Nominative & Accusative Cases

Look at these two Greek sentences. Click on each word to see what it means!

Sentence 1:

ὁ δουλος διδασκει τον διδασκαλον

Sentence 2:

ὁ διδασκαλος διδασκει τον δουλον

Word meanings:

ὁ δουλος → the slave (nominative - subject)

διδασκει → teaches

τον διδασκαλον → the teacher (accusative - object)

ὁ διδασκαλος → the teacher (nominative - subject)

τον δουλον → the slave (accusative - object)

What's happening?

Greek words change their endings depending on their job in the sentence. The subject (green) has one ending, the object (pink) has another. This is called the case system.

What are Cases?

In Greek, nouns change their endings to show what job they're doing in a sentence. These different forms are called cases.

Two Cases to Learn Today:

1. Nominative Case = The subject (who/what does the action)
2. Accusative Case = The object (who/what receives the action)

Think of it like this: in the sentence "The dog chases the cat", "dog" would be nominative (doing the chasing) and "cat" would be accusative (being chased).

Example in Greek:

ὁ θεος φυλασσει την γην

ὁ θεος (nominative) = the god - who guards?
την γην (accusative) = the earth - what is guarded?

Masculine Nouns (2nd Declension)

Masculine nouns typically end in -ος in the nominative. Here's how they work:

The Article (The)

Case	Greek	Meaning
Nominative	ὁ	the (subject)
Accusative	τον	the (object)

Noun Endings

Example: δουλος (slave)

Case	Ending	Example	Meaning
Nominative	-ος	ὁ δουλος	the slave (subject)
Accusative	-ον	τον δουλον	the slave (object)

Quick Tip!

Look for the -ν at the end! Accusative forms (both article and noun) end in -ν.

Masculine Practice

Click each sentence to reveal the translation:

ὁ αγγελος τρεχει

The messenger runs

ὁ στρατηγος αγει τον στρατον

The general leads the army

ὁ ξενος φερει τον λογον

The stranger brings the word

διδασκω τον αγγελον

I teach the messenger

ὁ θεος φυλασσει τον ποταμον

The god guards the river

ακουω τον λογον

I hear the word

Feminine Nouns (1st Declension)

Feminine nouns typically end in -η in the nominative. Here's how they work:

The Article (The)

Case	Greek	Meaning
Nominative	ἡ	the (subject)
Accusative	την	the (object)

Noun Endings

Example: κωμη (village)

Case	Ending	Example	Meaning
Nominative	-η	ἡ κωμη	the village (subject)
Accusative	-ην	την κωμην	the village (object)

Same Pattern!

Just like masculine nouns, accusative forms end in -ν. Look for that ν!

Feminine Practice

Click each sentence to reveal the translation:

ἡ κωμη

The village

φυλασσω την πυλην

I guard the gate

ἡ βοη

The shout

γραφω την επιστολην

I write the letter

ἡ νικη

The victory

ακουω την φωνην

I hear the voice

Mixed Practice

Now let's mix masculine and feminine nouns together. Click to reveal translations:

ὁ στρατηγος φυλασσει την κωμην

The general guards the village

ἡ βουλη παυει τον στρατον

The council stops the army

ὁ ξενος βαινει προς την πυλην

The stranger goes towards the gate

διωκω τον ξενον εις την κωμην

I chase the stranger into the village

ὁ θεος εχει την δικαιοσυνην

The god has justice

ἡ ειρηνη παυει τον λογον

Peace stops the argument

ὁ διδασκαλος λεγει τον λογον

The teacher speaks the word

ὁ συμμαχος φερει την τιμην

The ally brings honour

Exit Ticket

Answer these questions on your whiteboards!

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