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Pronouns · entry 9 of 13

Somebody, Something, Everybody

Greek's positive indefinites split cleanly into the ones that DECLINE and the ones that never change. κάποιος (“someone / some”) is a full -ος / -α / -ο word that agrees with its noun: κάποιος άνθρωπος, κάποια μέρα, κάποιο παιδί, and in the plural κάποιοι / κάποιες / κάποια (“some”). Its tonos never leaves κά-. όλος (“all, whole”) declines just as regularly and does two different jobs depending on where the article sits: όλη η μέρα is “the WHOLE day”, όλες οι μέρες is “ALL the days” - and note that the noun keeps its article, exactly as it does after a demonstrative. καθένας / καθεμία / καθένα (“each one”) declines too but has NO PLURAL, because “each one” is singular by definition; its genitive is καθενός. Against those stand three words that never inflect at all: κάτι (“something”), κάθε (“every”, always in front of a noun - κάθε μέρα) and the negative τίποτα. Nothing to learn about their forms; everything to learn about where they sit.

The rule

The positive indefinites split cleanly into the ones that decline and the ones that never change. κάποιος (“someone / some”) is a full -ος / -α / -ο word agreeing with its noun - κάποιος άνθρωπος, κάποια μητέρα, κάποιο παιδί, plural κάποιοι / κάποιες / κάποια - and its tonos never leaves κά-. όλος (“all, whole”) declines just as regularly and does two different jobs depending on number: όλη η ώρα is “the whole hour”, όλες οι ώρες is “all the hours” - and note the noun keeps its article, exactly as after a demonstrative. καθένας / καθεμία / καθένα (“each one”) declines too but has no plural, because “each one” is singular by definition; its genitive is καθενός. Against these stand three that never inflect at all: κάτι (“something”), κάθε (“every”, always straight in front of a noun) and the negative τίποτα. Nothing to learn about their forms - everything to learn about where they sit.

Paradigm

Masculine
CaseSingularPlural
Nominativeκάποιοςκάποιοι
Accusativeκάποιοκάποιους
Genitiveκάποιουκάποιων
Vocativeκάποιοςκάποιοι
  • Also κάποιον when it stands alone as a pronoun, or before a vowel and π/μπ/τ/ντ/κ/γκ.
  • The spoken alternative καποιανού is also heard.
  • The tonos stays on κά- (spoken alternative καποιανών).
  • This pronoun has no vocative; the cell is set equal to the nominative so the table renders no hole.
  • No vocative; equals the nominative plural.
Feminine
CaseSingularPlural
Nominativeκάποιακάποιες
Accusativeκάποιακάποιες
Genitiveκάποιαςκάποιων
Vocativeκάποιακάποιες
  • This pronoun has no vocative; the cell is set equal to the nominative so the table renders no hole.
  • No vocative; equals the nominative plural.
Neuter
CaseSingularPlural
Nominativeκάποιοκάποια
Accusativeκάποιοκάποια
Genitiveκάποιουκάποιων
Vocativeκάποιοκάποια
  • Identical to the feminine nominative singular.
  • This pronoun has no vocative; the cell is set equal to the nominative so the table renders no hole.
  • No vocative; equals the nominative plural.
Masculine
CaseSingularPlural
Nominativeόλοςόλοι
Accusativeόλοόλους
Genitiveόλουόλων
Vocativeόλεόλοι
  • The tonos stays on ό- throughout the paradigm.
  • Morphologically regular; a quantifier is rarely addressed, but both sources fill the cell.
  • Vocative plural equals the nominative plural.
Feminine
CaseSingularPlural
Nominativeόληόλες
Accusativeόληόλες
Genitiveόληςόλων
Vocativeόληόλες
  • Vocative equals the nominative.
  • Vocative plural equals the nominative plural.
Neuter
CaseSingularPlural
Nominativeόλοόλα
Accusativeόλοόλα
Genitiveόλουόλων
Vocativeόλοόλα
  • Vocative equals the nominative.
  • Vocative plural equals the nominative plural.