The genitive: one form, five jobs
The genitive in Greek works harder than the English "of", and its jobs are worth knowing as a list — the form, after all, is only one. For example: “Το σπίτι του πατέρα μου είναι στο χωριό” — 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 genitive in Greek works harder than the English "of", and its jobs are worth knowing as a list — the form, after all, is only one.
Whose. το σπίτι του πατέρα (to spíti tu patéra), η γιορτή της οικογένειας (i yortí tis ikoyénias). This is the main and most frequent job — English "of" or the 's ending.
Of what, about what. ένα μπουκέτο λουλουδιών (a bouquet of flowers), η γιορτή της σοδειάς (the harvest feast). English puts "of" here too, so this transfers directly.
To whom — in the pair with a pronoun. The unstressed μου (mu), σου (su), του (tu) by the verb are genitive in form but "to whom" in sense: Μου έδωσε (mu édose) — he gave me, or gave to me. There is no separate dative case in modern Greek; the genitive took over its job.
When. του χρόνου (tu khrónu) — in the coming year, της Δευτέρας — of a Monday, on a Monday. These are frozen turns; there are few of them, and they are learned whole.
After bookish prepositions. εξαιτίας του καιρού (because of the weather), κατά τη διάρκεια της τελετής (during the ceremony). The living prepositions demand the accusative, while those that came out of katharevousa demand the genitive — by this sign alone you can recognize them in papers.
The plural genitive of many words sounds heavy, and the language avoids it: instead of των πορτών one says από τις πόρτες. Not a mistake but the living norm — though the bookish form still has to be understood.
Table
| the job | example | in English |
|---|---|---|
| whose | το σπίτι του πατέρα | the father's house |
| of what | μπουκέτο λουλουδιών | a bouquet of flowers |
| to whom | μου έδωσε | he gave me |
| when | του χρόνου | in the coming year |
| after a bookish preposition | εξαιτίας του καιρού | because of the weather |
By example
- Το σπίτι του πατέρα μου είναι στο χωριόto spíti tu patéra mu íne sto khorióMy father's house is in the village
- Δεν ήρθε εξαιτίας του καιρούden írthe eksetías tu kerúHe didn't come because of the weather
- Θα τα πούμε του χρόνουtha ta púme tu khrónuWe'll see each other in the coming year
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 genitive: how does it work in Greek?
The genitive in Greek works harder than the English "of", and its jobs are worth knowing as a list — the form, after all, is only one.
What does it look like in an example sentence Greek?
“Το σπίτι του πατέρα μου είναι στο χωριό” (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.