CHAPTER 26
Numbers and Interrogatives


You will be able to—
      1.   recognize and translate interrogative statements,
      2.   recognize and translate indefinite pronouns,
      3.   recognize and translate basic Greek numbers,
      4.   gain more practice in translating and working with Greek, and
      5.   master ten more high-frequency vocabulary words.

Introduction

Thus far we have looked at the following types of pronouns: personal (e.g., ἐγώ), relative (e.g., ὅς), demonstrative (e.g., οὗτος), reflexive (myself [ἐμαυτοῦ], yourself [σεαυτοῦ], him/her/itself [ἑαυτοῦ]) and reciprocal (e.g., ἀλλήλων). In this section we will examine indefinite pronouns (someone/something) and interrogative pronouns (who? which? what?).

Possessive Adjectives

Possessive adjectives are used in place of the genitive case of the personal pronouns at times.

ἐμός  -- my

σός   -- your

ἡμετερος  -- our

ὑμετερος  -- your (pl.)

Example

ἁγίασον αὐτοὺς ἐν τῇ ἀληθείᾳ ὁ λόγος ὁ σὸς ἀληθειά ἐστιν (Jn. 17:17)
sanctify them in the truth, your word is truth

Indefinite Pronouns (τις/τι, someone, anything)

This form is an enclitic and is often combined with ὅς (ὅστις).

Singular

Plural

 

Masc. and Fem.

Neut.

Masc. and Fem.

Neut.

Nom.

τις

τι

τινές

τινά

Gen.

τινός

τινός

τινῶν

τινῶν

Dat.

τινί

τινί

τισί(ν)

τισί(ν)

Acc.

τινά

τι

τινάς

τινά

 

Note that the word is an enclitic, with no accent of its own. These forms receive an accent when given special emphasis or when beginning a clause. The two-syllable forms also receive an accent when following a word with no accent on the ultima.

Example:
Καὶ ἀποστέλλουσιν πρὸς αὐτόν τινας τῶν Φαρισαίων.
And they sent to him some of the Pharisees (Mk. 12:13).

We have looked at interrogative clauses, which use οὐ when expecting an affirmative answer and μή when calling for a negative one. Other questions may also be introduced by the following interrogative adverbs:

 

πότε

when?

ποῦ

where?

πῶς

how?

τίς, τί

who? which? what?

Other interrogatives are

διὰ τί

why?

τί

why?

Interrogative Pronoun (τίς/τί who? which? what?)

 

Singular

Plural

 

Masc. and Fem.

Neut.

Masc. and Fem.

Neut.

Nom.

τίς

τί

τίνες

τίνα

Gen.

τίνος

τίνος

τίνων

τίνων

Dat.

τίνι

τίνι

τίσι(ν)

τίσι(ν)

Acc.

τίνα

τί

τίνας

τίνα

Note that these forms are not enclitic; instead, they have their own accent. Note also that the two-syllable forms are accented on the first syllable and that the acute accent on τίς and τί never changes to a grave accent. The accent is the only difference in form from the indefinite pronoun τις/τι, which is enclitic.

Example:

μὴ  οὖν μεριμνήσητε (worry) λέγοντες·  Τί φάγωμεν; ἤ· Τί πίωμεν; ἤ· Τί περιβαλώμεθα (wear)(Mat. 6:31).
Therefore do not worry saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?”

 

Greek Numbers

There are two types of numbers:

      1.   Cardinal numbers (1, 2, 3 and counting)

      2.   Ordinal numbers (first, second, and third, telling order in a list)

In Greek ordinal numbers are expressed as shown:

πρῶτος, -η, -ον

first

δεύτερος, -α, -ον

second

τρίτος, -η, -ον

third

τέταρτος, -η, -ον

fourth

Cardinal Numbers

Cardinal Numbers function like adjectives:

εἷς, μία, ἕν

1

ἕξ

6

δύο

2

ἑπτά

7

τρεῖς, τρεῖς, τρία

3

ὀκτώ

8

τέσσαρες, -ων

4

ἐννέα

9

πέντε

5

δέκα

10

 

 

εἴκοσι

20

 

 

τριάκοντα

30

ἑκατόν

100

τεσσεράκοντα

40

χίλιοι, -αι, -α

1,000

πεντήκοντα

50

Teens

ἕνδεκα

δώδεκα

τρισκαίδεκα

δεκατέσσαρες

δεκαπέντε ...

11

12

13

14

15

Tens

εἴκοσι

τριάκοντα

τεσσαράκοντα

πεντήκοντα

ἑξήκοντα...

20

30

40

50

60

Number One

The number one is often compounded (οὐδείς, μηδείς no one, nothing) and you should be able to recognize how it is declined (Machen, New Testament Greek, 165; Summers, Essentials, 138):

 

Masc.

Fem.

Neut.

Nom.

εἷς

μία

ἕν

Gen.

ἑνός

μιᾶς

ἑνός

Dat.

ἑνί

μιᾷ

ἑνί

Acc.

ἕνα

μίαν

ἕν

Example

ἦσαν δὲ ἐκεῖ λίθιναι ὑδρίαι ἕξ κατὰ τὸν καθαρισμὸν τῶν   Ἰουδαίων κείμεναι, χωροῦσαι (holding) ἀνὰ μετρητὰς δύο ἢ τρεῖς (Jn. 2:6)

But there was lying there six stone water jars according to the purification of the Jews, holding two or three measures each

Chant Numbers:   1-10, 12, 100, 1000

      εἷς,  δύο,  τρεῖς,  τέσσαρες,  πέντε,

      ἕξ,  ἑπτά, ὀκτώ,  ἐννέα,  δέκα,

      δώδεκα,       ἑκατόν,     χίλιοι

Vocabulary

ἑαυτοῦ, -ῆς

of him/her/itself (319)

ἐμός, -ή, -όν

my, mine (76)

ἱμάτιον, -ου, τό

garment (60)

νύξ, νυκτός, ἡ

night (61)

ὅστις, ἥτις, ὅτι

whoever (153)

ποῦ

where? (48)

προσκυνέω

I worship (60)

τις, τι

someone, something (525)

τίς, τί

who? which? what? (555)

ὧδε

here, hither (61)

Last modified: Wednesday, August 8, 2018, 2:00 PM