Minirmurn Ttao

Endirugs of the
Thlrd Declension
.... t TI TI TI TI TTI TTTI TI T ! I I TTTTTI I TI I I I ! TI I I I I r I I I I r TI I I
' ' '
In This Lesson:
) Introduction to the Third Declension
) Vocabulary
) TheVerb "to be"
) Minimum Two: Endings of the Third
Declension
D Application Examples
) Exercises

II I TTI I I TTTI I I I I I TI I t TI I I TTI I TTT! TI TI ! I TTI ! I I I I I I I TTI I T! TI

34 LEssoN 4

PART ONE: Introduction to the- Third Declension

In this lesson we take up the final declension, elled thc "Third" declension to distinguish
it from the "First and Second" declensions that we learned for 'Minimum One."
o fls noted in Lesson 3, the designations first, second, third are merely terms to
account for the varioaslntterns ofqelhng, rutfanction.
. A nominative in the first declension is precis.ly,t. same nominative in the second
or third declensions-it simply has a different pattern for spelling. The same is
true for all of the other cases (genitive, datrg, and accusative).
. This is evident when the patterns of spelling are observed in the endings of
dyacObq.

The key to working with this declension:

. Master the endings
. Learn the gcnitioe singulaetlte form given in parentheses
. The stem of thirdJeclension words is found in the genitive singular (minus thi
genitive ending). This will become clear in the discussion below.

PART TWO: Vocobulory

Por"t A. (see Appendix J for meoning of sub-heodings)

rteqrl gens concerning, about acc: around
[periscope, perimeter]
Neuter -[rar nouns
16 aipa,(aipratog) blood [hemoglobin]
t6 06Aqpra, (0ez\patog) will, desire
t6 6vopa, (ov6patoq) name [onomatopeia ("bvzz,'"spir" erc.)-+
from narne and rnahc = d. word that makes
the sound of ia meaningl
t6 rrveDpa, (nvefpatoq) spirit, Spirit, wind, breath [pner""onia]
t6 Qrlpa, (Qr;;ratog) word, saying [rhetoric]
 Minimum Two 43
6. 6 rcarcoq toiltou al6voq iotlv to0 oaqrc6q rcaL ou to0 nver.ipraroq

7. o avrlg io'rrv ircyuvarrc6q ciAAa n yuv4 iotl rcal r6rc to0 avbg6q.

8. aiirq iotw Magra, q pnrllA toOIr;oo0 to0 u[oO to0 0eo0.

9. rcaL be 6 rcaq6q toO 60vouq to,rw 6 rcarg6q tqq eAn[6og.

10. otrrl rbqa eydveto [has come], eqra (erytco) trlv 1e rqa toO rcuqrlou

11. nrote0e [believe] €v trp ovoprdtr to0 Ir1oo0 v0v, rcaL of ocoo0qo1, (you

shall be saved).

12. ev tQ aiy"artrcal ev tQ ovopatr toO Ir;oo0, iycb rcaAdr^r tr;1 buv&per to0
@eo0

13. Aoilr^r (I am washing) touc nobaq toO rcuqiou.

14. ol ygapprateig rcal ol @aqrtoator rcal ol aqlLeqeiq A€youow (are saying)

6tr 6Irloo0q ourc 6otw 6 rcfgroq

15. ta 6qr1 toO 0eo0

Port Three
1. p),tna trlv b6[av rr,ov ayytArov toO 0eo0, rcalv0v 6Xc,-r t1v tArclba t1v
ayaOrlv rns ear1e.

2. Aeya aLLcp avOqcirnrp neqrl to0to to oapparov rcaL ou neql naoqe

rlp6qaq.

