Understanding Greek Definite Articles (Ο, Η, ΤΟ)

One of the first things you’ll learn in Greek is the definite article.

In English, it’s simple: we just have “the” (regardless of context).

But in Greek, the article tells you more about the word it’s attached to.

In its most basic form, the Greek word for “the” is ο (o), η (i), or το (to).

Which one you use depends on the noun beside it.

This guide will break it down for you simply.

What is a definite article?

A definite article is a word that points to a specific noun.

When you say “the dog,” you’re talking about a particular dog, not just any dog (“a dog”).

In Greek, the definite article does the same job, but it also has to “agree” with its noun in three ways:

1. Gender: Is the noun masculine, feminine, or neuter?
2. Number: Is it singular (one) or plural (more than one)?
3. Case: What is the noun’s job in the sentence (e.g., is it the subject or the object)?

The three genders in Greek

Every noun in Greek has a grammatical gender: masculine (αρσενικό), feminine (θηλυκό), or neuter (ουδέτερο).

This doesn’t always match the biological gender. For example, a table is neuter and a door is feminine.

It’s just a grammatical category.

The absolute best way to know a noun’s gender is by its article. This is why I always teach the chunking approach: instead of just learning the word άνθρωπος (anthropos) for “man”, you should learn the chunk ο άνθρωπος (o anthropos).

Learning the noun and its article together as a single chunk will save you trouble later.

Here are a few examples of the basic articles in action:

Masculine (ο):

ο άνθρωπος

o ánthropos

the man

Feminine (η):

η γυναίκα

i gynaíka

the woman

Neuter (το):

το παιδί

to paidí

the child

Learning these chunks makes remembering the gender automatic.

The definite article in all its forms

Now, let’s look at how the article changes for number (singular/plural) and case.

Modern Greek uses four cases, but the main three you’ll use constantly are the Nominative, Genitive, and Accusative.

• Nominative: The subject of the sentence (the one doing the action).
• Genitive: Shows possession (like ‘of the’ or ‘s in English).
• Accusative: The direct object (the one receiving the action).

Here’s a simple table with all the forms you need to know for Modern Greek.

Note: The feminine accusative singular is την before a vowel or the consonants κ, π, τ, ξ, ψ. Otherwise, it’s τη. Don’t stress about this rule at first; you’ll get a feel for it through listening.

Let’s see these in simple sentences:

Nominative (Subject):

Ο σκύλος είναι εδώ.

O skýlos eínai edó.

The dog is here.

Genitive (Possession):

Το όνομα του παιδιού.

To ónoma tou paidioú.

The name of the child.

Accusative (Object):

Βλέπω τη γυναίκα.

Vlépo ti gynaíka.

I see the woman.

When to use the definite article in Greek

One of the big differences from English is that Greek uses the definite article much more frequently. You’ll see it in places where English wouldn’t use “the”.

Here are some common situations:

1. With people’s names: When talking about someone, you use the article.

Ο Γιάννης έρχεται.

O Giánnis érchetai.

Yiannis is coming.

2. With abstract concepts:

Η αγάπη είναι όμορφη.

I agápi eínai ómorfi.

Love is beautiful.

3. When speaking generally: This is a tricky one for English speakers. If you want to say “I like dogs,” you’re talking about dogs in general.

In Greek, you use the definite article.

Μου αρέσουν οι σκύλοι. (Literally: “The dogs are pleasing to me.”)

Mou arésoun oi skýloi.

I like dogs.

One place you won’t see the article is when it merges with certain prepositions. For example, the preposition σε (se), meaning “in,” “to,” or “at,” combines with the article:

• σε + τον = στον
• σε + την = στην
• σε + το = στο

Historical variations: Koine and Ancient Greek

The definite article has been a core part of Greek for thousands of years.

If you decide to read the New Testament in its original Koine Greek, you’ll find the article is very similar. The main difference is that Koine (and Ancient Greek) had an extra case called the Dative, and the forms were slightly different.

For example, the famous opening line of the Gospel of John uses the masculine nominative article ὁ (which in Modern Greek is ο).

Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ Λόγος…

En archêi ên ho Lógos...

In the beginning was the Word...

You can see that the fundamental system of an article matching its noun in gender, number, and case has remained consistent throughout the history of Greek.

My key piece of advice is this: always learn a new noun with its article.

Don’t just learn βιβλίο for book; learn το βιβλίο. By “chunking” the words together like this, you’ll internalize the genders without having to memorize lists of grammar rules.

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