LESSON V
Third Declension, Plural
The plural terminations of the third declension are—
- ες, nominative, α, neuter.
- ων, genitive.
- σι, dative.
- ᾰς, objective, α, neuter;
as ποιμήν, ποιμένες, λαῖλαψ, λαίλαπες, following always the type of the genitive singular, as πατέρες, not πατρές; but ἀνήρ has ἄνδρες, not ἀνέρες. Only in the dative plural the final consonant ν, δ, or τ is dropped before the σι of the dative, as ποιμέσι, to shepherds; στόμασι, to mouths; λαμπάσι, to torches.
The adjective πᾶς, πᾶσα, πᾶν follows this rule, having παντός in the genitive, but πᾶσι in dative plural; so γίγας, a giant; γίγαντος, of a giant; but γιγᾶσι, to giants.
οὗτος ὁ πατὴρ πάντα τὰ χρήματα δίδωσι ταῖς θυγατράσι,
τῷ δὲ υἱῷ οὐδέν,
this father gives all the money to his daughters,
to his son nothing.
οἱ μὲν τῆς ἐκκλησίας πατέρες πολλοί,
ἕκαστος δὲ παῖς ἕνα μόνον ἔχει πατέρα,
the fathers of the church are many,
but each boy has only one father.
δὸς τοῖς μὲν παισὶ βακτηρίαν, ταῖς δὲ παρθένοις σκιάδειον,
give a stick to the boys, a parasol to the young ladies.
γίγᾱς πάνυ ὁ παῖς οὑτοσί, καὶ τέρας γε πρός· δακτύλους
γὰρ δὴ ἑπτὰ ἔχει ἐπὶ τοῖς ποσίν,
this boy is a giant, and a monster to boot;
he has
seven toes on his feet.
τούτων τῶν παιδῶν πάντων ἄτοπόν τι ἔχει ἡ ἐσθής,
παρέχουσά
γε τὴν μὲν χλαμύδα μέλαιναν, τὸ δὲ πῑλίδιον ξανθόν,
the dress of all these boys is ridiculous,
a black plaid with a yellow cap.
ἀληθῆ λέγεις, true.
English Affinities
Father. Panorama. Daughter. Ecclesiastical. Polytheism. Monologue. Giant. Dactyl. Seven. Foot. Melancholy. Lecture. Parthenon.