First-declension nouns

First-declension nouns

Feminine nouns such as τιμή and χώρα establish the alpha/eta patterns; πολίτης shows a masculine first-declension noun. Article forms make these patterns easier to read in context.

First declension includes more than one pattern

Many first-declension nouns are feminine, with nominatives in -η or -α: τιμή ‘honor,’ χώρα ‘land,’ and θεά ‘goddess.’ The stem and preceding sound influence whether alpha is retained through the singular forms. Learning the nominative together with genitive helps identify the pattern instead of treating every -α or -η noun as interchangeable.

Masculine first-declension nouns commonly end in -της or -ας in the nominative, such as πολίτης ‘citizen.’ Their article is masculine: ὁ πολίτης. They share much of the first-declension pattern while using masculine nominative and genitive forms. Declension describes endings; gender governs article and adjective agreement.

Read the noun through its article

In ἡ χώρα καλή ἐστιν, ἡ identifies χώρα as feminine nominative singular, and καλή agrees: ‘The land is beautiful.’ In τὴν χώραν βλέπει, τήν and -αν mark an accusative object: ‘He or she sees the land.’ You can observe the case shift before memorizing the entire chart.

Now read ὁ πολίτης εἰς τὴν ἀγορὰν βαδίζει. ὁ πολίτης is masculine nominative singular, while τὴν ἀγοράν is feminine accusative singular after εἰς: ‘The citizen walks into the marketplace.’ The common declension does not make the two nouns a common gender or role.

Alpha, eta, and the article

τιμή and χώρα are feminine first-declension nouns; πολίτης is masculine. The article makes gender visible and helps confirm case. Learn the genitive with the nominative because it reveals the stem and pattern, just as a Latin dictionary entry does.