζειν ἐμοί.
5	Θάνατος: καὶ σύνηθες αἰεὶ τοῖσδέ γ’ οἴκοις ἐκδίκως προσωφελεῖν σοί.
	Ἀπόλλων: ἐμὲ φίλου γὰρ ἀνδρὸς συμφοραὶ βαρύνουσιν.
	Θάνατος: καὶ νοσφιεῖς με δευτέρου νεκροῦ;
	Ἀπόλλων: ἀλλὰ τότε οὐδ’ ἐκεῖνον πρὸς βίαν ἀφαιρῶ σέ.
	Θάνατος: πῶς οὖν ὑπὲρ γῆς ἐστι κοὐ* κάτω χθονός; (*καὶ οὐ)
10	Ἀπόλλων: ὁ δὲ δάμαρτ’ ἀμείβει· αὐτὴν σὺ νῦν ἥκεις μέτα.
	Θάνατος: αὐτὴν ἀπάξομαί γε νερτέραν ὑπὸ χθόνα.
	Ἀπόλλων: αὐτὴν δεῖ σοὶ λαβεῖν καὶ ἰέναι· οὐ γὰρ ἔχω πείθειν σέ.
	Θάνατος: βούλῃ ἐμὲ μὴ κτείνειν αὐτοὺς δεῖ; καίτοι τοῦτο ἐμοὶ ἔργον.
	Ἀπόλλων: οὔκ, ἀλλὰ πείθειν σὲ τοῖς μέλλουσι θάνατον ἀμβαλέειν.
15	Θάνατος: ἔχω λόγον δὴ καὶ προθυμίαν σοῦ.

Adverbs, Conjunctions, and Verbs

ἀμβάλλω, ἀμβαλέω throw up, strike up, delay	*ἥκω, ἥξω have come, be present
ἀμείβω, ἀμείψω answer; change, exchange	θαρσέω (θαρρέω), θαρσήσω be bold, take courage; have courage against
ἀπάγω, ἀπάξω lead away; carry off	*ἰέναι to go
ἀφαιρέω, ἀφαιρήσω take from; take ‘x’ in acc. away from ‘y’ in acc.	καίτοι and indeed, and further, and yet
βαρύνω, βαρυνέω weigh down; oppress; depress; weary	κάτω below + gen.
βαστάζω, βαστάσω lift, raise; carry	κτείνω, κτενέω kill
*βούλομαι, βουλήσομαι want, prefer; wish, be willing	*λαβεῖν to take
*δεῖ it is necessary + ‘x’ in gen. or dat. or acc. + inf., δεῖ ἐλθεῖν it is necessary to come	νοσφίζω, νοσφιέω turn away, shrink from; deprive ‘x’ in acc. of ‘y’ in gen.
δῆτα certainly, of course	*πείθω, πείσω persuade + inf.; (mid. or pass.) listen to, obey + dat. or gen.
*εἰμί, ἔσομαι be, be possible	προθανεῖν to die, to die instead of
ἐκδίκως unjustly	προσωφελέω, -ωφελήσω help, assist + dat. or acc.
ἐκλύω, ἐκλύσω loose, release, set free	*τί why
*ἔστι (ν) it is possible	ὑφίστημι, ὑποστήσω place under; (mid.) submit, promise
*ἔχω, ἕξω or σχήσω have, hold; be able + inf.; καλῶς ἔχειν to be well	φρουρέω, φρουρήσω keep watch, guard

Adjectives, Nouns, Pronouns

Νοminative	Genitive	Dative	Accusative	English Equivalent
Ἄλκηστις	Ἀλκήστιδος	Ἀλκήστιδι	Ἄλκηστιν	Alkestis
*ἀνήρ	ἀνδρός	ἀνδρί	ἄνδρα	man, husband
*αὐτή	αὐτῆς	αὐτῇ	αὐτήν	she, her, hers
*αὐτοί	αὐτῶν	αὐτοῖς	αὐτούς	they, them, theirs
βία	βίας	βίᾳ	βίαν	strength, force, power, might
*γῆ	γῆς	γῇ	γῆν	land, earth
δάμαρ	δάμαρτος	δάμαρτι	δάμαρτα	wife, spouse
δεύτερος	δευτέρου	δευτέρῳ	δεύτερον	second, next, later
*δίκη	δίκης	δίκῃ	δίκην	justice, penalty
*ἐκεῖνος	ἐκείνου	ἐκείνῳ	ἐκεῖνον	he, him, his
*ἔργον	ἔργου	ἔργῳ	ἔργον	deed, task
θάνατος	θανάτου	θανάτῳ	θάνατον	death
κεδνοί	κεδνῶν	κεδνοῖς	κεδνούς	careful, diligent, sage, trusty
*λόγος	λόγου	λόγῳ	λόγον	word, story
νεκρός	νεκροῦ	νεκρῷ	νεκρόν	corpse
νερτέρα	νερτέρας	νερτέρᾳ	νερτέραν	lower, nether
οἴκοι	οἴκων	οἴκοις	οἴκους	houses
οἱ μέλλοντες	τῶν -όντων	τοῖς -ουσι (ν)	τοὺς -οντας	those likely
*παῖς	παιδός	παιδί	παῖδα	child
Πελίος	Πελίου	Πελίῳ	Πελίον	Pelios
πόσις	πόσιος	πόσει	πόσιν	husband, spouse
προθυμία	προθυμίας	προθυμίᾳ	προθυμίαν	readiness, willingness, eagerness, zeal
συμφοραί	συμφορῶν	συμφοραῖς	συμφοράς	misfortunes
σύνηθες	συνήθεος (-ους)	συνήθει	σύνηθες	living together; customary
*ταῦτα	τούτων	τούτοις	ταῦτα	these things
*τοῦτο	τούτου	τούτῳ	τοῦτο	this thing
τοῖς μέλλουσι see οἱ μέλλοντες those likely
τόξα	τόξων	τόξοις	τόξα	bow, bow and arrows
*φίλος	φίλου	φίλῳ	φίλον	friend
χθών	χθονός	χθονί	χθόνα	earth, ground
*ψυχή	ψυχῆς	ψυχῇ	ψυχήν	soul

