Adjectives

Introduction to Adjectives

In Greek, an Adjective is a word that describes or modifies a noun.
Adjectives can describe qualities, quantities, or states of being.
In Greek, adjectives agree with the nouns they modify in gender, number, and case.
Greek adjectives can stand before or after the nouns they modify.

1st and 2nd Declension Adjectives

Adjectives of the first and second declension decline like nouns of the same declension.
These adjectives have three different forms - masculine, feminine, and neuter.
The masculine and feminine forms usually follow the 1st declension and the neuter form follows the 2nd declension.
Most of these adjectives end in -ος, -η, or -ον in the nominative singular.

3rd Declension Adjectives

Third declension adjectives also have three forms – masculine/feminine and neuter.
These adjectives often differ greatly in the nominative singular but have similar endings in other cases.
Common nominative singular endings include -ης, -ες for masculine/feminine, and -ες, -υ for neuter.
In the genitive singular, they usually end in -ος or -εος.

Comparative and Superlative Adjectives

Greek adjectives can have comparative and superlative forms to indicate a higher degree or the highest degree of something.
The comparative form, indicating a higher degree, is often made by appending -ιων/-ώτερος to the stem of the adjective.
The superlative form, indicating the highest degree, usually adds -ιστος/-ιστη/-ιστον or -οτατος/-οτατη/-οτατον to the adjective stem.

Conclusion

A sound understanding of Greek adjectives and their declensions is crucial for understanding, translating and interpreting Greek text.
Bear in mind that adjectives must match the noun they are modifying in gender, number, and case.
Practice identifying and using various forms of adjectives in Greek to build proficiency.