Historical Grammar
332. The Definite Article. – The definite article ὁ, ἡ, τό (stems ὁ-, ἁ̄-, το-) is thus declined:
| singular | dual | plural | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nom. | ὁ | ἡ | τό | N. A. | τώ | τώ | τώ | Nom. | οἱ | αἱ | τά |
| Gen. | τοῦ | τῆς | τοῦ | G. D. | τοῖν | τοῖν | τοῖν | Gen. | τῶν | τῶν | τῶν |
| Dat. | τῷ | τῇ | τῷ | Dat. | τοῖς | ταῖς | τοῖς | ||||
| Acc. | τόν | τήν | τό | Acc. | τούς | τά̄ς | τά | ||||
b. τά̄ (especially) and ταῖν, the feminine forms in the dual, are very rare in the authors, and are unknown on Attic prose inscriptions of the classical period.
Syntax & Usage
1118. The article ὁ, ἡ, τό marks objects as definite and known, whether individuals (the particular article) or classes (the generic article). The context must determine the presence of the generic article.
a. There is no indefinite article in Greek, but a, an is often represented by τις (1267).
1119. The particular article denotes individual persons or things as distinguished from others of the same kind. Thus, μαίνεται ἄνθρωπος the man is mad (a definite person, distinguished from other men) P. Phae. 268 c.
1120. Special uses of the particular article. The particular article defines
a. Objects well known: ὁ τῶν ἑπτὰ σοφώτατος Σόλων Solon the wisest of the Seven (Sages) P. Tim. 20 d.
b. Objects already mentioned or in the mind of the speaker or writer (the anaphoric article): εἶπον ὅτι τάλαντον ἀργυρίου ἕτοιμος εἴην δοῦναι . . . ὁ δὲ λαβὼν τὸ τάλαντον κ.τ.λ. I said that I was ready to give him a talent of silver . . . and he taking the talent, etc. L. 12. 9–10.
c. Objects specially present to the senses or mind (the deictic article): λαβὲ τὸ βιβλίον take the book P. Th. 143 c, βουλόμενος τὴν μάχην ποιῆσαι wishing to fight the battle T. 4. 91. Hence the article is regularly used with demonstrative pronouns (1176).
N.— The foregoing (a–c) uses recall the old demonstrative force of the article. Words that ordinarily have no article may receive the article when this older force is present.
d. Objects particularized by an attributive or by a following description: ὁ δῆμος ὁ Ἀθηναίων the people of the Athenians Aes. 3. 110, λέγε τὴν ἐπιστολήν, ἣν ἔπεμψεν read the letter that he sent D. 18. 39. Cp. 1178 d.
e. Objects marked as usual or proper under the circumstances: τὸ μέρος τῶν ψήφων ὁ διώκων οὐκ ἔλαβεν the prosecutor did not get the (requisite) part of the votes D. 18. 103.
f. Objects representative of their class (the distributive article, which resembles the generic use; often translated by a, each): ὑπισχνεῖται δώσειν τρία ἡμιδᾱρεικὰ τοῦ μηνὸς τῷ στρατιώτῃ he promises to give each soldier three half-darics a month X. A. 1. 3. 21. But the article may be omitted: καὶ εἵλοντο δέκα, ἕνα ἀπὸ φυλῆς and they chose ten, one from (each) tribe X. H. 2. 4. 23.
Loquentes Practice Reference
Our drill practices the full definite article paradigm (singular, dual, plural) exactly as Smyth § 332 gives it, including the rare feminine dual τά̄ / ταῖν noted in § 332 b.