Most Greek nouns keep the same number of syllables through their whole paradigm — η ώρα (2 syllables) → οι ώρες (2 syllables). But a small, high-frequency group of feminines does something different: it grows a syllable in the plural by inserting a -δ- before the ending. η γιαγιά (grandma, 2 syllables) → οι γιαγιάδες (3 syllables). These are called imparisyllabic ("unequal-syllabled") nouns, and because they cover family words (γιαγιά, μαμά), animals (αλεπού) and a lot of borrowed vocabulary, you meet them constantly. This page gives you the two plural endings — -άδες and -ούδες — and, crucially, teaches you to tell them apart from the ordinary feminines they resemble.
What "imparisyllabic" means
Parisyllabic nouns have the same syllable count in every case (η ώρα → οι ώρες). Imparisyllabic nouns gain one in the plural. The extra syllable comes from a -δ- wedged in before the plural ending, so a two-syllable singular like μαμά becomes a three-syllable plural μαμάδες. That single -δ- is the whole story; once you hear it, you can spot the class instantly.
These nouns are oxytone — stressed on the final vowel of the singular (γιαγιά, μαμά, αλεπού) — and the accent stays glued to that same vowel throughout the paradigm. It only looks like it moves, because in the plural there are now syllables (-δες, -δων) sitting after it.
Η γιαγιά μου φτιάχνει τον καλύτερο μουσακά της γειτονιάς.
i yayá mu ftiáchni ton kalítero musaká tis yitoniás
My grandma makes the best moussaka in the neighbourhood.
Οι γιαγιάδες κάθονται στο παγκάκι κάθε απόγευμα.
i yayádhes káthonde sto pangáki káthe apóyevma
The grandmas sit on the bench every afternoon.
The -άδες type
The largest group. The singular ends in a stressed -ά, and the plural is -άδες, genitive plural -άδων. Here is η γιαγιά:
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | η γιαγιά | οι γιαγιάδες |
| Genitive | της γιαγιάς | των γιαγιάδων |
| Accusative | τη γιαγιά | τις γιαγιάδες |
| Vocative | γιαγιά | γιαγιάδες |
The singular is completely ordinary — η γιαγιά, της γιαγιάς, τη γιαγιά — it's only the plural that reveals the class, with its inserted -δ-. Other -άδες members: η μαμά → οι μαμάδες (mum), η νονά → οι νονάδες (godmother), η κυρά → οι κυράδες (lady, folk register).
Μαμά, πού έβαλες τα κλειδιά μου;
mamá, pu évales ta klidhiá mu;
Mum, where did you put my keys?
Οι μαμάδες περιμένουν τα παιδιά έξω από το σχολείο.
i mamádhes periménun ta pedhiá ékso apó to scholío
The mums are waiting for the children outside the school.
Ο σύλλογος των μαμάδων οργανώνει το πανηγύρι φέτος.
o síloghos ton mamádhon orghanóni to paniyíri fétos
The mothers' association is organising the fair this year. (genitive plural -άδων)
The -ούδες type
A smaller group whose singular ends in a stressed -ού. The plural is -ούδες, genitive plural -ούδων. These are mostly animals and a few affectionate or borrowed words. Here is η αλεπού:
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | η αλεπού | οι αλεπούδες |
| Genitive | της αλεπούς | των αλεπούδων |
| Accusative | την αλεπού | τις αλεπούδες |
| Vocative | αλεπού | αλεπούδες |
Other -ούδες members: η μαϊμού → οι μαϊμούδες (monkey), η φουφού → οι φουφούδες (small brazier). Note the genitive singular της αλεπούς — the -ς attaches straight onto the -ού, giving a form that surprises beginners.
Μια αλεπού μπήκε στον κήπο μας χθες το βράδυ.
mia alepú bíke ston kípo mas chthes to vrádhi
A fox got into our garden last night.
Στο δάσος ζουν αλεπούδες, ελάφια και αγριογούρουνα.
sto dhásos zun alepúdhes eláfia ke aghrioghúruna
Foxes, deer and wild boar live in the forest.
Οι φωλιές των αλεπούδων βρίσκονται κάτω από τα δέντρα.
i folyés ton alepúdhon vrískonde káto apó ta dhéndra
The foxes' dens are located under the trees. (genitive plural -ούδων)
Η μαϊμού έκλεψε την μπανάνα μέσα από τα χέρια του παιδιού.
i maimú éklepse tin banána mésa apó ta chéria tu pedhiú
The monkey snatched the banana right out of the child's hands.
