Nominative and accusative
Subject or object? Greek shows it through the noun and its article. The key rule: the masculine drops its -ς.
What cases do
The nominative names the subject — who acts. The accusative marks the object — who receives the action. Because of cases, word order stays free: Ο Νίκος βλέπει τον Γιάννη says who sees whom, whatever the order.
Complete: Βλέπω ___ φίλο.
What cases do
The nominative names the subject — who acts. The accusative marks the object — who receives the action. Because of cases, word order stays free: Ο Νίκος βλέπει τον Γιάννη says who sees whom, whatever the order.
- Ο σκύλος βλέπει τη γάτα.The dog sees the cat.
- Ο Νίκος βλέπει τον Γιάννη.Nikos sees Yannis.
- Η Μαρία θέλει έναν καφέ.Maria wants a coffee.
The masculine drops its -ς
One rule covers every masculine: the nominative ends in -ς, the accusative drops it, and the article becomes τον. The feminine keeps its form (the article becomes την/τη); the neuter never changes at all.
- Βλέπω τον φίλο μου.I see my friend.
- Περιμένω τον πατέρα μου.I’m waiting for my father.
- Ξέρω τη μητέρα σου.I know your mother.
- Διαβάζω το βιβλίο.I’m reading the book.
| γένος | ονομαστική | αιτιατική |
|---|---|---|
| αρσενικό | ο φίλος | τον φίλο |
| αρσενικό | ο μαθητής | τον μαθητή |
| θηλυκό | η μητέρα | τη μητέρα |
| ουδέτερο | το βιβλίο | το βιβλίο |
τον, την… or τη? The final -ν
την keeps its -ν before a vowel or κ, π, τ, ξ, ψ (and μπ, ντ, γκ, τσ, τζ): την πόλη, τη θάλασσα. For masculine τον, modern usage keeps it almost always — keeping it is never wrong.
- Βλέπω την Άννα.I see Anna.
- Ακούω τη μουσική.I’m listening to the music.
After με, σε, για, από
The everyday prepositions take the accusative. σε merges with the article: σε + τον → στον, σε + την → στην, σε + το → στο.
- Πάω στο σχολείο.I go to school.
- Ένα δώρο για τον Νίκο.A present for Nikos.
Your turn
Put the noun phrase into the accusative.
Често задавани въпроси
What is the difference between nominative and accusative in Greek?
The nominative names the subject, the accusative the object: «Ο Νίκος βλέπει τον Γιάννη» (Nikos sees Yannis). Because the cases show who does what, the word order can move without changing the meaning.
What happens to a masculine noun when it becomes the object?
It drops its «-ς» and the article becomes «τον»: «ο φίλος» gives «Βλέπω τον φίλο μου» (I see my friend). Feminines keep their form («την/τη»), and neuters never change at all.
Which case follows the prepositions «με», «σε», «για», «από»?
Always the accusative: «Πάω στο σχολείο» (I'm going to school), «Ένα δώρο για τον Νίκο» (a present for Nikos), «Καφές με γάλα» (coffee with milk). And «σε» merges with the article: «σε» + «το» gives «στο».