LEARNING TO SPEAK GREEK - 2

Remember 'verbs' - action words. Continuing our little chat about English grammar, and how it helps you to learn Greek faster if you know your own language, I thought I would say a little about nouns.

All you have to remember here is that if you can put a name to something, then it is a NOUN.
For example: book, chair, table, man, woman, child, David, Jane. So, how easy is that? Make a list of 'things' 'objects' 'plants' 'animal' 'places' 'people' - remember, if you can put a name to it it's a NOUN.
Now, in the Greek language every noun is either male, female or neuter (don't panic!) this just means that when learning Greek nouns make sure you learn whether it is male, female or neuter. A dead give away is in the word 'the', eg. the book - το βιβλίο,

The word 'the' in English grammar is called the Definite Article.
The Definite Article in Greek changes as to whether the noun is male, female or neuter, like this:
Ο πατέρασ - O pateras (in English) = The father. The word for 'the' being 'O' (as in toe). MALE
Η μητέρα - Ee mitera (in English) = The mother. The word for 'the' being 'H' (sounding ee). FEMALE
Το παιδί - To pethee(in English) = The child. The word for 'the' being 'To' (as in top). NEUTER
(Now, in the Greek language these three ways of saying 'the' are only for single nouns i.e. the book, when there are more than one of something then the word for 'the' changes again. And just to complicate things the word for 'the' changes yet again when the noun is in the accusative (the object of the verb). But oh, we don't want to go there at the moment, you'll start having nightmares!

First we have to concentrate on English grammar. So, for now just remember that everything that can be named is a NOUN.

And the word 'the' in English grammar is called the Definite Article.

And, just for good measure, the word 'a' in English grammar is called the Indefinite Article.

So, now you know what a VERB is, and you know what a NOUN is, and you know what DEFINITE AND INDEFINITE ARTICLES are. Way ye go! Next time we'll put Adjectives and Adverbs into the picture and before you know it you'll be speaking Greek.