Overview of Adjectives

Adjectives in Greek possess three grammatical categories: Case, Number, and Gender. Adjectives can change in all three categories, across 4 cases, 2 numbers, and 3 genders. 

The dictionary form of the adjective consists of the Nominative Singular Masculine form, followed by a Nominative Singular Feminine and Nominative Singular Neuter endings. For example: καλός, -ή, -όν

There are several Declensions (i.e. the patterns in which the endings change across those three grammatical categories) of the Greek Adjectives. For now, in our class, we will only encounter two Declension of adjectives.

The adjectives of the first type are called three-endings adjectives of the 1st and 2nd declension. They use the 2nd declension endings for the masculine and neuter forms, and the 1st declension endings for the feminine endings.  The feminine singular forms can feature either -α or -η endings, but never the mixed ones. Here are examples of such adjectives:

There is another declension of adjectives closely related to the first two declensions of nouns. Adjectives belonging to it are called two-ending adjectives of 2nd declension. Such adjectives use 2nd declension masculine endings for masculine and feminine forms, and use 2nd declension neuter endings for neuter forms. Their dictionary forms only have two endings specified. Here is an example of such and adjective: