Modern Greek Knowledge and Application
What this domain tests
This domain asks you to apply grammar and vocabulary accurately in controlled tasks: gap-fills, transformations, sentence completion, and short guided writing. Accuracy in endings, agreement and spelling carries the marks.
Core concepts to master
- Noun declension: learn the four cases (nominative, genitive, accusative, vocative) for each gender. Masculine -ος: ο δρόμος, του δρόμου, τον δρόμο. Feminine -η: η τιμή, της τιμής, την τιμή. Neuter -μα: το όνομα, του ονόματος, τα ονόματα.
- Adjectives: agree in all three genders (καλός, καλή, καλό) and take comparative -τερος/-τερη/-τερο and περισσότερο + adjective.
- Pronouns: weak object forms με, σε, τον, την, το, μας, σας, τους, τις, τα; they sit before the verb (Το βλέπω).
- Verb morphology: augment έ- in the aorist of paroxytone verbs (λύνω → έλυσα), irregular aorists (βλέπω → είδα, λέω → είπα, τρώω → έφαγα).
- Subjunctive and future: να + verb; θα + verb for future; να μην for negative subjunctive.
- Spelling rules: final -ν retained before vowels and in τον, την, δεν, μην; dropped otherwise in many contexts.
Traps in questions
- Genitive after prepositions and quantity words: πολλά παιδιά but πολλά από τα παιδιά.
- Accusative after σε, από, με, για: Πάω στην Αθήνα (την → στην).
- Irregular aorist stems: guessing έγραφα instead of έγραψα for a single completed act.
- Double accents in enclisis: ο δάσκαλός μου - the noun takes a second accent on the syllable before the enclitic.
- Agreement with neuter plural subjects: Τα παιδιά παίζουν (verb in the plural, not singular).
Rule of thumb
For any gap-fill, identify the noun's gender and case from the article or preposition first, then apply the ending; for verbs, decide tense, aspect and person before writing the ending. Check the accent last.
Worked example
Gap: Θέλω να ___ (γράφω) ένα γράμμα. The subjunctive να takes the present or aorist stem; for a single intended action use the aorist subjunctive: να γράψω. Answer: γράψω.