Notes On Koine Greek: Part 11

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1) Case: As we have seen, one should approach Greek nouns in a way similar to
that of Greek verbs, namely, morphologically. That is, one should ALWAYS
look at the morphemes first! In the last set of notes (#10), we became acquainted
with the “cases” of Greek nouns. Here is a chart which will help you familiarize
yourself with the various functions of the Greek cases (*Note that within the 5
main cases, there are often other cases, they are less prominent and are italicized
and emboldened in the list here in the “function” column):

Case Name - Abbreviation Function Helping Words / Ideas

Nominative (N) To name, designate, point Subject; predicate

out nominative
Genitive (G) Possession, description Of; ’s
Ablative Case: Separation, From; out of
origin, source
Dative (D) Personal Interest, Reception To; for;
Locative: Location In; on; at
Instrumental: Use, Means, By; with; indirect object
Means by which
Accusative (A) Extent or limit to which Direct Object
action of verb extends
Vocative (V) Direct address Direct Address

2) Mnemonic Devices: A couple of mnemonic devices I have used to remember

the “cases” are 1) NGDAV or DangV, and/or, 2) The acronym of N.G.D.A.V. –
“Now Greek Declensions Are Valuable”.
nd
3) 2 Groups for 2 Declension: The 2nd Declension has 2 main groups into
which it can be divided: a) Nom. Sg. Ends in “oj”, or 2) Nom. Sg. Ends in “on”.
See the table below for more on this.
4) Verb & Noun Suffix Morphemes: Here are 2 tables containing the suffix
morphemes for the verb & noun forms we’ve learned so far:

Present/Future Active Indicative 2nd Declension “oj” 2nd Declension “on”

SG PL N - Sg oj N - Sg on
1 w men G - Sg ou G - Sg ou
2 eij te D - Sg w| D - Sg w|
3 ei ousi (n) A - Sg on A - Sg on
V - Sg e V - Sg on
N - Pl oi N - Pl a
G - Pl wn G - Pl wn
D - Pl oij D - Pl oij
A - Pl ouj A - Pl a