One group you might expect here but will not find: feminines ending in a stressed -ώ. η ηχώ (echo) (literary), η πειθώ (persuasion) (formal) and women's names of the older or pet-form type (Αργυρώ, Φρόσω) are not imparisyllabic. They belong to a small learned class of their own — genitive της ηχούς, της Αργυρώς — and in everyday Greek they have no plural at all, so they never compete with -άδες and -ούδες.
The look-alike trap: η αγελάδα stays parisyllabic
This is the reason the class is a B1 topic rather than an A1 one. Plenty of ordinary feminines end in -άδα and pluralise the regular way, with no extra syllable. η αγελάδα (cow) is the textbook case:
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | η αγελάδα | οι αγελάδες |
| Genitive | της αγελάδας | των αγελάδων |
| Accusative | την αγελάδα | τις αγελάδες |
| Vocative | αγελάδα | αγελάδες |
Count the syllables: α-γε-λά-δα (4) → α-γε-λά-δες (4). Same length — this is a plain -α feminine with a -δα that is simply part of the stem, not an inserted syllable. Contrast it with the imparisyllabic γιαγιά → γιαγιάδες, where the -δ- is new in the plural and the word genuinely lengthens.
The reliable clue is the -δ- itself. If it is already in the singular (αγελάδα, της αγελάδας), the noun is a plain -α feminine and pluralises -ες (αγελάδες) — safe every time. The imparisyllabics have no -δ- in the singular (γιαγιά, μαμά, αλεπού are bare) and grow it only from the plural onward.
Beware the one-way trap, though: a bare stressed vowel does not by itself make a noun imparisyllabic. On the -ά side plenty of oxytone feminines are perfectly regular — η χαρά → οι χαρές, η φορά → οι φορές, η καρδιά → οι καρδιές — and the -άδες nouns are a small closed list you memorise (γιαγιά, μαμά, νονά, κυρά…), not a shape you can read off the ending. Only the -ού side is automatic: there every feminine is imparisyllabic (αλεπού → αλεπούδες), no list needed.
Η αγελάδα δίνει γάλα κάθε πρωί.
i ayeládha dhíni ghála káthe proí
The cow gives milk every morning.
Οι αγελάδες βόσκουν ήσυχα στο λιβάδι.
i ayeládhes vóskun ísicha sto livádhi
The cows are grazing peacefully in the meadow.
Where these nouns come from
It's no accident that this class is full of grandmothers, mums, godmothers and animals. Imparisyllabic nouns cluster in affectionate, familiar and colloquial vocabulary, and — importantly — in loan words, because a foreign word that ends in a stressed vowel has nowhere to put a Greek ending: the inserted -δ- gives it the consonant it needs. That is exactly what happened on the feminine side to η νταντά → οι νταντάδες (nanny) and η μαϊμού → οι μαϊμούδες (monkey, from Turkish maymun, ultimately Arabic). The pressure is even stronger on the masculine side (ο μπαμπάς → οι μπαμπάδες, ο καφές → οι καφέδες, ο παππούς → οι παππούδες), which is covered on the masculine imparisyllabic page; it is worth learning the two together, since dad and grandpa decline in lockstep with mum and grandma.
Έψαχναν νταντά για τα δίδυμα, αλλά δεν βρήκαν καμία.
épsachnan dandá ya ta dhídhima, alá dhen vríkan kamía
They were looking for a nanny for the twins, but they couldn't find one.
Οι γιαγιάδες και οι παππούδες μαζεύονται κάθε Κυριακή στο χωριό.
i yayádhes ke i papúdhes mazévonde káthe Kiriakí sto chorió
The grandmas and grandpas gather every Sunday in the village.
Common Mistakes
1. Giving an imparisyllabic noun the regular -ες plural. The regular -α/-ά → -ες pattern (ώρα → ώρες) does not apply here: γιαγιά takes the imparisyllabic -άδες, never ×γιαγιές.
❌ Οι γιαγιές μαγειρεύουν για όλη την οικογένεια.
Incorrect — γιαγιά is imparisyllabic; the plural adds -δ-: οι γιαγιάδες.
✅ Οι γιαγιάδες μαγειρεύουν για όλη την οικογένεια.
i yayádhes mayirévun ya óli tin ikoyénia
The grandmas cook for the whole family.
