Γλωσσική ικανότητα: λεξιλόγιο, γραμματική και σύνταξη
What this section tests
Linguistic competence means controlling Greek as a system: vocabulary breadth, morphology (noun declensions, verb endings, comparatives), and syntax (case government, clause linkage, word order). The HSC Continuers course assumes you can already handle everyday topics, so marks are lost on precision, not on ideas.
Concepts to master
Know the three declensions and the article patterns cold, including the genitive singular and plural, because prepositions and verbs govern cases. Learn which prepositions take genitive (μετά, χωρίς, εκτός, λόγω) and which take accusative (σε, με, για, προς). Master the medio-passive voice as a separate paradigm (έρχομαι, κάθομαι, θυμάμαι) and the aorist stem changes (βλέπω–είδα, λέω–είπα, παίρνω–πήρα). For syntax, practise subordination: να-clauses, ότι/πως clauses, relative clauses with που, and conditional clauses with αν plus subjunctive.
Traps in questions
- Aspect, not tense: the aorist subjunctive (να γράψω) implies a single completed act; the present subjunctive (να γράφω) implies ongoing or habitual. Exam items often hinge on this contrast.
- False friends and calques from English: συμπαθητικός means 'likeable', not 'sympathetic'; 'I miss you' is μου λείπεις, not σε χάνω.
- Double accusative with verbs like δίνω, λέω, μαθαίνω (μαθαίνω κάποιον κάτι).
- Clitic placement and doubling: Το είπα στον Γιάννη, not Είπα το.
- Accent shifts in the genitive plural of third-declension nouns (η πόλη–των πόλεων).
Rule of thumb
For any transformation task, ask two questions before writing: (1) which case does the verb or preposition demand? (2) is the action viewed as a whole (aorist) or as a process/repetition (present)? Answering these two prevents most errors.
Worked example
Prompt: 'Rewrite in the passive: Ο δάσκαλος εξήγησε το μάθημα στους μαθητές.' Model: Το μάθημα εξηγήθηκε στους μαθητές από τον δάσκαλο. Note the subject becomes nominative, the agent takes από plus accusative, and the aorist passive ending -θηκε marks the completed act.