Koine Greek/5. Declining 1st and 2nd Declension Nouns

Grammar

Second Declension

Second declension nouns and adjectives end in -ο, and their declension follows the pattern given below. To decline a second-declension noun, we take the ending in the table and add it to the stem (which always ends in -ο). If a vowel is underlined, then we replace the ο in the stem with that vowel.

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	ς	ι
Genitive	υ	ων
Dative	ῳ	ις
Accusative	ν	υς
Vocative	ε	ι

When we give a noun, we typically give the singular nominative form of the noun, as well as the ending for the singular genitive case.

Example: Here is the declension chart for the noun κύριος, -υ, which means "lord"

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	κύριος	κύριοι
Genitive	κύριου	κύριων
Dative	κύριῳ	κύριοις
Accusative	κύριον	κύριους
Vocative	κύριε	κύριοι

Here is the declension chart for second declension neuter nouns:

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	ν	α
Genitive	υ	ων
Dative	ῳ	ις
Accusative	ν	α
Vocative	ν	α

Example: Here is the declension chart for the noun τέκνον, -υ, which means "child".

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	τέκνον	τέκνα
Genitive	τέκνου	τέκνων
Dative	τέκνῳ	τέκνοις
Accusative	τέκνον	τέκνα
Vocative	τέκνον	τέκνα

Most second declension nouns are either masculine or neuter, although there are feminine second declension nouns as well.

First Declension

First declension nouns end with α or η, and are typically feminine (although there are masculine ones as well). They fall under two slightly different patterns that differ only in the singular genitive and dative.

Pattern 1 (at *, we add an ι-improper diphthong to the vowel: α -> ᾳ, η -> ῃ)

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	-	αι
Genitive	ς	ων
Dative	*	αις
Accusative	ν	ας
Vocative	-	αι

Example: καρδία, -ας (Heart)

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	καρδία	καρδίαι
Genitive	καρδίας	καρδίων
Dative	καρδίᾳ	καρδίαις
Accusative	καρδίαν	καρδίας
Vocative	καρδία	καρδίαι

Example: φωνή, -ής (Voice)

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	φωνή	φωναί
Genitive	φωνής	φωνών
Dative	φωνῄ	φωναίς
Accusative	φωνήν	φωνάς
Vocative	φωνή	φωναί

Pattern 2: Virtually identical, except we change α to η in the singular genitive and dative cases.

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	-	αι
Genitive	ης	ων
Dative	ῃ	αις
Accusative	ν	ας
Vocative	-	αι

Example: δόξα, -ης (Glory)

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	δόξα	δόξαι
Genitive	δόξης	δόξων
Dative	δόξῃ	δόξαις
Accusative	δόξαν	δόξας
Vocative	δόξα	δόξαι

Grand patterns

1. The genitive plural of all declensions in Greek (all nouns, pronouns, adjectives, verb participles, basically anything that can decline) end in ων.
2. The accusative and nominative of all neuter declensions in Greek are the same.
3. In all declensions, the dative case contains an ι, perhaps as an improper diphthong.

Vocabulary

Second Declension Masculine

• ἄγγελος, -ου: angel, messenger
• ἀδελφός, -ου: brother (Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love)
• ἄνθρωπος, -ου: man (anthropology, the study of humankind)
• θεός, -ου: god (theology, the study of the divine)
• κόσμος, -ου: world (cosmology, the study of the universe; cosmopolitan, worldly)
• κύριος, -ου: lord (kyrie eleison, "Lord have mercy", the beginning of the Mass)
• λόγος, -ου: that which is said, or thought. Translated as word, but has deep meanings in philosophy (-logy, the study of -; logic)
• νόμος, -ου: law (astronomy, the law of the stars)
• οὐρανός, -ου: heaven (Uranus, the Greek god of the sky)
• υἱός, -ου: son
• ἀπόστολος, -ου: apostle, literally, one that is sent
• διδάσκαλος, -ου: teacher (didactic, intending to teach)

Second Declension Neuter

• ἔργον, -ου: work, deed (ergonomics)
• ἱερόν, -οῦ: temple (hierarchy, from ranking of angles, which derives from rule of the high priest)
• πρόσωπον, -ου: face
• τέκνον, -ου: child

First Declension Feminine

• ἀλήθεια, -ας: truth
• ἁμαρτία, -ας: sin (hamartiology)
• βασιλεία, -ας: kingdom (basilica)
• ἡμέρα, -ας: day (ephemeral)
• καρδία, -ας: heart (cardiology)
• χαρά, -ας: grace (charity)

• γλῶσσα, -ης: tongue (glossary, polyglot)
• δόξα, -ης: glory (doxology)
• θάλασσα, -ης: sea (thalassic)
• ἀγάπη, -ης: love (agape)
• γῆ, -ῆς: earth, land, soil (geology)
• ζωή, -ῆς: life (zoology) .
• φωνή, -ῆς: sound, voice (telephone)
• ψυχή, -ῆς: soul (psychology)