Greek Grammar Information & Resources
There are many sites and pages currently published online that can help with grammar and vocabulary learning. This page will provide links to explanatory grammatical pages and grammatical charts within our web site as well as links to other resources that may help you learn, review, or refresh your understanding of biblical Greek grammar.
1. Greek Alphabet and Pronunciation
The Greek alphabet is the same today as it was thousands of years ago. It is composed of beautiful letters with consistent design. Similar sounding letters have similar shapes. It is testimony to the design and beauty of the alphabet that it is withstood the test of time.
There are many web pages that can help you learn the alphabet. Many of them have audio features so you can learn how to write and pronounce the alphabet. Bear in mind that there are several pronunciation systems. If you hear someone pronouncing the Greek words differently than you learned don’t assume that they are mistaken. They could be using a different system or version of a system that you haven’t encountered.
Here is a list of web pages that can provide the breadth of systems and explanations you will need to learn the alphabet and decide which pronunciation system you want to use.
Recommended Links
Videos
Institute of Biblical Greek Pronunciation Page
This page provides a historical overview of the various pronunciation systems of biblical Greek. You can click on the letters to hear how they sound in each of the different systems.
Alphabet Songs
This page has categorized YouTube videos of recorded Greek alphabet songs into the various pronunciation systems.
Michael Palmer’s Alphabet Presentation
This page has a good multimedia presentation of the Greek alphabet using a hellenistic or historically accurate biblical Greek pronunciation system.
Greek Alphabet Pronunciation
This video demonstrates how to write and pronounce the Greek alphabet using a modern pronunciation system. It is showing it’s age having been produced prior to the advent of YouTube.
Little Greek Alphabet
Jonathan Robie has a great description of the Greek alphabet, mnemonics for learning the order of the alphabet and descriptions of pronunciation conventions. He also has audio helps for pronunciations.
Omniglot Greek Alphabet
This has a great presentation of historical ways to write Greek letters numbers. It also includes modern Greek audio aids.
Foundalis Alphabet Page
Harry Foundalis has provided a multimedia alphabet page with his ethnic pronunciations. He argues that classical Greek pronunciation was very similar to modern Greek pronunciation.
Ancient Ways to Write Greek Letters
This page has a nice chart showing how the Greek alphabet was originally written in different areas of Greece. To bad it has annoying advertising on it.
Koine Pronunciation System
Erasmian Pronunciation System
2. Accenting
The current trend of most biblical Greek grammars is to disregard accenting altogether. So it isn’t surprising that there are not many web pages devoted to teaching the rules for accentuation. Here are four videos that explain how to accent Greek words.
General Principles
Accenting Non-verbs
Accenting Verbs
Accenting with Enclitics
Additional Recommended Links
Videos
Berkeley Accentuation Tutorial
This site has a brief history of the development of the Greek accent and then a tutorial (in the sidebar) that teaches how to accent Ancient Greek. This site also has practice exercises.
Understanding the Original Role of Pitch as it Relates to Accenting
This site has a nice presentation of the original pitch system in Greek.
Guide to Greek Accents – Chiou Lao Shi Home Page
This has a very nice summary of definitions and issues surrounding ancient Greek accenting.
Attic Greek.org Accenting Tutorial
This site has seven lessons that teach the principles for accenting.
Peurifoy’s Accenting Rules
This is a PDF document that summarizes accenting rules.
Accenting
Enclitics
3. Vocabulary
There are many sites and programs that offer tools and techniques for learning Greek vocabulary. The Renewing Truth Blog put together a nice chart showing the benefit of learning NT vocabulary by frequency. Learning words that occur 100 times or more meaning that you know 61% of the words that occur in the NT. I agree with level break he provides.
Recommended Links
Videos
IBG Vocabulary Frequency List
Here is free ordered list of all words occurring over 100 times in the New Testament.
Anki Vocabulary Flash Card Program
This is a free program that can use any list of words (like the frequency list above). There are many vocabulary lists from most grammars already made for the program.
Perseus Principal Part List
You can create frequency lists for any text in Perseus. Also Smyth has a nice list of verbs with their principal parts arranged in alphabetical order.
Number Chart
Here is a nice quick reference for all of those number words.
