Postpositives and Personal Pronouns
Biblical Greek Lesson 12
Postpositives
A postpositive is a grammatical term used to describe words that, due to their nature or rules in a specific language, are placed after the word or phrase they modify, rather than before it as is typical in English. This is common in languages such as Latin, Greek, and French, and is also seen in English to some extent (Attorney General instead of General Attorney; Heir apparent).
δέ – Often translated as “but,” “and,” or “now,” used to connect clauses or sentences. Always appears after the first word or phrase in a clause.
μέν – Often translated as “indeed” or “on the one hand,” typically paired with δέ to form a contrast (μέν...δέ...).
γάρ – Means “for” or “because.” Provides explanatory or causal connections, always postpositive.
οὖν – Translated as “therefore,” “then,” or “so.” Indicates logical inference or conclusion.
τε – Means “both”, often used for linking ideas, typically less emphatic than καί.
Personal Pronouns
The Declension of the First Person Singular (I)
Nominative: ἐγώ – “I”
Genitive: ἐμοῦ / μου – “of me”
Ablative: ἐμοῦ / μου – “from me”
Dative: ἐμοί / μοι – “to me”
Locative: ἐμοί / μοι – “in me”
Instrumental: ἐμοί / μοι – “by me”
Accusative: ἐμέ / με – “me”
Vocative: (none; vocative not typically used with first-person pronouns)
The Declension of the First Person Plural (We)
Nominative: ἡμεῖς – “we”
Genitive: ἡμῶν – “of us”
Ablative: ἡμῶν – “from us”
Dative: ἡμῖν – “to us”
Locative: ἡμῖν – “in us”
Instrumental: ἡμῖν – “by us”
Accusative: ἡμᾶς – “us”
Vocative: (none; vocative not typically used with first-person pronouns)
The Declension of the Second Person Singular (You - Singular)
Nominative: σύ – “you”
Genitive: σοῦ / σου – “of you”
Ablative: σοῦ / σου – “from you”
Dative: σοί / σοι – “to you”
Locative: σοί / σοι – “in you”
Instrumental: σοί / σοι – “by you”
Accusative: σέ / σε – “you”
Vocative: (none; vocative not typically used with second-person pronouns)
The Declension of the Second Person Plural (You - Plural)
Nominative: ὑμεῖς – “you (all)”
Genitive: ὑμῶν – “of you (all)”
Ablative: ὑμῶν – “from you (all)”
Dative: ὑμῖν – “to you (all)”
Locative: ὑμῖν – “in you (all)”
Instrumental: ὑμῖν – “by you (all)”
Accusative: ὑμᾶς – “you (all)”
Vocative: (none; vocative not typically used with second-person pronouns)
The first and second person singular pronouns have two forms. These forms all called enclitics. An enclitic is a word in certain languages that is phonologically dependent on the preceding word, lacking its own stress or accent. It is often used in conjunction with the preceding word to form a single unit of speech.