1. The asterisk indicates the top 250 most frequently occurring vocabulary, which you are to memorize.

Practice Parsing Greek Sentences. Parse each word of the sentences found below. For nouns and pronouns, give the case and function. For verbs, give the person, number, tense, mood, and voice. For adverbs and conjunctions, identify them. For prepositional phrases, give the preposition and the preposition’s object. For adjectives, specify the noun they agree with in gender, number, and case.

πάτρος δὲ δόμον λείπεις καὶ εἰς μὲ ἔρχῃ;

βούλῃ ἐμὲ μὴ κτείνειν αὐτοὺς δεῖ; καίτοι τοῦτο ἐμοὶ ἔργον.

Check your answers with those in the Answer Key.

Module 18 Top 250 Vocabulary to be Memorized. Like learning the alphabet and endings, memorizing vocabulary is essential to acquiring language. The better you memorize the top 250 most frequently occurring vocabulary words, the greater mastery of the language you will have.

Adjectives, Nouns, Pronouns

ἀδελφός, ἀδελφοῦ ὁ brother

ἑαυτοῦ, ἑαυτῆς, ἑαυτοῦ himself, herself, itself

ἐγώ, ἐμοῦ or μου I, me, mine

εἷς, μία, ἕν; ἑνός, μιᾶς, ἑνός one

μηδείς, μηδεμία, μηδέν; μηδένος, μηδεμιᾶς, μηδένος (mostly found in hypothetical contexts) no one, nothing

οὐδείς, οὐδεμία, οὐδέν; οὐδένος, οὐδεμιᾶς, οὐδένος (mostly found in factual contexts) no one, nothing

σύ, σοῦ or σου you, you, yours

σφεῖς, σφέα; σφέων (σφῶν), σφέων (σφῶν) they, them, theirs

Etymology Corner XVIII by Dr. E. Del Chrol

Technical Terms 14, Parts of Speech

Nouns, Pronouns, and Cases, cont. The dative is easier, as datum means a thing given (the plural of this is data, or the things given back from the experiment), and datives deal for a large part with indirect objects, the person to or for whom a thing is given or an action done. In Greek the case is called the δοτικὴ πτῶσις, a case that indicates that something is given to or for someone.

The accusative looks for good reason like our word accuse, and means something like the thing caused, here the direct object of a transitive verb. In Greek the case is called the αἰτιατικὴ πτῶσις, a case that indicates the thing caused by the verb

The vocative, used for addressing someone, comes from the Latin verb vocare to call. So when you call out someone’s name, put it in the calling case. In Greek κλητικὴ πτῶσις also means the calling case.

When looking at a noun’s gender, we see a Latin transliteration, genus, of a Greek term γένος, which was used in ancient scientific texts to mark off different types and species, not just male and female. Our word genre comes from the same root and the same impulse, though today that’s used mostly for distinguishing different types of literature and entertainment, as well as our word generic meaning something that belongs to a particular class or type.

We have discussed already the meaning of pronoun. In Modules 14 and 22, we learn two subtypes of pronoun, the interrogative and relative pronouns.

• If you are a fan of police procedurals, or have a nosy parent, you already are familiar with the English word interrogation. Rogare in Latin means to ask, so an interrogative pronoun sets up a question.
• A relative is a type of pronoun that carries back (-lat- is the perfect passive stem of ferre, to carry, and refer is etymologically related to relate) to an antecedent.

What to Study and Do 18. Before moving on to the next module, make sure that you understand the definition and function of a personal pronoun and personal adjective. Also memorize the pronouns this module introduces. In subsequent modules they are not glossed. Finally make sure that you understand the temporal functions of the genitive, dative, and accusative cases, and the dative and accusative of respect.

Learning Tip 18: Use Language as One Way to Understand Your World. Think about grammar as a conceptual system that enables us to understand how language works. Our current world has about 7000 languages. About half are in danger of disappearing and every two weeks one becomes extinct. We are moving toward less diversity in the languages we speak and toward a more global culture with fewer nation states. Though ancient Greek is dead (no longer actively spoken by a culture), we classicists keep it alive by using it as a means for exploring today’s world and our place in it. Intense study of any subject enables similar explorations. The study of ancient Greek language and culture are the classicist’s way of doing so. Non-word-based languages also exist. Expressions, gestures, mathematics, memes, music, and painting are other languages with different grammatical structures. We employ these conceptual systems to think about what is real and meaningful and what is fake and superficial in the environments we inhabit.