3. eq, (enrta) trlv laqrta rou rcuglou. 6 agluge0q ourc 6otw 6

paorAeus

4. eottv 6 rcarq6g toO nqoQqtou rcaL to0 anoot6Aou

t
42 LEssoN 4

5. rl XaQ,q toO lqrrotou erc rr;e nioteo.rg autou

6. eqra (Cnrta)tov uldv tou avOgilicou cbote q ctyolrrqautou Aa,An (tirl

may speak) por [to me]

7. toOto Eorw td t6rcvov rrls nioret"i,e

8. o[A6yor ircto0ot6patog aitou

9. q iAnlg auto0 iotl 3v'tQ rSbatt rcaI ev tQ aipart d./J.d. ouK tv rQ rcarQ
nvefpatr
10. rl Xderg ro0 0eo0 eotlv xavri
11. iya A,tya rcavrc- ta Qrjprata rrle laqrtog rcal trls nioreotq roTq
av0qc^rno6

12. iv tQ o0qavQ rcal Ev trp rc6opcp,Ir;oo0g totLv rcrigtog

13. Brc toO vtirctoq rcaL 6ia rrls rl[rdeaq, t1co tqv paouAelav trle eAnlboq
14. olba td 06Aqpa toO 0eo0 rcatLo'/too (AaA€co) ai:rQrlprdqav rcaLv$rta

Port Two
1. tlq iotrv oritoq 6 &v0gr^-rnoq; (lhequestionmarkinGreekisoursemi-colon).

2. tv tQ orbpart, iv tr;1 Kaqbr+ neBI oaqrrc6q

3. tQ rcatgr rcai torg rcaott€rcvorq rcaL tQ oLyd1q EqyC

4. o paor.l,eug 6 xarcoq iotw ev u;1 noA.eTtr;1 rcarcr;1 d,AAd oOrc ev tfl noAer
to0 Qrotoq

5. oD ei [are] o uiog tlvoq; a/d.a ourc iyr,-r oi6a qv pat6ga.

 AAinimum Two 35
16 or6pa, (ot6;.ratog) mouth [stomach]
16 oaya, (orirpatog) body [psychosomatic]
Dentals (t 6 O)
i tLntq,(iAni6oq) hope, expectation
Tl vuE, (vurct6g) night
naq, (nanr6q), ndv, nd.oat all, each, every [Pan American]
6 nouq, (rco66g) foot [podiatry]
t6 r56a;qr, (ri6atoq) ., water [hydro...]
ro Qr,oq, (Qot6g) light [phosphorous]
n Xdqrq, (laqrtog) grace, favor kindness [eucharist]
Iota stems
q brivaprrq, (6uvaperoq) power, miracle [dynamite]
iy niortq, (n[o'tec^rg) faithfulness, fairh, trust, belief
11 n6A6, (n6Aer^rq) ciry lpolice, politics, metropolitan,
cosmopolitan, etc.

Port B. (see Appendix J for meoning of sub-heodings)

iorLv2 he, it, she is
Liquids(,l'pvg)
6 akiv, (alc^rvoq) age, eternity [aeon / eon]'
6 avr1q, (avbq6q) man, male, husband [avDgo + lpv4 =
androgynous (both male and female)
t6 rc0qr, (nuQ6g) fire [pyromaniac]
tlg, (ttvoq), t13 who? what? which? why?
tE, (trvoq), tra someone, anyone, something, anything

L The feminine form is declined like the first declension word yAdrooa.
L The last letter "v" of this word is not found 100 percent of the time and is, therefore, called the "movable nu." The
nuscripts are very inconsistent with its usage. Some scribes attempted to "atticizr" the Koine and would therefore include or
, dde the "v" under rules that are inconsistently applied. See Appendix B for the firll conjugation of the verb "to be" in all the
lE.
i a The interrogative pronoun never loses the accent (and it alwap is an acute accent on the first syllable).

l
{l The indefinite pronoun may or may not have an accent.
I
I
!
36 LEssoN 4

rl Xste, kee6g) hand, arm, finger [chiropractor]