Biblical Greek
Modern Greek
Modern Greek Aids provide ideas for new biblical Greek resources and help with words that don’t occur in ancient literature.
4. Noun and Adjective Declensions
There are three declensions in Greek. Declensions are basically the spelling patterns for stem and case endings. Greek has A-stem noun and adjectives (1st declension), O-stem noun and adjectives (2nd declension), and consonant stems (3rd declension).
Additional Recommended Links
Videos
1st Declension Grammar & Exercises
This link provides a PDF download of grammatical information as well as delightful exercises for study.
2nd Declension Grammar & Exercises
This link provides a PDF download of grammatical information as well as delightful exercises for study.
Peurifoy’s 1st & 2nd Declension Helps
Peurifoy has nice charts with general spelling rules for the 1st & 2nd declensions.
Peurifoy’s Adjective Helps
The PDF file has a nice summary of adjective syntax rules.
Mastronarde Noun Paradigms
This is an exhaustive list of noun paradigms grouped by noun stems. This is a very helpful way to learn noun morphology.
Mastronarde Adjective Paradigms
This is a complete list of adjective paradigms arranged by stems and endings.
Case Meaning
Case Forms
5. Pronouns
Recommended Links
Videos
Online Greek Paradigm Quiz
This is an online quizzing program for pronouns and verbs. After signing up for a free account, simply select the parameters for the quiz and click “start the quiz.”
Little Greek Pronouns
Jonathan Robie has a nice description of personal pronouns with audio capabilities on this page. The lesson on pronouns may be found here.
Peurifoy’s Interrogative & Indefinite Pronoun Chart
He has a number of helpful examples following the chart.
Peurifoy’s Uses of αὐτός
He has a nice list of NT examples of further uses of αὐτός.
Peurifoy’s Demonstrative Pronouns
This is a great summary of demonstrative pronoun syntax and forms.
Peurifoy’s Relative Pronoun Examples
He also has a nice list of relative pronoun examples.
Peurifoy’s Complete Pronoun Summary
This sheet has all of the pronouns in one place.
Mastronarde Pronoun Paradigms
This is a complete list of pronouns and how they decline.
6. Prepositions
Prepositions show the relationships between a noun (the object of the preposition) an another noun or verb. Thus they serve the same function as case endings.
Recommended Links
Videos
Preposition Cartoons
Check out these great cartoons for learning Greek prepositions. Click the link above to download a PDF of the lion cartoon.
Recommended Links
Videos
Complete Verb Charts
University of Chicago Nifty λύω Verb Chart
This site has hand-outs Helma Dik made for her Greek classes, in PDF format. Most fit (in landscape format) on a single (US letter) page.
Mastronarde Verb Paradigms
This is an exhaustive list of verb paradigms grouped by verb stems. This is a very helpful way to learn verb morphology.
Peurifoy’s Verb Summary
Peurifoy has a description of verb tense forms which includes forms and rules for spelling changes.
Berkeley Principal Part Drills
This site has a nice drilling program for learning principal parts. They also have an online verb quizzing page.
Aorist Verb Forms
NTGreek on Aorist Forms
This page has a good presentation of different aorist stem forms.
Greek Verb Clause Types
NT Gateway Conditional Clauses
The distinction between simple, general and contrary-to-fact conditions can be very confusing. Although, this page presents these categories using 1st class, 2nd class, etc., designations, it is comprehensive and links to a nice PDF chart for a summary.
Helma Dik’s Conditional Clause Chart
This chart is a very nice summary with descriptive categories.
Participles
NTGreek chart for Adverbial Participle Uses
This is a PDF with a nice list of ways participles may modify verbs. I would like to see this list divided into pre-verb positions and post-verb positions.
Verbal Aspect
Andrew Naselli’s Introduction to Verbal Aspect
Dr. Naselli journal article on verbal aspect in biblical Greek
Aktionsart & the Present Tense
Here is another treatment of issues surrounding verbal aspect.
Runge’s SBL paper on verbal aspect against Porter’s theory
For decades the discussion of verbal aspect was framed by Porter’s work on the subject often in contrast to Fanning and McKay. In 2009 Dr. Steven Runge reviewed the references that Porter cited in support of his argument and found some shocking internal difficulties for Porter’s system. This is the link to Runge’s SBL paper. Runge also has some follow up comments.
