Greek uses three related but grammatically different kinds of word when you talk about where someone is from: a country noun such as η Ελλάδα, a nationality noun or adjective such as Έλληνας / ελληνικός, and a language form such as ελληνικά. English often uses the same capitalized word—Greek, French, Italian—for more than one of these jobs. Greek marks the difference through gender, endings, articles, and capitalization.
This page is a map of the system. The detailed country tables, nationality forms, and place prepositions are on the linked owner pages.
Country names have grammatical gender
A country name is a proper noun, but in ordinary Greek reference it normally appears with a definite article that reveals its gender. Many countries are feminine, but learners must store each name with its article.
| Gender | Country | Ordinary subject form |
|---|---|---|
| feminine | Ελλάδα, Γαλλία, Ιταλία | η Ελλάδα, η Γαλλία, η Ιταλία |
| masculine | Καναδάς | ο Καναδάς |
| neuter | Μεξικό | το Μεξικό |
Η Ελλάδα βρίσκεται στη νοτιοανατολική Ευρώπη.
i Eládha vrískete sti notioanatolikí Evrópi
Greece is in southeastern Europe.
Ο Καναδάς είναι πολύ μεγαλύτερος από τη Γαλλία.
o Kanadhás íne polí meghalíteros apó ti Ghalía
Canada is much larger than France.
Το Μεξικό έχει μεγάλη ακτογραμμή στον Ειρηνικό.
to Meksikó échi megháli aktoghramí ston Irinikó
Mexico has a long coastline on the Pacific.
The article is part of the ordinary noun phrase, not part of the country's spelling. Labels, map keys, headlines, and some elliptical destination expressions can show the bare name. That does not cancel its gender. The dedicated country gender page gives a larger reference table and case forms.
A person: nationality nouns change for gender
Nationality nouns identify people and normally have masculine and feminine forms. They are written with an initial capital: Έλληνας / Ελληνίδα, Γάλλος / Γαλλίδα, Ιταλός / Ιταλίδα. In a predicate after είμαι, the nationality noun normally appears without an article.
Ο Αντρέας είναι Έλληνας και η Κλερ είναι Γαλλίδα.
o Andréas íne Élinas ke i Kler íne Ghalídha
Andreas is Greek, and Claire is French.
Η νέα συνάδελφος είναι Ιταλίδα, αλλά ζει χρόνια στην Αθήνα.
i néa sinádhelfos íne Italídha, alá zi chrónia stin Athína
The new colleague is Italian, but she has lived in Athens for years.
When the nationality noun refers to a known person rather than serving as a predicate label, it can take the article and decline for case like other nouns.
Η Ελληνίδα από τη ρεσεψιόν μας βοήθησε με την κράτηση.
i Elinídha apó ti resepsión mas voíthise me tin krátisi
The Greek woman at reception helped us with the booking.
Greek also has nationality adjectives, which describe nouns and are lowercase: ελληνική κουζίνα, γαλλικό κρασί, ιταλική εταιρεία. The person noun and adjective may look closely related, but capitalization tells you which job the word is doing.
Στο φεστιβάλ δοκιμάσαμε ελληνικό μέλι και ιταλικό τυρί.
sto festivál dhokimásame elinikó méli ke italikó tirí
At the festival we tried Greek honey and Italian cheese.
A language: lowercase neuter plural
Language names commonly use the neuter plural form of the corresponding adjective: ελληνικά, αγγλικά, γαλλικά, ιταλικά. They are lowercase inside a sentence because Greek treats them as common words, unlike English language names.
Μιλάω ελληνικά και καταλαβαίνω λίγα ιταλικά.
miláo eliniká ke katalavéno lígha italiká
I speak Greek and understand a little Italian.
Στο σπίτι μιλούν αγγλικά με τα παιδιά.
sto spíti milún angliká me ta pedhiá
At home they speak English with the children.
After verbs such as μιλάω, the bare language form is normal. When the language itself is the subject or a fully specified noun phrase, an article can appear, while the language name remains lowercase.
Τα ελληνικά του έχουν βελτιωθεί πολύ από πέρσι.
ta eliniká tu échun veltiothí polí apó pérsi
His Greek has improved a lot since last year.
The full relationships between person, adjective, and language are treated on nationalities and languages.
From a country: από + accusative
Origin is normally expressed with από followed by an accusative noun phrase. The country article changes to its accusative form; από does not govern a genitive here.
Είμαι από την Ιταλία, από μια μικρή πόλη κοντά στη Μπολόνια.
íme apó tin Italía, apó mia mikrí póli kondá sti Bolónia
I'm from Italy, from a small town near Bologna.
Οι καινούριοι φοιτητές είναι από τον Καναδά.
i kenúrii fitités íne apó ton Kanadhá
The new students are from Canada.
Το δέμα ήρθε από το Μεξικό σε τέσσερις ημέρες.
to dhéma írthe apó to Meksikó se téseris iméres
The parcel came from Mexico in four days.
The articles reveal three different genders: feminine την, masculine τον, neuter το. Neutral current Standard Greek retains final ν in masculine τον. Feminine τη(ν) follows the sound-conditioned spelling rule.
In or to a country: σε + article
Greek σε covers both static location and movement toward a place. With a definite country phrase, it contracts with the article: σε + την → στην, σε + τον → στον, σε + το → στο. The verb tells you whether English needs in or to.
