The article of three genders: ο, η, το
Greek puts a little word in front of the noun and rarely lets it go — the article, which names the gender outright: ο masculine, η feminine, το neuter. For example: “ο καφές” — coffee (masculine). A rule from the Greek course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Greek puts a little word in front of the noun and rarely lets it go — the article, which names the gender outright: ο (o) masculine, η (i) feminine, το (to) neuter.
Learning a word without its article is pointless: the gender does not follow from the meaning, and almost never from the ending. Memorize the pair — not "καφές (kafés)" but "ο καφές (o kafés)", the way English keeps "a knife" and never just "knive".
The article also stands where English drops it: before first names (η Άννα (i Ána)), before countries (η Ελλάδα (i Eláda)), before a possessive (το σπίτι μου (to spíti mu) — my house).
Table
| gender | article | example | most often ends in |
|---|---|---|---|
| masculine | ο | ο δρόμος — a street | -ος, -ας, -ης |
| feminine | η | η πόλη — a city | -α, -η |
| neuter | το | το παιδί — a child | -ο, -ι, -μα |
By example
- ο καφέςo kaféscoffee (masculine)
- η θάλασσαi thálasathe sea (feminine)
- το νερόto nerówater (neuter)
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?
Greek puts a little word in front of the noun and rarely lets it go — the article, which names the gender outright: ο masculine, η feminine, το neuter.
What does it look like in an example sentence Greek?
“ο καφές” (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.