Articles are words like ‘the’ (definite article) and ‘a‘/’an‘ (indefinite articles).
In English, whether we use ‘a’ or ‘an’ depends on whether a word begins with a vowel (a,e,i,o,u) or a consonant.
In Greek, the word we use for ‘a/an’ depends on the word’s gender.
Remember how to order drinks in Greek?
- Παρακαλώ, μια μπίρα (fem.)
- Παρακαλώ, ένα ούζο (neu.)
- Παρακαλώ, έναν καφέ (masc.)
These are the accusative forms of the indefinite article, used for objects, e.g. when asking a server (subject) to bring you a coffee (object).
The nominative forms of the indefinite articles, used for subjects, are exactly the same for feminine and neuter nouns:
- Μια γυναίκα είναι εδώ.
- Ένα παιδί είναι εδώ.
The masculine is a little different. Compare these sentences:
| Subject position | Object position |
| Ένας άντρας με θέλει. (A man (subj.) wants me (obj.).) | Θέλω έναν άντρα. (I (subj.) want a man (obj.).) |
| Μια γυναίκα με θέλει. (A woman (subj.) wants me (obj.).) | Θέλω μια γυναίκα. (I (subj.) want a woman (obj.).) |
| Ένα παιδί με θέλει. (A child (subj.) wants me (obj.).) | Θέλω ένα παιδί. (I (subj.) want a child (obj.).) |
Note that μια can also be written/said μία if you want to be emphatic.
The only really new thing for you to learn is when to use ένας vs. έναν. That is, the use of the masculine indefinite article.
Sara has made a great video for you to practice all of the articles by answering Αυτό, τι είναι; (What is this? literally ‘This, what is it?’), including a deep-dive into the masculine indefinite articles:
Ένα? Έναν?
As Sara notes, many Greek people simply say ένα rather than έναν when talking about the object of a sentence.
Technically, the –ν is optional, and according to some grammar books, should only be used before words starting with a vowel, or one of the consonants π, μπ, τ, ντ, κ, γγ, γκ.
So, a simple way to form the masculine accusative from the nominative is to simply cut off the final -ς of both the noun and the article:
ένας λογαριασμός -> ένα λογαριασμό (a bill/check)
You may also hear people use μιαν (or μίαν) instead of μια/μία before words starting with a vowel, or one of the consonants π, μπ, τ, ντ, κ, γγ, γκ, but this is not as common.
Here’s a summary of the articles we’ve encountered so far:
| Definite ‘the’ (Nominative) | Definite ‘the’ (Accusative) | Indefinite ‘a/an’ (Nominative) | Indefinite ‘a/an’ (Accusative) | |
| Masculine | ο | τον | ένας | ένα(ν) |
| Feminine | η | την | μια | μια(ν) |
| Neuter | το | το | ένα | ένα |
Focusing on the Nominative columns, have a go at the activity on page 30 of Ελληνικά Τώρα (Greek Now) 1+1.
Follow this up by completing activity Θ on page 10 of the Ελληνικά Τώρα (Greek Now) 1 workbook.
For extra practice, try answering Ποιος είναι; and Τι είναι; on page 7 of Λοιπόν, τι λες; (Well, what do you say?). It’s okay if you need to use a dictionary!
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