Η ξαδέλφη μου μένει στη Γαλλία και εργάζεται σε σχολείο.
i ksadhélfi mu méni sti Ghalía ke ergházete se scholío
My cousin lives in France and works at a school.
Τον Οκτώβριο μετακομίζουμε στον Καναδά για δουλειά.
ton Októvrio metakomízume ston Kanadhá ya dhuliá
In October we are moving to Canada for work.
Αύριο πετάμε στο Μεξικό με απευθείας πτήση.
ávrio petáme sto Meksikó me apefthías ptísi
Tomorrow we are flying to Mexico on a direct flight.
English chooses in versus to before the place. Greek keeps σε and lets μένω, πηγαίνω, πετάω, or another verb provide the location/motion contrast. See prepositions with places for the full system, including για as a destination expression.
Capitalization keeps the categories apart
The basic current rule is:
- country proper noun: capital, Ελλάδα;
- nationality noun naming a person: capital, Έλληνας / Ελληνίδα;
- nationality adjective: lowercase, ελληνικό φαγητό;
- language: lowercase, ελληνικά.
Ένας Γερμανός δημοσιογράφος έγραψε το άρθρο στα γερμανικά.
énas Yermanós dhimosioghráfos éghrapse to árthro sta yermaniká
A German journalist wrote the article in German.
Η Άννα αγόρασε ένα ισπανικό βιβλίο για να εξασκηθεί στα ισπανικά.
i Ána aghórase éna ispanikó vivlío ya na eksaskithí sta ispaniká
Anna bought a Spanish book to practise her Spanish.
This distinction is orthographic, not a difference in respect. Lowercase ελληνικά is the correct Standard spelling of the language name.
Common Mistakes
Omitting the article in ordinary subject reference
❌ Στο μάθημα μάθαμε ότι Ελλάδα έχει πολλά νησιά στο Αιγαίο.
Incorrect in ordinary integrated prose — the embedded country subject needs the article: η Ελλάδα.
✅ Στο μάθημα μάθαμε ότι η Ελλάδα έχει πολλά νησιά στο Αιγαίο.
sto máthima máthame óti i Eládha échi polá nisiá sto Eyéo
In class we learned that Greece has many islands in the Aegean.
Separating a country from a nationality
Country names can be bare labels and can even identify roles in a suitably framed event. The nationality answer below instead uses person nouns.
✅ Στον διαγωνισμό η Μαρίνα εκπροσωπεί την Ελλάδα και ο Λούκα την Ιταλία.
ston dhiaghonizmó i Marína ekprosopí tin Eládha ke o Lúka tin Italía
In the competition Marina represents Greece and Luca represents Italy. (countries)
✅ Η Μαρίνα είναι Ελληνίδα και ο Λούκα είναι Ιταλός.
i Marína íne Elinídha ke o Lúka íne Italós
Marina is Greek, and Luca is Italian.
Capitalizing a language like English
❌ Στη δουλειά μιλάμε Αγγλικά με τους πελάτες.
Incorrect capitalization — language names are lowercase in Greek.
✅ Στη δουλειά μιλάμε αγγλικά με τους ξένους πελάτες.
sti dhuliá miláme angliká me tus ksénus pelátes
At work we speak English with international customers.
Using a genitive after από
❌ Η νέα μας γειτόνισσα είναι από της Γαλλίας.
Incorrect — everyday από takes an accusative noun phrase: από τη Γαλλία.
✅ Η νέα μας γειτόνισσα είναι από τη νότια Γαλλία.
i néa mas yitónisa íne apó ti nótia Ghalía
Our new neighbour is from southern France.
Leaving σε and the article uncontracted
❌ Ο αδελφός μου σπουδάζει σε την Ιταλία.
Incorrect in neutral Standard Greek — σε + την contracts to στην.
✅ Ο αδελφός μου σπουδάζει στην Ιταλία από τον Σεπτέμβριο.
o adhelfós mu spudházi stin Italía apó ton Septémvrio
My brother has been studying in Italy since September.
Key Takeaways
- Store a country with its ordinary article and gender: η Ελλάδα, ο Καναδάς, το Μεξικό.
- Nationality nouns name people and distinguish masculine/feminine: Έλληνας / Ελληνίδα.
- Nationality nouns are capitalized; nationality adjectives and languages are lowercase.
- Languages commonly use a neuter plural form: ελληνικά, αγγλικά, γαλλικά.
- Origin uses από + accusative; location and motion toward a country commonly use contracted σε forms.
- Country names can be bare in labels and other restricted environments, so article use should be described by syntactic context rather than as a universal property of the printed name.
Now practice Greek
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Start learning Greek →Related Topics
- Country Names and Their GenderA1 — Learn current Standard Greek country names with their ordinary articles, gender, number, and the case forms needed after common place prepositions.
- Nationalities and LanguagesA1 — Distinguish capitalized nationality nouns from lowercase nationality adjectives and language names, with the gender forms and article patterns needed in everyday introductions.
- Prepositions With PlacesA2 — Choose and inflect Greek place phrases for location, destination, origin, and travel routes with σε, από, and για.
- Continents and DirectionsB1 — Use Greek continent names, compass-point nouns, directional adverbs, and agreeing geographic adjectives to locate places precisely.