-practor
(from rrga{rg = on zct or deed)
Palatals (y rc D

4 yuvr],,(yuvatrc6q) woman, wife [androgJ,rrous]

q odqE, (oaQrc6q) fesh, body
.
Miscellaneous
(agXuQ€rrg)
6 aqXueqedq, chief priest, high priest
6 paorAe0g, (paorAdcoq) kirg
o yqalrpartuq, (yqappratio4) scribe [grammar]
t6 60voq, (60voug) nation [ethnic]
rl prlfflq (pqtq6g) mother
'\ t6 6qroq, (6eoug) mountain, hill
6 natr\q, (natqog) - father

PART THREE: The Verb "to be"

Pnrsuvr Thnsp
eipi I am iopdv we are
ei you are €or€ you are
iotiv he, ir, she is eioiv they are

It is important to know that the so-called verb "to be" is equivalent to an equals sign. That
is, the nominative case is always required on both sides of the verb. Example: The man is
the hingis the same as the hingisthe rnan. Both "man'and "king" must be nominative: 6
&v0qrrorcoq iotiv 6 paoAeuq.

PART FOUR: Endings of the Third Declension

Only nvo forms exist for the third declension since the masculine and feminine forms of
this declension are identical. The neuter is very similar. \Uhen you have learned the two
declensions of the Third Declension noun, you will have also learned the endings for the
folowing 18 forms:
. AII &ird declension nouns (two declensions)-"194iff6rrm Two" itself.
 tl[inimum Two 37
' All third declension masculine and neuter adjectives Some adjectives like naq
follow the first declension endings for the feminine = two declensions

' AII third declension pronouns. This includes the interrogative and indefinite
pronouns = four declensions

' Participles in the active voice for all tenses (future, presenr, aorist and perfect) for
the masculine and neuter genders = eighr declensions.

' The aorist passive participle in the masculine and neuter genders = rwo declensions.
The feminine gender follows the first declension-Minimum One.

At this stage of your study, do not be concerned about the meaning of such words as
"participle," and the tense designations. Merely observe how many forms are based on this
Minimum.
fu noted above on the entry for "participles," these endings are the same endings used for
Minbnum Slr, the endings of the participle of eipi-so master them now and you will
have helped yourself in two ways: first, you will be able to work with a.very common NT
declension and, second, you will have Minimum Six-A essentially learned. Here are the
endings (obserue, as noted above, the masculine and feminine endings are identical):

Minirnum Tuo

Mescur-u.n/FrMnrnre Nrurrn
Smcur-en
Nom. 4 ot-none
Gen. -og
Dat.
Acc. -4 orV
Pruner,
Nom.
Gen.
Dat. -o1
Acc. -d.s )
38 LEssON 4

PART FIVE: Applicotion of The Endings to i/rntq ond 6vopa

. The steffiof athirddeclensionnounoccursinalloftheforms exceptthenominative
singular.
. For this reason, we learn the genitive singular of a third declension word because
the stem of the words in the third declension are known by the genitive singular
form with the genitive ending (-oS) removed.
. There are many rules that explain why the nominative singular does not have the
entire stem, but learning them is unnecessary simply because those changes haue
already been done for us in the NT and we do not want to argue with the writerlFor
those who still feel the need to understand the aberrations of the nominative case
formations, see the box below labeled "For the Curious," page79.
. \(/e give two examples to demonstrate why the stem of the genitive is crucial to
understanding the third declension.

Example One €Anie, (ilnl6og)-hope

\Ve give first the stem (the word minus the (-og) of the genitive singular):

Swcu-en
Nom. elztrb
Gen. elnrb
Dat. elnrb
Acc. elnt6
hunrr
Nom- elntb
Gen. einrb
Dac einrb
Acc. tinrD
 llAinimum Two 39
Nowwe add the third declension endingp. The word is feminine.

Swcuran
Nom. elrtt6 g = elztr€
Gen. eAnrD og
Dat. elnr6 r
Acc. elrtr6 a
I'lunel,
Nom. etrrtD eg
Gen. elrtrD cov
Dat. elnr6 ot = el"rtot
Acc. el'irr6 ag

In both of the words in the third column (following the equal sign), the nominative singular
and the dative plural, the "6" and the "o" combine to make just a "gi"-as a sounding of
the two letters would show.

