This page teaches nothing new. It is the reference card you come back to when you are writing something and need to check a cell — the four cases, their jobs, a full paradigm of each gender, and the prepositions sorted by what they govern. Every row points at the page that actually explains it. If you are meeting the case system for the first time, start at The Greek case system instead and come back here later.
One thing is deliberately not reprinted below: the definite-article grid. It lives in full — Greek and romanized, with the σε-fusion and the indefinite forms — on How cases show on the article, and duplicating it here would only give you two copies to keep in sync in your head. Keep that page bookmarked next to this one.
Index: what forces which case
Work from the left-hand column. You know what you are trying to say; this tells you the case and where the rule lives.
| What you are expressing | Case | Where it is explained |
|---|---|---|
| Subject of the verb | nominative | Nominative: the subject |
| Complement of είμαι, γίνομαι, λέγομαι | nominative | Nominative: predicate and naming |
| Direct object | accusative | Accusative: the direct object |
| After σε, από, με, για, χωρίς, προς, μέχρι, κατά | accusative | Accusative after prepositions |
| Point in time, day, duration (no preposition) | accusative | Accusative for time and duration |
| Distance, price, weight, age | accusative | Accusative for extent and measure |
| Possessor, "of", relationship | genitive | Genitive: possession |
| Recipient, when it is a pronoun | genitive (clitic) | Genitive: the indirect object |
| Recipient, when it is a full noun | σε + accusative | Indirect object: genitive vs σε |
| The person something happens to (μου αρέσει) | genitive (clitic) | Experiencer clitics |
| Habitual or recurring time (του χρόνου, της Κυριακής) | genitive | Genitive of time |
| After εναντίον, υπέρ, λόγω, μεταξύ, εντός, μέσω | genitive | Genitive after learned prepositions |
| After άξιος, ένοχος, πλήρης (formal) | genitive | Genitive with adjectives |
| Standard of comparison | από + accusative, or genitive clitic | Case after comparatives |
| Calling or addressing someone | vocative | Vocative: address |
| A title or noun renaming another noun | same case as the head | Case in apposition |
| A number modifying a noun | same case as the noun | Case with numbers |
Two entries in that list are the ones people actually look up twice. The recipient splits by what kind of word it is, not by meaning — pronoun takes the genitive, full noun takes σε. And the genitive of time is a different construction from the accusative of time: την Κυριακή is "on Sunday (this coming one)", της Κυριακής is "on Sundays, as a rule".
Three noun phrases, fully declined
Article + adjective + noun, all agreeing, all eight cells. This is the shape of every noun phrase in the language; substitute your own words into the frame.
| Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nom. sg. | ο καλός φίλος | η καλή φίλη | το καλό παιδί |
| Gen. sg. | του καλού φίλου | της καλής φίλης | του καλού παιδιού |
| Acc. sg. | τον καλό φίλο | την καλή φίλη | το καλό παιδί |
| Voc. sg. | καλέ φίλε | καλή φίλη | καλό παιδί |
| Nom. pl. | οι καλοί φίλοι | οι καλές φίλες | τα καλά παιδιά |
| Gen. pl. | των καλών φίλων | των καλών φίλων | των καλών παιδιών |
| Acc. pl. | τους καλούς φίλους | τις καλές φίλες | τα καλά παιδιά |
| Voc. pl. | καλοί φίλοι | καλές φίλες | καλά παιδιά |
Four things are worth noticing while the whole grid is in front of you at once, because they are invisible when you learn the genders one at a time:
- The genitive plural row is nearly uniform. Article των for all three genders, adjective καλών for all three. Only the noun ending distinguishes them, and even that is -ων or -ων/-ών in every class.
- The vocative never takes an article — the whole row is bare, in all three genders and both numbers.
- The neuter column has only five distinct forms for eight cells, because nominative, accusative and vocative are identical in each number.
- The feminine plural nominative and accusative differ only in the article: οι καλές φίλες versus τις καλές φίλες. The three words after the article are the same.
