Homeric Greek - Main Features

Main Features

Only irregular forms are provided, omitted forms can usually be predicted by following patterns seen in Ionic Greek.

Nouns

First Declension

Nominative Singular: ends in -η, even after ρ,ε, and ι. For Example, χώρη, rather than χώρα. However, some nouns do end in -α.

Genitive Plural: usually ends in -αων or -εων. For example, νυμφάων, rather than νυμφῶν.

Dative Plural: almost always ends in -ῃσι or -ῃς. For example, πύλῃσιν is equivalent to πύλαις.

Certain first declension nouns may end in -α (ἱππότα) rather than -ης (ναύτης, Ἀτρεΐδης). For Example, ἱππότα, rather than ἱππότης.

Genitive Singular of these nouns ends in -αο or -εω, rather than -ου. For example, Ἀτρεΐδαο, as opposed to Ἀτρεΐδου.

Second Declension

Genitive Singular: ends in -οιο, as well as -ου. For example, πεδίοιο, as well as πεδίου.

Genitive and Dative Dual: ends in -οιϊν. Thus, ἵπποιϊν appears, rather than ἵπποιν.

Dative Plural: ends in -οισι and -οις. For example, φύλλοισι, as well as φύλλοις.

Third Declension

Accusative Singular: ends in -ιν, as well as -ιδα. For example, γλαυκῶπιν, as well as γλαυκώπιδα.

Dative Plural: ends in -εσσι and -σι. For example, πόδεσσι or ἔπεσσι.

Homeric Greek lacks the quantitative metathesis present in later Greek:

Homeric βασιλῆος instead of βασιλέως, πόληος instead of πόλεως

βασιλῆα instead of βασιλέᾱ

βασιλῆας instead of βασιλέᾱς

βασιλήων instead of βασιλέων

Homeric Greek sometimes uses different stems:

πόλεως instead of πόλιος

Pronouns

First Person Singular (I)

Genitive Singular: ἐμεῖο, ἐμέο, ἐμεῦ, μευ, ἐμέθεν.

First Person Plural (We)

Accusative Plural: ἡμέας, ἄμμε.

Genitive Plural: ἡμείων, ἡμέων.

Dative Plural: ἄμμι(ν)

Second Person Singular (You)

Genitive Singular: σεῖο, σέο, σεῦ, σευ, σέθεν.

Second Person Plural (You)

Accusative Plural: ὕμέας, ὕμμε.

Genitive Plural: ὕμείων, ὕμέων.

Dative Plural: ὕμμι(ν)

Third Person Singular Masculine (Him)

Accusative Singular: ἕ.

Genitive Singular:εἷο, ἕο, εὗ, ἕθεν.

Dative Singular: ἑοῖ, οἰ.

Third Person Plural (Them)

Accusative Plural: σφε, σφέας, σφας.

Genitive Plural: σφείων, σφέων.

Dative Plural: σφι, σφισί.

Third Person Singular Pronoun (He, She, It) (The Relative) OR Singular Article (The) (This is rare)

Nominative Singular: ὁ, ἡ, τό. (etc.)

Third Person Plural Pronoun (He, She, It) (The Relative) OR Plural Article (The) (This is rare)

Nominative Plural: οἰ, αἰ, τοί, ταί.

Dative Plural: τοῖς, τοῖσι, τῇς, τῇσι, ταῖς.

Interrogative Pronoun Singular and Plural (Who, What, Which)

Nominative Singular: τίς.

Accusative Singular: τίνα.

Genitive Singular: τέο, τεῦ.

Dative Singular: τέῳ.

Genitive Plural: τέων.

A Note on Nouns

I. -σ- and -σσ- alternate in Homeric Greek. This can be of metrical use. For example, τόσος and τόσσος are equivalent; μέσος and μέσσος; ποσί and ποσσί.

II. The ending -φι (-οφι) can be used for the Dative Singular and Plural of nouns and adjectives (occasionally for the Genitive Singular and Plural, as well). For example, βίηφι (...by force), δακρυόφιν (...with tears), and ὄρεσφιν (...in the mountains).

Verbs

Person Endings

-ν appears rather than -σαν. For example, ἔσταν for ἔστησαν in the Third Person Plural Active.

The Third Plural Middle/Passive often ends in -αται or -ατο; for example, ἥατο is equivalent to ἧντο.

Tenses

Future: Generally remains uncontracted. For example, ἐρέω appears instead of ἐρῶ or τελέω instead of τελέσω.

Present or Imperfect: These tenses sometimes take iterative form with the letters -σκ- penultimate with the ending. For example, φύγεσκον: 'they kept on running away'

Aorist or Imperfect: Both tenses can occasionally drop their augments. For example, βάλον may appear instead of ἔβαλον. Resultantly, necessary adjustments may need to be made in compounds; in this vein, ἔμβαλε would appear instead of ἐνέβαλε.

Moods

Subjunctive

The Subjunctive appears with a short vowel. Thus, the form ἴομεν, rather than ἴωμεν.

The Second Singular Middle Subjunctive ending appears as both -ηαι and -εαι.

The Third Singular Active Subjunctive ends in -σι. Thus, we see the form φορεῇσι, instead of φορῇ.

Occasionally, the Subjunctive is used in place of the future and in general remarks.

Infinitive

The infinitive appears with the endings -μεν, -μεναι, and -ναι, in place of -ειν and -ναι. For example, δόμεναι for δοῦναι; ἴμεν instead of ἰέναι; ἔμεν, ἔμμεν, or ἔμμεναι for εἶναι; and ἀκουέμεν(αι) in place of ἀκούειν.

Contracted Verbs

In contracted verbs, where Attic employs an -ω-, Homeric Greek will use -οω- or -ωω- in place of -αο-. For example, Attic ὁρῶντες becomes ὁρόωντες.

Similarly, in places where -αε- contracts to -α- or -αει- contracts to -ᾳ-, Homeric Greek will show either αα or αᾳ.

Adverbs

Adverbial Suffixes

-δε: conveys a sense of 'to where'; πόλεμόνδε: 'to the war'

-δον: conveys a sense of 'how'; κλαγγηδόν: 'with cries'

-θεν: conveys a sense of 'from where'; ὑψόθεν: 'from above'

-θι:conveys a sense of 'where'; ὑψόθι: 'on high'

Particles

ἄρα, ἄρ, ῥα: force conveys transition: 'so' or 'next'

δή: force conveys emphasis: 'indeed'

ἦ: force conveys emphasis: 'surely'

περ: force conveys emphasis: 'just' or 'even'

τε: force conveys a general remark or a connective: 'and'

τοι: force conveys assertion: 'I tell you ...'