Four cases, and three of them do the work
A Greek word has four shapes left, and three of them do the daily work. There is no separate shape for "to whom": the little word σε took that job over. For example: “Ο φίλος μου είναι εδώ” — My friend is here. A rule from the Greek course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
A Greek word has four shapes left, and three of them do the daily work. There is no separate shape for "to whom": the little word σε (se) took that job over.
The word for "the" changes along with the noun, and it gives the shape away first. ο φίλος (o fílos) — a friend does something. του φίλου (tu fílu) — of a friend. τον φίλο (ton fílo) — a friend gets acted on.
English keeps a trace of this in I/me and he/him, and leaves the rest to word order and prepositions. Greek folds those jobs into endings.
Two things to hold on to. The "whose" shape also means "to whom": του λέω (tu léo) — I tell him, το σπίτι του (to spíti tu) — his house. And στην Αθήνα (stin Athína) is both "to Athens" and "in Athens" — the verb decides.
Table
| question | masculine | feminine | neuter |
|---|---|---|---|
| who, what | ο φίλος | η πόλη | το παιδί |
| whose, of what | του φίλου | της πόλης | του παιδιού |
| whom, what | τον φίλο | την πόλη | το παιδί |
By example
- Ο φίλος μου είναι εδώo fílos mu íne edóMy friend is here
- Το σπίτι του φίλουto spíti tu fíluThe friend's house
- Βλέπω τον φίλοvlépo ton fíloI see the friend
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
Four cases, and three of them do the work: how does it work in Greek?
A Greek word has four shapes left, and three of them do the daily work. There is no separate shape for "to whom": the little word σε took that job over.
What does it look like in an example sentence Greek?
“Ο φίλος μου είναι εδώ” (o fílos mu íne edó) — My friend is here. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.