2. Back-forming a singular from the plural stem. Learners hear αλεπούδ- in the plural and invent ×η αλεπούδα. The singular is the bare αλεπού; the -δ- exists only from the plural onward.
❌ Είδα δύο αλεπούδα στο βουνό.
Incorrect — there is no singular ×αλεπούδα, and after δύο you need the plural: αλεπούδες.
✅ Είδα δύο αλεπούδες στο βουνό.
ídha dhío alepúdhes sto vunó
I saw two foxes on the mountain.
3. Piling the -δ- onto a noun that already has one. The reverse error. η αγελάδα is an ordinary -α feminine — plural αγελάδες, genitive plural αγελάδων.
❌ Το γάλα των αγελάδαδων είναι φρέσκο.
Incorrect — αγελάδα is parisyllabic; don't add an extra -δ-: των αγελάδων.
✅ Το γάλα των αγελάδων είναι φρέσκο.
to ghála ton ayeládhon íne frésko
The cows' milk is fresh.
4. Dropping the -δ- in the genitive plural. The inserted -δ- runs through the whole plural, including the genitive plural: των γιαγιάδων, των μαμάδων, των αλεπούδων.
❌ Το σπίτι των γιαγιών είναι στο χωριό.
Incorrect — the genitive plural keeps the -δ-: των γιαγιάδων.
✅ Το σπίτι των γιαγιάδων είναι στο χωριό.
to spíti ton yayádhon íne sto chorió
The grandmas' house is in the village.
5. Treating η μαμά's genitive singular as imparisyllabic. The extra syllable belongs to the plural only — the genitive singular is simply the noun plus -ς.
❌ Το αυτοκίνητο της μαμάδας είναι στο συνεργείο.
Incorrect — the singular has no -δ-: της μαμάς.
✅ Το αυτοκίνητο της μαμάς είναι στο συνεργείο.
to aftokínito tis mamás íne sto sineryío
Mum's car is at the garage.
Key Takeaways
- Imparisyllabic feminines gain a syllable in the plural via an inserted -δ-: γιαγιά → γιαγιάδες.
- The two endings are not symmetrical: -ού → -ούδες is exceptionless (αλεπού → αλεπούδες), but -άδες is a small closed list (γιαγιά, μαμά, νονά, κυρά, θειά, νταντά) — most oxytone -ά feminines take the ordinary -ές (η χαρά → οι χαρές). Genitive plurals: -άδων / -ούδων.
- The singular is regular; the -δ- appears only from the plural onward, so don't back-form a singular like ×αλεπούδα.
- Beware the look-alikes: η αγελάδα already has -δα in the singular and stays the same length (αγελάδες) — it is not imparisyllabic.
- The class houses family words, animals and loan vocabulary (η νταντά → οι νταντάδες, η μαϊμού → οι μαϊμούδες); learn it alongside the masculine μπαμπάδες / παππούδες pattern.
- Feminines in a stressed -ώ (η ηχώ, Αργυρώ) are a different, learned class — not imparisyllabic, and without an everyday plural.
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Start learning Greek →Related Topics
- Imparisyllabic Masculines (-άδες, -ούδες)B1 — A large family of masculine nouns — ο ψαράς, ο καφές, ο παππούς, ο μπακάλης — that grows an extra syllable in the plural (οι ψαράδες, οι καφέδες), a pattern English has almost nowhere.
- Feminine Nouns in -αA1 — The most common feminine pattern — η γυναίκα, η ώρα, η μέρα, η θάλασσα — with its plain paradigm, the -ας genitive singular, and the one tricky cell: the accent-shifting genitive plural (η θάλασσα → των θαλασσών).
- Forming the PluralB1 — One reference for every plural ending in Greek — masculine -οι / -ες / -άδες / -ηδες, feminine -ες / -άδες / -ούδες / -εις / -οι, neuter -α / -ια / -ματα / -η — with the two rules that decide which -ας and which -ης noun goes where, plus the classic trap where a neuter plural in -α (τα παιδιά, 'the children') is mistaken for a feminine singular.
- The Genitive Plural (-ων)B1 — The plural 'of the…' form ends in -ων for almost every Greek noun (των ανθρώπων, των παιδιών, των πόλεων→-εων), and the article is always των — but the stress is the trickiest in the language, so natives often sidestep the awkward ones with από + accusative.
- The Three GendersA1 — Every Greek noun is masculine, feminine, or neuter — and that gender, shown by its article ο / η / το, controls the adjectives and pronouns around it, so you learn each noun together with its article, not on its own.