One noun through all four cases
Ο γιατρός βγήκε από το χειρουργείο πριν από λίγο.
o yatrós vyíke apó to chiruryío prin apó lígho
The doctor came out of the operating theatre a little while ago. (nominative — subject)
Η γνώμη του γιατρού ήταν ξεκάθαρη.
i ghnómi tu yatrú ítan ksekáthari
The doctor's opinion was unambiguous. (genitive — possessor)
Είδα τον γιατρό στον διάδρομο και τον χαιρέτησα.
ídha ton yatró ston dhiádhromo ke ton cherétisa
I saw the doctor in the corridor and said hello. (accusative — direct object)
Γιατρέ, πονάει ακόμα εδώ όταν το πιέζω.
yatré, ponái akóma edhó ótan to piézo
Doctor, it still hurts here when I press it. (vocative — address)
And the same noun in the plural, so you can see the article carry the load:
Οι γιατροί του νοσοκομείου απεργούν την Τρίτη.
i yatrí tu nosokomíu aperghún tin Tríti
The hospital doctors are on strike on Tuesday. (nominative plural, genitive singular, accusative of time — all in one sentence)
Ρώτησα τους γιατρούς και μου είπαν διαφορετικά πράγματα.
rótisa tus yatrús ke mu ípan dhiaforetiká prághmata
I asked the doctors and they told me different things. (accusative plural)
Other genders, for the cells that are easiest to forget:
Η πόρτα της αποθήκης είναι πάντα κλειδωμένη.
i pórta tis apothíkis íne pánda klidhoméni
The storeroom door is always locked. (feminine genitive singular)
Το κόστος των εισιτηρίων ανέβηκε πάλι φέτος.
to kóstos ton isitiríon anévike páli fétos
The price of the tickets has gone up again this year. (neuter genitive plural)
Prepositions sorted by case
| Governs the accusative (everyday) | Governs the genitive (formal / learned) |
|---|---|
| σε (στον, στη(ν), στο…) — to, at, in, on | εναντίον — against |
| από — from, by, than | υπέρ — in favour of |
| με — with, by means of | λόγω — because of |
| για — for, about | μεταξύ — between, among |
| χωρίς / δίχως — without | εντός / εκτός — inside / outside, within |
| προς — towards | μέσω — via, through |
| μέχρι / ως — until, as far as | κατά (in the sense "against") |
| κατά (in the sense "during, according to") | πλην — except (formal) |
| παρά — despite, minus | χάριν — for the sake of (formal / literary) |
The left column is the whole of everyday Greek: nine prepositions, one case. The right column is a closed, learned set that you will meet in newspapers, contracts and lectures far more often than in conversation. Note κατά appearing in both — with the accusative it means "during / according to" (κατά τη διάρκεια, κατά τη γνώμη μου), with the genitive it means "against" (κατά της απόφασης).
Περάσαμε από το φαρμακείο πριν πάμε σπίτι.
perásame apó to farmakío prin páme spíti
We stopped by the pharmacy before going home.
Ψήφισαν όλοι εναντίον της πρότασης.
psífisan óli enandíon tis prótasis
They all voted against the motion. (formal)
Θα λείπω τρεις μέρες τον Αύγουστο.
tha lípo tris méres ton Ávghusto
I'll be away for three days in August. (two bare accusatives, no preposition at all)
The weak pronouns
The clitics are the highest-frequency case forms in the language, and this is the whole inventory. Which one to pick — and why μας and σας let you off the hook — is worked out on Case forms of the weak pronouns.
| Accusative (direct object) | Genitive (recipient, possessor, experiencer) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 sg. | με | μου |
| 2 sg. | σε | σου |
| 3 sg. m. / f. / n. | τον / την / το | του / της / του |
| 1 pl. | μας | μας |
| 2 pl. | σας | σας |
| 3 pl. m. / f. / n. | τους / τις / τα | τους (all genders) |
Where the same meaning has two cases
Two constructions in the language genuinely allow both, and the choice is register, not grammar. Neither version is an error.
Έδωσα του γιατρού όλες τις παλιές εξετάσεις.
