Vowels

There are seven vowels: α, ε, η, ι, ο, υ, ω. Of these ε and ο are always short, and take about half the time to pronounce as η and ω, which are always long.

A diphthong combines two vowels in one syllable. The second vowel is or ι or υ. The diphthongs are αι, ει, αυ, ευ, ου, ηυ, and, υι. ι written below the line of α, η, and ω is called iota subscript. These are improper diphthongs.

Nouns

Nouns have three genders: masculine, feminine, neuter.

The Cases (Πτοσεις)

There are five cases: nominative(case of the subject), genitive (or possessive), dative(conjunctive), accusative( case of the object), and vocative(used in direct address).

Τhe nominative is the case of the subject. "A verb must agree with nominative case in number and person" (The first Concord). Nouns are of the third person.

When the subject is a personal pronoun, it is implied in the form of the verb, and is not separately expressed unless emphatic. In the third person singular, the omitted subject will be he, she, or it, and is to be learned from the connexion.

The genitive often denotes possession, and in English has the sign of.

The genitive, dative, or accusative may be governed by prepositions, in conformity with the general idea of the several cases: the genitive signifying origin - from ; the dative, association - in, or with ; the accusative, approach - toward, to, into.

Definite article

The definite article is employed in combination with nouns, and is declined in gender, number, and case, to correspond with them. The Greek article is the same form as the demonstrative ο, η, το.

There is no indefinite article in Greek, but its place is often supplied by the indefinite pronoun (any, a certain).

The Greek article must be in the gender, number and case of the noun to which it belongs, according to the rule. "Adjectives, participles, and pronouns must agree with their substantives in gender, number and case." (Second concord)

The article is often found with abstract nouns when regarded as separate objects of thought.