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More Pronouns!
In the last lesson, we discussed 3rd person personal pronouns and demonstrative pronouns. In this lesson, we review relative pronouns, indefinite pronouns, indefinite relative pronouns, and interrogative pronouns. Each can also be used as an adjective that modifies a noun.
Relative Pronoun
Greek forms the relative pronoun, who/whose/whom, by replacing the τ– of the definite article with the rough breathing (῾). The masculine singular nominative form ends in –ς. Note that the accent pattern is similar to that of the definite article (S 338; GPH p. 54).
Singular:
| M | F | N | |
| Nominative | ὅς | ἥ | ὅ |
| Genitive | οὗ | ἧς | οὗ |
| Dative | ᾧ | ᾗ | ᾧ |
| Accusative | ὅν | ἥν | ὅ |
Plural:
| M | F | N | |
| Nominative | οἵ | αἵ | ἅ |
| Genitive | ὧν | ὧν | ὧν |
| Dative | οἷς | αἷς | οἷς |
| Accusative | οὕς | ἅς | ἅ |
Relative pronouns are commonly used to join two sentences or clauses together. Note the following sentences.
- οἱ ἄρχοντες διδόασι τὴν ἐλπίδα τοῖς παισίν. οἱ παῖδες ἀποδιδόασι τὰ χρήματα.
- The rulers give hope to the children. The children give the money back.
- οἱ ἄρχοντες διδόασι τὴν ἐλπίδα τοῖς παισὶν οἳ τὰ χρήματα ἀποδιδόασιν.
- The leaders give hope to the children who give the money back.
In the second sentence, note that the MAIN CLAUSE – the essential part of the sentence that can stand on its own grammatically and as a complete thought – is οἱ ἄρχοντες διδόασι τὴν ἐλπίδα τοῖς παισίν. The relative pronoun is introducing a type of subordinate clause called a RELATIVE CLAUSE, which here is οἳ τὰ χρήματα ἀποδιδόασιν.
Relative clauses often serve to give additional information about the pronoun’s ANTECEDENT, i.e., the noun to which the pronoun refers. Note, however, that while the relative pronoun gets its gender and number from its antecedent, its case depends on its use in the relative clause. The form οἵ, in other words, is masculine and plural because its antecedent is τοῖς παισίν, but nominative because it is the subject of the relative clause. Consider the following examples.
- οἱ ἄρχοντες διδόασι τὴν ἐλπίδα τοῖς παισὶν οἷς τὰ χρήματα διδόασι.
- The leaders give hope to the children to whom they (the leaders) are giving money.
- οἱ ἄρχοντες διδόασι τὴν ἐλπίδα τοῖς παισὶν οὓς ἀνιστᾶσι.
- The leaders give hope to the children whom they are appointing.
Sometimes, the relative pronoun is ATTRACTED to the case of its antecedent, rather than representing the case it should be in its relative clause. When this happens, the antecedent is usually in the genitive or dative case, and the case that it is replacing is the accusative (S 2522).
- οἱ ἄρχοντες διδόασι τὴν ἐλπίδα τοῖς παισὶν οἷς (for οὓς) ἀνιστᾶσι.
- The leaders give hope to the children whom they are appointing.
Intensive Relative Pronoun
The suffix –περ is added to pronouns to denote emphasis (S 338c). When added to the relative pronoun it means the same/very one(s) who/which/that…
Singular:
| M | F | N | |
| Nominative | ὅσπερ | ἥπερ | ὅπερ |
| Genit