Lesson 5: First Declension Nouns, Part 2
α/ᾱς & α/ης Stems + Special Verb Constructions
First Declension Battle Card
Part 2: α/ᾱς Stems & α/ης Stems
1. Three Questions to Ask
- 1What ENDING does this noun have?
- 2What CASE is it? (NOM/GEN/DAT/ACC/VOC)
- 3What JOB does it do in the sentence?
2. Special Verb Constructions
ἀκούω
hear, listen to
+ GENperson heard
+ ACCsound/thing heard
κελεύω
order, command
+ ACC or + DAT of person
+ infinitive
ὥρᾱ (ἐστὶ) + inf.
"it is time to..."
ὥρᾱ γράφειν = "it is time to write"
Reflexive Article
The article can mean "his/her/their own" when context makes possession clear.
τὴν γλῶτταν φυλάττει = "guards her tongue"
Endings at a Glance
α/ᾱς Stems
(μοῖρα type)
| Sg | Pl | |
|---|---|---|
| NOM | -α | -αι |
| GEN | -ᾱς | -ῶν |
| DAT | -ᾳ | -αις |
| ACC | -αν | -ᾱς |
| VOC | -α | -αι |
α/ης Stems
(θάλαττα type)
| Sg | Pl | |
|---|---|---|
| NOM | -α | -αι |
| GEN | -ης | -ῶν |
| DAT | -ῃ | -αις |
| ACC | -αν | -ᾱς |
| VOC | -α | -αι |
Key difference: GEN/DAT singular → -ᾱς/-ᾳ vs -ης/-ῃ
3. α/ᾱς: μοῖρα (fate)
| Singular | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| NOM | μοῖρα | μοῖραι |
| GEN | μοίρᾱς | μοιρῶν |
| DAT | μοίρᾳ | μοίραις |
| ACC | μοῖραν | μοίρᾱς |
| VOC | μοῖρα | μοῖραι |
Short α in NOM/ACC/VOC sg.
4. α/ης: θάλαττα (sea)
| Singular | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| NOM | θάλαττα | θάλατται |
| GEN | θαλάττης | θαλαττῶν |
| DAT | θαλάττῃ | θαλάτταις |
| ACC | θάλατταν | θαλάττᾱς |
| VOC | θάλαττα | θάλατται |
GEN/DAT sg use η like η-stems!
5. Vocabulary
Verbs
Nouns (α/ᾱς stems)
Conjunctions
6. New Conjunction
ἐπεί / ἐπειδή
when, after, since, because
ἐπεὶ θύουσι, σπεύδομεν.
"Since they are sacrificing, we hasten."
7. Example Markup
ἡ θεὰ τῆς θαλάττης ἀκούει τῆς γλώττης.
"The goddess of the sea listens to the tongue."
Note: ἀκούω + GEN for person/source being heard