The Two Basic Categories of Adjectives in Greek

Adjectives in Greek are words that describe nouns, and just like in English, they change depending on the gender of the noun (masculine, feminine, neuter). One of the most important things to know when learning Greek is that adjectives belong to two main categories: E1 and E2.

Category E1: -ος, -η, -ο

Adjectives in this category have endings:

• Masculine: -ος

• Feminine: -η

• Neuter: -ο

Example:

• ο καλός (the good – masculine)

• η καλή (the good – feminine)

• το καλό (the good – neuter)

 These are the most common type of adjectives in Greek.

More examples:

• φτηνός, φτηνή, φτηνό → cheap

• ακριβός, ακριβή, ακριβό → expensive

• μεγάλος, μεγάλη, μεγάλο → big

• μικρός, μικρή, μικρό → small

• όμορφος, όμορφη, όμορφο → beautiful

• δυνατός, δυνατή, δυνατό → strong

• εύκολος, εύκολη, εύκολο → easy

• δύσκολος, δύσκολη, δύσκολο → difficult

Category E2: -ος, -α, -ο

Adjectives in this category look similar, but the feminine form ends in -α (not -η).

Example:

• ο ωραίος (the nice/beautiful – masculine)

• η ωραία (the nice/beautiful – feminine)

• το ωραίο (the nice/beautiful – neuter)

Key rule: In this category, the masculine form has a vowel right before the ending -ος.
This vowel is a signal that the feminine will end in -α instead of -η.

More examples:

• νέος, νέα, νέο → young

• ωραίος, ωραία, ωραίο → nice, beautiful

• παλιός, παλιά, παλιό → old

• τελευταίος, τελευταία, τελευταίο → last

• αρχαίος, αρχαία, αρχαίο → ancient

Key Tip for Learners ✨

• E1 adjectives: -ος, -η, -ο (feminine in -η).

• E2 adjectives: -ος, -α, -ο (feminine in -α).
  Remember: if there is a vowel before -ος in the masculine form, the feminine will end in -α.

Practice idea: Try to describe objects or people around you using both categories. For example:

• Το μεγάλο σπίτι (the big house).

• Η ωραία μέρα (the nice day).

• Ο φτηνός καφές (the cheap coffee).

The Two Categories of Greek Adjectives

Remember:

• E1 → Feminine in -η.

• E2 → Feminine in -α.

•  A vowel before -ος in the masculine form signals that the feminine will end in -α.