The Whole Noun System

With every class in place the noun system closes, and it is small enough to hold in one view. Read the gender off the article plus the ending: masculine -ος (ο δάσκαλος), -ας (ο πατέρας), -ης (ο μαθητής, ο ναύτης); feminine -α (η πόρτα), -η (η αδελφή, η πόλη) and the second-declension -ος (η οδός, η μέθοδος); neuter -ο (το δώρο), -ι (το σπίτι), -μα (το όνομα, το μάθημα) and the awkward -ος class (το μέρος). Four cases times two numbers gives the whole table, and three habits carry you through any of it. The article agrees in gender, case and number and is the surest gender signal - η οδός is feminine despite the -ος. Neuters keep nominative = accusative = vocative in both numbers. And the genitive plural is always -ων and often pulls the stress toward the ending (πόρτα → πορτών, άνθρωπος → ανθρώπων). Store a noun as article + nominative and the rest of its table follows from its class.