LingoflyThe article of three genders: ο, η, το
A Greek noun almost always walks with a little word in front of it: ο, η or το (to). Three genders, and this word says which one outright. For example: “ο καφές” (kafés) — coffee (masculine). A rule from the Greek course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
A Greek noun almost always walks with a little word in front of it: ο (o), η (i) or το (to). Three genders, and this word says which one outright.
Learning a word without it is wasted work. The gender does not follow from the meaning, and hardly ever from the ending. So learn the pair — ο δρόμος (o drómos), never δρόμος (drómos) on its own.
Greek also puts it where English drops "the": before first names, η Άννα (Ána) (i Ána), and before countries, η Ελλάδα (Eláda) (i Eláda). It stays even next to "my": το (to) σπίτι (spíti) μου (mu) (to spíti mu) is "my house".
Table
By example
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
The article of three genders: how does it work in Greek?
A Greek noun almost always walks with a little word in front of it: ο, η or το (to). Three genders, and this word says which one outright.
What does it look like in a Greek example sentence?
“ο καφές” (kafés) (o kafés) — coffee (masculine). A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.