Grammar
Paradigm Learning Aids
8. English Grammar
Often students discover that better understanding of English grammar is necessary to learn a foreign language like biblical Greek.
Recommended Links
Videos
Peurifoy’s Grammatical Terms
A nice PDF doc explaining many grammatical terms.
One Page Grammatical Summary
This is a single page PDF explaining grammatical terms necessary for learning Greek.
Full Explanation of English Grammar for Greek Students
This is basically a free short book (48 pages) that explains concepts of English grammar.
Grammar
Extras
9. Other Greek Grammar Sites
There are a number of other Greek grammar gateway sites out there that provide links to learning resources for all parts of the Greek languages. Many of these sites have an entire in-house presentation or Greek curriculum.
Complete Greek Learning Sites
NTResources.com
Rod Decker developed this site with many helpful links.
New Testament Gateway
This valuable site by Dr. Mark Goodarce has great links and good summaries of the available resources.
Greek-Language.com
This is the site of Michael Palmer, whom I have had the pleasure to meet. Mr. Palmer is obviously dedicated to Greek education and has collected a number of very good links to equip others toward that end.
Robert’s Greek Grammar
This is Dr. J.W. Robert’s primer for learning Biblical Greek. It is divided into chapters with exercises for the various elements of grammar. All of the exercises are translating from Greek to English and it is squarely a course that teaches about Greek (grammar) rather than a course for fluency. The grammatical categories are the current way of carving up grammar and one that I find atomistic. It is a strong grammar for accomplishing its goals.
Peurifoy’s Handouts
Peurifoy has a huge list of handouts that will take a person through the process of learning Greek.
Little Greek
This is comprehensive gateway site with links to all sorts of trusted biblical Greek resources.
NTGreek.net Course
This site has an entire program that will teach someone Greek.
NTGreek.org Program
This is an old style framed website that covers the basic areas of Greek grammar. It is distinct from NTGreek.net.
Daily Dose of Greek
This is an entire video course that follow’s Black’s textbook.
10. Methods and Advice for Learning Biblical Greek (pedagogy)
This section contains examples and presentations for different ways to begin learning biblical Greek.
Recommended Links
Videos
Advice from NTGreek.org
This page has a number of recommendations and links for planning out your way to learn biblical Greek.
Summary of Methods
Joan Taber has a nice page that summarizes many approaches used in language acquisition (with an emphasis on ESL)
Another Summary of Methods
This page explores six methods, The Direct Method (DM), Audio-lingual (AL), Total Physical Response (TPR), Communicative Language Teaching (CLT), Task-based Language Learning, The Natural Approach
Historical Summary of Methods
This page lists ten different approaches to language acquisition and time each method was promoted within education.
Tools Based Approach
This approach seeks to teach students to interact with original texts using language tools rather than expecting students to learn to read the language without aids.
Grammar-Translation Method
This is a short article with links defending this traditional approach.
Fluency Approach
This approach seeks to teach students to think in the foreign language rather force students to translate prior to understanding. It normally makes use of methods such as TPR and TPRS (below).
TPRS – Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling
This link talks about the TPRS method being used in K-12 applications but the principles can be applied to learning biblical Greek.
TPR – Total Physical Response
This is a general article explaining the role of TPR in learning. Please take a look at the provided video examples provided on the right to see TPR in action.
Approaches and Examples
Learning through Story Telling
TPR – total physical response method
Phrase Learning
This modern Greek example shows how awkward or dramatic pauses can aid learning (Greek language learning meets telenovela).
11. Why Study Greek
Learning a foreign language takes a lot of time and dedication. Why would someone want to learn a dead language like biblical Greek when the texts have already been translated?
Why Pastors, Ministers, and Church Leaders Should Study Greek
The Place of Greek and Hebrew in a Minister’s Education
by Michael Burer.
Why Seminaries Require Greek
Rod Decker explains his rationale for the importance of learning biblical Greek.
Why Study NT Greek
by Dr. William D. Ramey, the instructor at InTheBeginning.org. He has a brief introduction on this page giving reasons why ministers should study Greek.
Brothers, Bitzer Was a Banker!
by John Piper, The Standard, June 1983