Koine Greek/5. Declining 1st and 2nd Declension Nouns

Second Declension
Second declension nouns and adjectives end in -ο, and their declension follows the pattern given below. To decline a second-declension noun, we take the ending in the table and add it to the stem (which always ends in -ο). If a vowel is underlined, then we replace the ο in the stem with that vowel.

When we give a noun, we typically give the singular nominative form of the noun, as well as the ending for the singular genitive case.

Example: Here is the declension chart for the noun κύριος, -υ, which means "lord"

Here is the declension chart for second declension neuter nouns:

Example: Here is the declension chart for the noun τέκνον, -υ, which means "child".

Most second declension nouns are either masculine or neuter, although there are feminine second declension nouns as well.

First Declension
First declension nouns end with α or η, and are typically feminine (although there are masculine ones as well). They fall under two slightly different patterns that differ only in the singular genitive and dative.

Pattern 1 (at *, we add an ι-improper diphthong to the vowel: α -> ᾳ, η -> ῃ)

Example: καρδία, -ας (Heart)

Example: φωνή, -ής (Voice)

Pattern 2: Virtually identical, except we change α to η in the singular genitive and dative cases.

Example: δόξα, -ης (Glory)

Grand patterns

 * 1) The genitive plural of all declensions in Greek (all nouns, pronouns, adjectives, verb participles, basically anything that can decline) end in ων.
 * 2) The accusative and nominative of all neuter declensions in Greek are the same.
 * 3) In all declensions, the dative case contains an ι, perhaps as an improper diphthong.

Second Declension Masculine

 * ἄγγελος, -ου: angel, messenger
 * ἀδελφός, -ου: brother (Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love)
 * ἄνθρωπος, -ου: man (anthropology, the study of humankind)
 * θεός, -ου: god (theology, the study of the divine)
 * κόσμος, -ου: world (cosmology, the study of the universe; cosmopolitan, worldly)
 * κύριος, -ου: lord (kyrie eleison, "Lord have mercy", the beginning of the Mass)
 * λόγος, -ου: that which is said, or thought. Translated as word, but has deep meanings in philosophy (-logy, the study of -; logic)
 * νόμος, -ου: law (astronomy, the law of the stars)
 * οὐρανός, -ου: heaven (Uranus, the Greek god of the sky)
 * υἱός, -ου: son
 * ἀπόστολος, -ου: apostle, literally, one that is sent
 * διδάσκαλος, -ου: teacher (didactic, intending to teach)

Second Declension Neuter

 * ἔργον, -ου: work, deed (ergonomics)
 * ἱερόν, -οῦ: temple (hierarchy, from ranking of angles, which derives from rule of the high priest)
 * πρόσωπον, -ου: face
 * τέκνον, -ου: child

First Declension Feminine

 * ἀλήθεια, -ας: truth
 * ἁμαρτία, -ας: sin (hamartiology)
 * βασιλεία, -ας: kingdom (basilica)
 * ἡμέρα, -ας: day (ephemeral)
 * καρδία, -ας: heart (cardiology)
 * χαρά, -ας: grace (charity)


 * γλῶσσα, -ης: tongue (glossary, polyglot)
 * δόξα, -ης: glory (doxology)
 * θάλασσα, -ης: sea (thalassic)
 * ἀγάπη, -ης: love (agape)
 * γῆ, -ῆς: earth, land, soil (geology)
 * ζωή, -ῆς: life (zoology).
 * φωνή, -ῆς: sound, voice (telephone)
 * ψυχή, -ῆς: soul (psychology)