THE DECLENSIONS OF MASCULINE NOUNS

ISOSYLLABIC DECLENSIONS

• Αγώνας, (fight, game) ταμίας (cashier, treasurer) and φύλακας (guard) all uses these ending.
• Nouns that  are accented on the second and third to last syllable, respectively, in the nominative singular must move the accent by one syllable in the genitive plural, to the right.
• All nouns ending in ίας, some disyllabic nouns, such as μήνας (month); some nouns of foreign origin, such as τουρίστας (tourist), retain the stress on the second to last syllable in all their cases except in the genitive plural, where the stress falls on the last syllable.
• Nouns stressed on the third to last syllable are stressed on the last syllable in the genitive plural.
• The genitive singular of άντρας/άνδρας (man, husband) is του άντρα and occasionally του αντρός.
• This occurs with μήνας (month). The genitive singular of μήνας is μήνα.  The old genitive singular of this noun is used in phrases such as η πρώτη του μηνός (the first of the month).
• Stress for άντρας and μήνας in the genitive singular is on the last syllable in both cases.
• Some of these nouns can also occur in the feminine gender with feminine articles, for example, η ταμίας (cashier).

 

• Ναύτης, (sailor) and νικητής (winner) both take these endings.
• The stress remains on the last syllable if the stress occurs on the last syllable in the nominative singular (e.g. νικητής).
• Ναύτης, is accented on the second to last syllable in the nominative singular and hence the accent is moved to the last syllable in the genitive plural.
• Nouns with this ending will not be stressed on the third to last syllable.
• Some of these nouns can also occur in the feminine gender with feminine articles, for example, η γυμνασιάρχης (high school principal).

 

• The difference between this declension and the previous declension is in the plural.
• The two most common nouns are συγγενής and ευγενής.
• These also occur in the feminine gender as η συγγενής and η ευγενής.

 

• Nouns in -ος make up the largest group of all Greek nouns
• Ουρανός, (sky, heaven) δρόμος, (road) άγγελος (angel) and αντίλαλος all decline as the table above.
• Masculine nouns in -ος stressed on the last syllable retain the stress on the last syllable in all their cases.
• Masculine nouns in -ος stressed on the second last syllable retain the stress on the second last syllable in all their cases.
• Masculine nouns in -ος stressed on the third last syllable shift the stress to the last syllable in the genitive singular and plural and in the accusative plural.
• The vocative singular case of nouns usually ends in -ε, for example, γιατρέ, φίλε.
• A few nouns have the ending -ο instead of the ending -ε in the vocative singular, for example, γέρο, φιλαράκο.
• Some nouns may have either ending in the vocative singular, for example, θείος becomes θείο or θείε.
• Disyllabic nouns, with the stem accented retain the ο in the vocative singular while those which are stressed on the ending have the change to ε.
• Otherwise with polysyllabic words, the change to “ε” occurs always.
• The original form of the name changes its ending from ο to ε, for example, Αναστάσιος becomes Αναστάσιε, whereas the short form remains unchanged, Τάσος becomes Τάσο.
• Some nouns in -ος which designate a profession may also be a feminine noun.  For example, ο γιατρός/ η γιατρός, ο ηθοποιός/η ηθοποιός.

ANISOSYLLABIC DECLENSIONS

• Ψαράς (fisherman), παπάς (priest) and other nouns declined this way, have their accent fixed on one syllable, despite the additional syllable in the plural.  This is independent of the initial position of the accent.
• This is also true for the words νοικοκύρης, (landlord) καφές (coffee) and παππούς (grandfather), which have endings "ης," "ες" and "ους" and are shown how to be declined below.

 

 

• These nouns are generally stressed on the last syllable.

 

MASCULINE NOUNS OF FOREIGN ORIGIN

There are many examples of masculine nouns that have a foreign origin.  Examples are τουρίστας (tourist), φακίρης (fakir) and καβγάς (quarrel).  Masculine foreign nouns, which have been assimilated into Greek, are declined according to the declension pattern of the group they belong to.  Some masculine foreign nouns may occur either in their original form or with an adopted Greek ending, for example, καουμπόυ or καουμπόης.  Masculine foreign nouns, which have not been assimilated in to Greek, remain uninflected: μπάρμαν and ντιτέκτιβ.

GENERAL NOTES ON MASCULINE NOUNS

The final -ς, which is typical for the nominative singular, does not occur in any other case in the singular.  Except for nouns ending in -ος, masculine nouns show the same endings in the accusative, genitive and vocative cases in the singular and in the nominative, accusative and vocative cases in the plural.

Masculine nouns in –ας, show plurals in -ες and ->άδες. They show plurals in -εις if then singular ending is preceded by ε, (for example,  κουρέας).  Masculine nouns in -ης, show plurals in -ες and ->ήδες.  A few nominalised adjectives in -ης, show plural ending -εις.  All anisyllabic masculine nouns show ending -δες in the plural.  All masculine nouns in the genitive plural end in ων.

Masculine nouns generally retain the stress on the same syllable as it occurs in the nominative singular.  Exceptions are the following.  Nouns in -ος, stressed on the third to last syllable move the stress to the second to last syllable in the genitive singular and plural and in the accusative plural.  For example, ο άνθρωπος, του ανθρώπου, των ανθρώπων and τους ανθρώπους.  Anisosyllabic nouns in -της, stressed on the second to last syllable, nouns in -ιας and those following declension patterns, shift the stress to the last syllable in the in the genitive plural.

For example:                            ο ναύτης – των ναυτών
                                                ο τραυματίας – των τραυματιών
                                                ο μήνας – των μηνών
                                                ο τουρίστας – των τουριστών

Nouns in -εας, shift the stress to the last syllable in the nominative, accusative, vocative plural, for example, ο κουρέας and των κουρείς.

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