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
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | κάποιος | κάποιοι |
| Accusative | κάποιο† | κάποιους |
| Genitive | κάποιου† | κάποιων† |
| Vocative | κάποιος† | κάποιοι† |
- 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.
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | κάποια | κάποιες |
| Accusative | κάποια | κάποιες |
| Genitive | κάποιας | κάποιων |
| Vocative | κάποια† | κάποιες† |
- 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.
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | κάποιο | κάποια† |
| Accusative | κάποιο | κάποια |
| Genitive | κάποιου | κάποιων |
| Vocative | κάποιο† | κάποια† |
- 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.
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | όλος | όλοι |
| Accusative | όλο | όλους |
| Genitive | όλου | όλων† |
| Vocative | όλε† | όλοι† |
- 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.
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | όλη | όλες |
| Accusative | όλη | όλες |
| Genitive | όλης | όλων |
| Vocative | όλη† | όλες† |
- Vocative equals the nominative.
- Vocative plural equals the nominative plural.
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | όλο | όλα |
| Accusative | όλο | όλα |
| Genitive | όλου | όλων |
| Vocative | όλο† | όλα† |
- Vocative equals the nominative.
- Vocative plural equals the nominative plural.