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 káthode sto pangáki káthe apóghevma
The grandmas sit on the bench every afternoon.
The -άδες type
The largest group. The singular ends in a stressed -ά (or, for a few, a stressed -ώ), 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 organóni 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 vrískode 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.
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 clue that separates them is the singular: an imparisyllabic noun ends its singular in a bare stressed vowel (γιαγιά, μαμά, αλεπού), while the look-alike ends its singular in a full -δα/-δο syllable already (αγελάδα). If the -δ- is present in the singular, the noun is parisyllabic; if the -δ- only shows up in the plural, it's imparisyllabic.
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, which Greek almost always fits into an imparisyllabic pattern because it's the easiest way to bolt a plural onto a foreign shape. The masculine side of the same phenomenon (ο μπαμπάς → οι μπαμπάδες, ο καφές → οι καφέδες, ο παππούς → οι παππούδες) is covered on the masculine imparisyllabic page, and it is worth learning the two together, since dad and grandpa decline in lockstep with mum and grandma.
Οι γιαγιάδες και οι παππούδες μαζεύονται κάθε Κυριακή στο χωριό.
i yayádhes ke i papúdhes mazévode káthe kiriakí sto chorió
The grandmas and grandpas gather every Sunday in the village.
Common Mistakes
❌ Οι γιαγιές μαγειρεύουν για όλη την οικογένεια.
i yayés mayirévun ya óli tin ikoyénia
Incorrect — γιαγιά is imparisyllabic; the plural adds -δ-.
✅ Οι γιαγιάδες μαγειρεύουν για όλη την οικογένεια.
i yayádhes mayirévun ya óli tin ikoyénia
The grandmas cook for the whole family.
The regular -α/-ά → -ες plural (ώρα → ώρες) does not apply here. γιαγιά takes the imparisyllabic -άδες: γιαγιάδες, never γιαγιές.
❌ Είδα δύο αλεπούδα στο βουνό.
ídha dhío alepúdha sto vunó
Incorrect — there is no singular *αλεπούδα; the -δ- is only in the plural.
✅ Είδα δύο αλεπούδες στο βουνό.
ídha dhío alepúdhes sto vunó
I saw two foxes on the mountain.
Learners hear the plural stem αλεπούδ- and invent a singular αλεπούδα. The singular is the bare *αλεπού; the -δ- exists only from the plural onward.
❌ Το γάλα των αγελάδαδων είναι φρέσκο.
to ghála ton ayeládhadhon íne frésko
Incorrect — αγελάδα is parisyllabic; don't add an extra -δ-.
✅ Το γάλα των αγελάδων είναι φρέσκο.
to ghála ton ayeládhon íne frésko
The cows' milk is fresh.
The reverse error: piling the imparisyllabic -δ- onto a noun that already has one in its stem. η αγελάδα is an ordinary -α feminine — plural αγελάδες, genitive plural αγελάδων.
❌ Το σπίτι των γιαγιών είναι στο χωριό.
to spíti ton yayón íne sto chorió
Incorrect — the genitive plural keeps the -δ-: γιαγιάδων.
✅ Το σπίτι των γιαγιάδων είναι στο χωριό.
to spíti ton yayádhon íne sto chorió
The grandmas' house is in the village.
The inserted -δ- runs through the whole plural, including the genitive plural: των γιαγιάδων, των μαμάδων, των αλεπούδων.
Key Takeaways
- Imparisyllabic feminines gain a syllable in the plural via an inserted -δ-: γιαγιά → γιαγιάδες.
- Two endings, matched to the singular vowel: -ά → -άδες (μαμά → μαμάδες) and -ού → -ούδες (αλεπού → αλεπούδες). 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; learn it alongside the masculine μπαμπάδες / παππούδες pattern.
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- 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 PluralA2 — One reference for every plural ending in Greek — masculine -οι / -ες / -άδες, feminine -ες / -εις, neuter -α / -ια / -ματα / -η — 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.