Fxample two: 6vopa,-(dv6patog)-name

'We
give first the stem (the word minus the -<rg of the genitive singular):

SINcuren
Nom. ovopa.T
Gen. ovopa.T
Dat. ovopa'r
Acc. ovopa.r

Pwner
Nom. ovopar
Gen. ovopa.T
Dat. ovolra'r
Acc. ovopa.r
Non, we add the third declension endings. The word is neuter (and thus the things
we have learned about the neuter need to be applied-nominatives and accusatives are
identicd, and the genitives and datives follow the masculine).
40 LEssoN 4

Swcumn
Nom. ovolrar -nofle = oVopct
Gen. ovopar -og
Dat. ovolrar -t
Acc. ovolrar -nofle = oVoFd
Prunnr
Nom. ovopa.T -d
Gen. ovoprar -@v
Dat. ovolrat -ot = oVoFctot
Acc. OvO[rdt -4 ----:---
The three words in the third column above (following the equal sign) are the actual words
found in the NT. \flhy? The Greek word cannot end with a "T" (the nom. and acc.
singulars), and the letter "o" cannot be preceded by a"T" (the dative plural). Again, these
rules do not need to be learned and are given solely to show that there was a rationale in
the Greek mind for these changes.

Remembe?...
o fi5 noted earlier, the neuter gender declension is very simple. Because the neuter
gender is so similar to the masculine and feminine patterns, only the nominative
singular and plural endings need to be learned. i
e [s pointed out for the second declension, in the neuter gender, the nominatiues
and acccuatiaes Are identical.5 And also as in the second declension, the neuter
genitives and datives are the same as the masculine (and this includes the feminine
for the third declension) form.

' Notice again that the genitive plurds are alike and also the same as in the first and
second declensions Ccov).

' Notice also that the dative singular ending has an iota as in the other declensions,
only in this declension the "iota" is not subsripted lrrp and 4 as in the first and
second declensions-Minimum One].

' Do not confuse the neuter plural "4" with the first declension nominative singular:

5. The neuter gcodcr dm u mr in the first declension.

 ttAinimum Two 41
Kag6i4. A very natural and frequent error is made when students see the "a'"
ending. -llis "4" ending occurs for the first declension nominative singular and
also for the neuter nominative and accusative plurak.

' A criticdly important guideline when working with the third declension is to hoh
for the defnite article in front of tbe word. Since the definite article is the same for
all three declensions and neuer changes its spelling euen when the folhwing word does,
this stabiliry can often clarify the case, number and gender for this declension that
varies so much in its spellings.

Important point: Knowing Minimums One andTwo, with Minimum Four applied (which
consists of six tense identifiers), rileans loa are equipped n decline almost eaery noun, pronoun,
adjectiue and participle in the Neu Tbstament. Thar- is, all declensions are covered.

. Only verbs (and participles which are built on verbs) and vocabulary are left to be

. Vrirbs are covered in the next Minimum, and utilize the same Minirnum Four
just mentioned above! Participles are covered in Minimum Six and are built on
Minimums Two and Four. This is the "building block' plan at work.

PART SIX: Exercises

Port One
Note '\tr7hen you find two forms of a verb side by side, the first entry is the form found
in the NT and is the result of contraction. The vocabulary form (in parentheses) does
not appear in the NT but needs to be learned this way to account for other formations.
Contract verbs are covered in Lesson 6.

1. torq ulorg rt,ov nayrorv avOqcirncov

2. q cttdlaq to0 0eo0 K.at 4 rcio:.rq toO lqroto0 rcal to 06Ar;pa rot
nveupatoq

3. tQ fibatt rrls ec:r1e,negl tr;s 6uvdprer,-rg toO 0eo0

4. Iqoo0g iotw to Qorq toO rc6opou

- s*: