How Adjectives Work in the Greek Language
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When you’re first starting out speaking Greek, chances are pretty good that your sentences will be fairly basic. You can only do basic things, such as order food at a restaurant or pay for your purchases when you shop. You can likely carry on only simple conversations with other Greek speakers. Sentences should also be pretty simple, since understanding of grammar will be fairly basic.
Adjectives are a key part of any sentence, and it is worth learning all about them in order to take your understanding of Greek to the next level. The following is more information bout how adjectives work in the Greek language:
Definition of Adjectives
According to Webster’s Dictionary, adjectives are, “a word belonging to one of the major form classes in any of numerous languages and typically serving as a modifier of a noun to denote a quality of the thing named, to indicate its quantity or extent, or to specify a thing as distinct from something else.” There are also specific grammatical rules associated with adjectives.
They are used to modify nouns, and they also have to agree in number, case, and gender to the nouns that they modify. This is true both in the English language and also the Greek language. If the noun is feminine and in the accusative case, the adjective should also be feminine and be in the accusative case.
Adjectives in Greek
Getting a feel for adjectives in the Greek language takes practice. While you should initially study the grammar and memorize some of the right endings, having experience with the Greek language will make these concepts second nature. Here are some examples so you can see exactly what we are talking about. In each of the examples, the adjectives in Greek will be boldfaced:
Masculine
- ο καλός άνθρωπος – o kalos anthropos – the good man
- οι καλοί άνθρωποι – i kali anthropi – the good men
Feminine
- η καλή γυναίκα – i kali yineka – the good woman
- οι καλές γυναίκες – i kales yinekes – the good women
Neuter
- το καλό παιδί – to kalo pethi – the good child
- τα καλά παιδιά – ta kala pethia – the good children
If you want to learn more about adjectives in the Greek language, it is a good idea to consult with a more comprehensive Greek grammar book or to take Greek lessons with a qualified instructor.
The Learn Greek section on GreekBoston.com was written by Greeks to help people understand the conversational basics of the Greek language. This article is not a substitute for a professional Greek learning program, but a helpful resource for people wanting to learn simple communication in Greek.
Categorized in: Learn How to Speak Basic Greek
This post was written by Greek Boston
