Four cases, and three of them do the work
Greek has four cases left: nominative, genitive, accusative and vocative. There is no dative at all — its job was taken over by the preposition σε with the accusative. 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
Greek has four cases left: nominative, genitive, accusative and vocative. There is no dative at all — its job was taken over by the preposition σε (se) with the accusative.
It is not only the ending that changes but the article, and the article gives the case away sooner than the word does: ο φίλος (o fílos) — a friend (who?), του φίλου (tu fílu) — of a friend (whose?), τον φίλο (ton fílo) — a friend (whom?).
English once had the same machinery — I/me, he/him, whose — and now hands the roles to word order and prepositions: of, to, with. Greek keeps the roles and packs them into endings instead. One mapping to note: the genitive doubles as "to whom" — "I tell him" is του λέω (tu léo), and "his house" is το σπίτι του (to spíti tu); one shape, two jobs. And "to Athens" and "in Athens" are both στην Αθήνα (stin Athína): direction and place Greek does not tell apart — the verb does.
Table
| case | masculine | feminine | neuter |
|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | ο φίλος | η πόλη | το παιδί |
| genitive | του φίλου | της πόλης | του παιδιού |
| accusative | 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?
Greek has four cases left: nominative, genitive, accusative and vocative. There is no dative at all — its job was taken over by the preposition σε with the accusative.
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.