édhosa tu yatrú óles tis paliés eksetásis
I gave the doctor all the old test results. (genitive frame — formal, bookish in speech)
Έδωσα στον γιατρό όλες τις παλιές εξετάσεις.
édhosa ston yatró óles tis paliés eksetásis
I gave the doctor all the old test results. (σε frame — the everyday default)
The same split runs through the whole language: the genitive is the older, tighter, more literary option, and σε + accusative is the modern spoken one. When in doubt in speech, σε.
Common Mistakes
1. Changing the noun but leaving the adjective in the nominative. Case belongs to the whole phrase.
❌ Είδα τον καλός φίλο μου στην αγορά.
Incorrect — the adjective takes the case too: τον καλό φίλο μου.
✅ Είδα τον καλό φίλο μου στην αγορά.
ídha ton kaló fílo mu stin aghorá
I saw my good friend at the market.
2. Leaving a noun in the nominative after a preposition. Every preposition governs a case; none of them takes the nominative.
❌ Μιλήσαμε για ο καιρός όλο το βράδυ.
Incorrect — για takes the accusative: για τον καιρό.
✅ Μιλήσαμε για τον καιρό όλο το βράδυ.
milísame ya ton keró ólo to vrádhi
We talked about the weather all evening.
3. Confusing της with τις. Της is feminine genitive singular; τις is feminine accusative plural.
❌ Άνοιξα της πόρτες για να μπει αέρας.
Incorrect — accusative plural is τις: τις πόρτες.
✅ Άνοιξα τις πόρτες για να μπει αέρας.
ániksa tis pórtes ya na bi aéras
I opened the doors to let some air in.
4. Putting an article on a vocative. The vocative row of every paradigm is bare.
❌ Τα παιδιά, ελάτε να φάτε!
Incorrect — address takes no article: Παιδιά, ελάτε!
✅ Παιδιά, ελάτε να φάτε!
pedhiá, eláte na fáte
Kids, come and eat!
5. Confusing του with τους — the other half of the same trap. Του is genitive singular; τους is masculine accusative plural.
❌ Ειδοποίησα του γείτονες για τη διακοπή νερού.
Incorrect — accusative plural is τους: τους γείτονες.
✅ Ειδοποίησα τους γείτονες για τη διακοπή νερού.
idhopíisa tus yítones ya ti dhiakopí nerú
I let the neighbours know about the water cut.
Key Takeaways
- Use the function index at the top as your entry point: you know the meaning, it gives you the case and the page.
- Case is a property of the phrase: article, adjective and noun all move together, in all eight cells.
- The genitive plural is the most uniform row in the language (των καλών … for every gender); the vocative row never takes an article; the neuter has only five distinct forms out of eight.
- Nine everyday prepositions take the accusative; a closed learned set takes the genitive. Κατά is the one that does both, with different meanings.
- The clitic inventory is small and half of it is case-neutral (μας, σας, plural τους).
- Where both a genitive and a σε-phrase are possible, the difference is register: genitive = formal/written, σε = everyday.
- The full article grid is not on this page — it is on How cases show on the article.
Now practice Greek
Reading grammar gets you part of the way. The exercises are where it sticks — free, no signup needed.
Start learning Greek →Related Topics
- The Greek Case SystemA1 — The master map of Greek cases — nominative, genitive, accusative and vocative, what each one is for, why the ancient dative is gone and what took its place, and why the article and the adjective carry the case more visibly than the noun does.
- How Cases Show on the ArticleA1 — Greek noun endings are often ambiguous, so the little word in front does the real work — the full ο/του/τον, η/της/την, το/του/το grid, why ο φίλος and τον φίλο are read as subject and object at a glance, and the one place where the article can't save you.
- Case Forms of the Weak PronounsA2 — The one decision behind every clitic pronoun in Greek — accusative με/σε/τον/την/το for what the verb acts on, genitive μου/σου/του/της for who receives or undergoes it — why μας and σας let you off the hook, and the verb lists that decide it for you.