Greek Adjectives

The three endings: -ος / -η / -ο

Almost every everyday Greek adjective follows the same three-way pattern. The ending changes to match the gender of the noun it describes:

• masculine: καλός (kalós), ending in -ος
• feminine: καλή (kalí), ending in -η
• neuter: καλό (kaló), ending in -ο

So: - ένας καλός φίλος: a good friend (masc) - μία καλή φίλη: a good friend (fem) - ένα καλό βιβλίο: a good book (neuter)

Once this pattern is in your head, most of the adjectives above predict themselves.

The -ος / -α / -ο variant

A smaller group takes -α in the feminine instead of -η. The rule of thumb: if the last consonant before the ending is a vowel, an α, or an ρ, the feminine is -α:

• νέος / νέα / νέο: young / new
• ωραίος / ωραία / ωραίο: nice / lovely
• κρύος / κρύα / κρύο: cold
• παλιός / παλιά / παλιό: old

Everything else works the same way as -ος / -η / -ο. Aisha said this pattern was the one that unlocked half her early Greek reading.

Position: adjective before the noun

Greek adjectives normally sit before the noun, like English:

• ένα μεγάλο σπίτι: a big house
• η όμορφη μέρα: the beautiful day
• οι νέοι φίλοι: the young friends

You can put the adjective after the noun for emphasis or in specific constructions, but as a starting rule, keep it in front. The article, adjective, and noun all agree in gender, number, and case: του καλού φίλου, της μεγάλης θάλασσας.

Comparing things (πιο and από)

Modern Greek makes comparisons two ways. The easy modern way is with πιο (more) plus the adjective, and από (than):

• Το σπίτι μου είναι πιο μεγάλο από το δικό σου.: My house is bigger than yours.
• Η Αθήνα είναι πιο ζεστή από τη Θεσσαλονίκη.: Athens is hotter than Thessaloniki.
• Πιο εύκολο απ' ό,τι νόμιζα.: Easier than I thought.

There's an older synthetic form (μεγαλύτερος, καλύτερος), which still turns up a lot for common adjectives. Both are correct. The πιο form is the beginner-friendly default.

Adjectives for how you feel

The -μένος / -μένη / -μένο ending (from past participles) covers a lot of feeling and state adjectives:

• κουρασμένος / -η / -ο: tired
• πεινασμένος / -η / -ο: hungry
• διψασμένος / -η / -ο: thirsty
• χαρούμενος / -η / -ο: happy
• λυπημένος / -η / -ο: sad

These take the same gender agreement as everything else. Yusuf said learning these was the fastest way to answer 'πώς είσαι;' (how are you?) with something other than καλά.