The First Declension
Observe the following Greek nouns, divided into three groups:
1. ἀλήθεια, ἁμαρτία, ἡμέρα, καρδία – words ending in alpha, where the penultimate letter is a vowel or rho (ρ).
2. δόξα, θάλασσα – words ending in alpha, where the penultimate letter is a consonant (except rho - ρ).
3. ἀγάπη, γῆ, φωνή, ψυχή – words ending in eta.
Just as the second declension is characterized by the presence of omicron in the ending (θεός, ἄνθρωπος, λόγος), the first declension is characterized by the presence of alpha or eta.
1. Pure Alpha Pattern: καρδία (heart)
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | καρδία | καρδίαι |
| Genitive | καρδίας | καρδιῶν |
| Dative | καρδίᾳ | καρδίαις |
| Accusative | καρδίαν | καρδίας |
Notice that all singular endings are in alpha, except for the genitive plural form (-ῶν), which for all words of the first declension receives a circumflex accent on the final syllable.
2. Impure (Hybrid) Alpha Pattern: δόξα (glory)
When a word ends in alpha preceded by a consonant (except ρ), in the singular the nominative and accusative retain the alpha, but the genitive and dative change to eta:
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | δόξα | δόξαι |
| Genitive | δόξης | δοξῶν |
| Dative | δόξῃ | δόξαις |
| Accusative | δόξαν | δόξας |
3. Eta Pattern: δικαιοσύνη (righteousness)
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | δικαιοσύνη | δικαιοσύναι |
| Genitive | δικαιοσύνης | δικαιοσυνῶν |
| Dative | δικαιοσύνῃ | δικαιοσύναις |
| Accusative | δικαιοσύνην | δικαιοσύνας |
Masculine Nouns of the First Declension
There are some masculine nouns that follow the first declension in the eta pattern, but with a difference in the form of the nominative singular (ending in -ης) and the genitive singular (ending in -ου). See the pattern of μαθητής, ὁ (disciple, student) and προφήτης, ὁ (prophet):
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | μαθητής | μαθηταί |
| Genitive | μαθητοῦ | μαθητῶν |
| Dative | μαθητῇ | μαθηταῖς |
| Accusative | μαθητήν | μαθητάς |
The gender of a Greek noun is not identified solely by its ending, but by its article expressed in dictionaries and vocabularies. E.g.: μαθητής (-οῦ), ὁ = disciple (masculine).
Vocabulary
Vocabulário do Capítulo
- ἀγάπη (ἀγάπης), ἡ: love
- ἀλήθεια (ἀληθείας), ἡ: truth
- ἁμαρτία (ἁμαρτίας), ἡ: sin
- γῆ (γῆς), ἡ: earth, land
- δόξα (δόξης), ἡ: glory
- ἡμέρα (ἡμέρας), ἡ: day
- καρδία (καρδίας), ἡ: heart
- μαθητής (μαθητοῦ), ὁ: disciple
- φωνή (φωνῆς), ἡ: sound, voice
- ψυχή (ψυχῆς), ἡ: soul, life
- γεννάω: (I) beget, give birth to
- θέλω: I wish, want
ὁ Χριστὸς ἠγάπησεν τὴν ἐκκλησίαν
(Christ loved the church — Ephesians 5:25)