LingoflyOne shape, many jobs: του πατέρα
The "of" shape does more work in Greek than English asks of "of", and its jobs are worth having as a list. The shape itself is one. For example: “Το (to) σπίτι (spíti) του (tu) πατέρα μου (mu) είναι (íne) στο (sto) χωριό” (khorió) — My father's house is in the village. A rule from the Greek course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
The "of" shape does more work in Greek than English asks of "of", and its jobs are worth having as a list. The shape itself is one.
Whose: το (to) σπίτι (spíti) του (tu) πατέρα (to spíti tu patéra), η γιορτή (i yortí) της (tis) οικογένειας (i yortí tis ikoyénias) — the main job and the commonest. Made of what: ένα (éna) μπουκέτο (bukéto) λουλουδιών, a bouquet of flowers. When: του (tu) χρόνου (khrónu) (tu khrónu) — next year.
To whom: the short μου (mu), σου (su), του (tu) beside a verb wear this same shape. Μου (mu) έδωσε (édose) (mu édose) — he gave me. Greek has no separate shape for "to whom"; this one took the job over.
After bookish prepositions: εξαιτίας (eksetías) του (tu) καιρού (kerú) (because of the weather), κατά τη διάρκεια (katá ti diárkia) της (tis) τελετής (during the ceremony). Everyday prepositions take the object shape, bookish ones take this.
Table
| the job | example | in English |
|---|---|---|
| whose | το (to) σπίτι (spíti) του (tu) πατέρα | the father's house |
| of what | μπουκέτο (bukéto) λουλουδιών | a bouquet of flowers |
| to whom | μου (mu) έδωσε (édose) | he gave me |
| when | του (tu) χρόνου (khrónu) | in the coming year |
| after a bookish preposition | εξαιτίας (eksetías) του (tu) καιρού (kerú) | because of the weather |
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
One shape, many jobs: how does it work in Greek?
The "of" shape does more work in Greek than English asks of "of", and its jobs are worth having as a list. The shape itself is one.
What does it look like in a Greek example sentence?
“Το (to) σπίτι (spíti) του (tu) πατέρα μου (mu) είναι (íne) στο (sto) χωριό” (khorió) (to spíti tu patéra mu íne sto khorió) — My father's house is in the village. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.