PREPOSITIONS

Like Latin, the Greek language also has prepositions that take certain cases after it.

ACCUSATIVE CASE:

Verbs that indicate motion toward take the accusative case, just like Latin.

  • ἀνά = up

  • πρός = towards

  • εἰς = into, to

Here are some other prepositions which take the accusative case.

  • μέτα = after

  • διά = on account of, because of

  • επί = against, onto, on, at

  • κατά = according to, by, down, along

  • παρά = contrary to, along, to

  • περί = round around

GENITIVE CASE:

These verbs, indicating motion away from something, take the genitive case.

  • ἀπο = (away) from

  • ἐκ = out of (ἐξ if the next word begins with a vowel)

  • κατά = down (from)

  • παρά = from (a person)

Here are some other prepositions which take the genitive case.

  • ἂνευ = without

  • μέτα = with

  • δία = through

  • περι = about, concerning

  • πλήν = except

  • πρό = before, in front of

  • ὑπέρ = on behalf of

  • ὑπό = by (a person)

DATIVE CASE:

The following takes the dative case:

  • ἐν = in

Some prepositions can take multiple cases! Look at the case which follows to determine the meaning.

Remember these prepositional phrases:

  • κατά γήν = by land

  • δι´ ὀλίγου = soon (literally ‘through/after a little [time]’)

COMPOUND VERBS:

Some prepositions are placed at the start of verbs to form a compound verb. It is important to look out for this as often you are expected to recognise the original verb and the added preposition rather than the verb already with a preposition.

Here are some common prefixes:

  • ἀνα- = up

  • ἀπο- = from, away

  • δια- = through

  • εἰσ- = into

  • ἐκ- = out of, out

  • ἐν- = in

  • κατα- = down

  • περι- = around

  • προσ- = to, towards

As you can see, they look just like stand-alone prepositions and have the same meanings.

E.g. ἐκβαίνω = ἐκ (out of) + βαίνω (I go) = I go out of

IMPORTANT - if the tense of the verb requires an augment, this comes after the prepositional prefix (E.g. ἀπέβαλον)

The augment usually displaces the vowel, but sometimes it can come after (E.g. περιέβαλον)

IMPORTANT - Due to pronunciation, ἐν + βαίνω = ἐμβαίνω. But in the Aorist, no change is needed because of the augment - ἐνέβην

Often a sentence may contain a preposition and a prepositional prefix - this is simply for emphasis!

E.g. εἰσβαίνω εἰς τὴν ἀγοράν.

There are two important compounds of βάλλω to learn:

  • εἰσβαλλω = ‘I throw into’ BUT also ‘I invade’ (usually with another εἰς + accusative afterward)

  • προσβάλλω = ‘I throw towards’ BUT also ‘I attack (followed by the dative)

AGENT AND INSTRUMENT:

With passive verbs, the subject is the one having the action done to them.

The agent is the person who does the action.

E.g. The city is being guarded by the army. (The city is the subject; the army is the agent.)

The agent is usually expressed with ὑπό + genitive' in Greek.

E.g. ἡ πόλις ὑπό τῶν στρατιῶν φυλάσσεται

The instrument is the thing with which the action is done - e.g. ‘with a sword’

This is expressed with the dative case - NOT with a preposition.

E.g. ἡ πόλις τοῖς ὃπλοις φυλάσσεται = The city is being guarded with the weapons.

REMEMBER - Not every passive verb will have an agent or instrument!