Introduction

Now that you know the alphabet and common vocabulary, we’ll explore basic grammar patterns. Rather than memorizing complex rules, we’ll focus on recognizing common patterns that will help you understand Greek texts.

Learning Objectives

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• Understand basic word order in Greek sentences
• Recognize noun cases (focusing on nominative and accusative)
• Identify basic verb patterns
• Learn the role of articles
• Begin reading longer phrases

Basic Sentence Structure

Pattern 1: Subject-Verb

ὁ θεὸς ἀγαπᾷ (ho theos agapa)
“God loves”

Subject (ὁ θεὸς) + Verb (ἀγαπᾷ)

Pattern 2: Subject-Verb-Object

ὁ θεὸς ἀγαπᾷ τὸν κόσμον (ho theos agapa ton kosmon)
“God loves the world”

Subject (ὁ θεὸς) + Verb (ἀγαπᾷ) + Object (τὸν κόσμον)

The Article (“the”)

Basic Forms

• Masculine: ὁ, τόν
• Feminine: ἡ, τήν
• Neuter: τό, τό

Common Patterns

1. ὁ θεός – Subject form (“God”)
2. τὸν θεόν – Object form (“God”)
3. ἡ ἀγάπη – Subject form (“love”)
4. τὴν ἀγάπην – Object form (“love”)

Noun Cases: The Basics

Nominative Case (Subject)

• Used for the doer of the action
• Often ends in -ος, -η, -ον
  Examples:
• ὁ λόγος – the word (as subject)
• ἡ ἀγάπη – love (as subject)

Accusative Case (Object)

• Used for the receiver of the action
• Often ends in -ον, -ην, -ον
  Examples:
• τὸν λόγον – the word (as object)
• τὴν ἀγάπην – love (as object)

Verb Basics

Present Tense Common Forms

• -ω = I (do something)
• -εις = you (do something)
• -ει = he/she/it (does something)

Examples:

• λέγω – I say
• λέγεις – you say
• λέγει – he/she/it says

Practice Sentences

1. Simple Subject-Verb

• ὁ θεὸς λέγει
• “God speaks”

1. Subject-Verb-Object

• ὁ θεὸς ἀγαπᾷ τὸν κόσμον
• “God loves the world”

1. Multiple Objects

• ὁ θεὸς ἀγαπᾷ τὸν κόσμον καὶ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους
• “God loves the world and the people”

Reading Strategy

1. Find the Article

• Look for ὁ, ἡ, τό
• The noun it goes with is often the subject

1. Locate the Verb

• Look for -ω, -εις, -ει endings
• This shows the action

1. Identify the Object

• Look for τόν, τήν, τό
• This receives the action

Practice Exercises

Exercise 1: Article Recognition

Mark all articles in these phrases:

1. ὁ θεὸς ἀγαπᾷ τὸν κόσμον
2. ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ θεοῦ
3. τὸ φῶς ἐν τῇ σκοτίᾳ

Exercise 2: Subject-Object Recognition

Identify subjects and objects:

1. ὁ λόγος ἔχει ζωήν
2. ὁ θεὸς ἀγαπᾷ τὸν κόσμον
3. ὁ ἄνθρωπος βλέπει τὸ φῶς

Exercise 3: Verb Practice

Circle the verbs in John 1:1-5

Homework

1. Pattern Recognition

• Find 5 examples of subject-verb patterns in John 1
• Find 5 examples of subject-verb-object patterns in John 3:16-21

1. Article Practice

• Create a list of 10 nouns with their articles
• Practice both subject and object forms

1. Reading Practice

• Read John 3:16 aloud
• Identify all subjects and objects
• Circle all verbs

Important Tips

• Greek word order is more flexible than English
• Focus on patterns, not rules
• Articles are your best friends for identifying nouns
• Practice a little each day

Common John 3:16 Breakdown

Οὕτως γὰρ ἠγάπησεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν κόσμον
(For God so loved the world)

• ὁ θεὸς = subject (God)
• ἠγάπησεν = verb (loved)
• τὸν κόσμον = object (the world)

Next Steps

In Part 4, we’ll explore more complex sentence structures and learn about conjunctions that connect ideas together.

Additional Resources

• Online Greek text with parsing tools
• Practice sheets for article recognition
• Basic verb conjugation charts
• Simple sentence diagramming tools

Remember: The goal is recognition, not production. Focus on identifying patterns rather than memorizing rules.

Part 4: Sentence Structure & Connections