Greek grammar: Stress changes in nouns

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First of all, the adjectives (in present day vernacular speech) maintain the accent on the same syllable (the one of nominative singular) in all cases.

πολύς, πολλών
άλλος, άλλων
μικρός, μικρών
κόκκινος, κόκκινων

Stress in the Genitive Plural (-ων)

(Note: Some small exceptions of these "rules" are omitted here.)

First of all, we must make a distinction between "isosyllabic" and "non isosyllabic" nouns.

Non isosyllabic are the ones with an additional syllable in plural (-δες); also the neuter nouns in –μα and –μο, with additional endings in both plural (-ματα) and genitive singular (-ματος) These have their genitive plural in –μάτων. Also, there are the feminine nouns in –ση, whose genitive plural is in –εων.

The ones with the additional –δες ending in plural maintain the stressed syllable of the nominative singular in all cases.

ψαράς, ψαράδων
νοικοκύρης, νοικοκύρηδων

The neuters in –μα and –μο (plural ending in –ματα) stress the "–μα" syllable in genitive plural (πράγμα – πραγμάτων, γράψιμο, γραψιμάτων)

The feminine nouns ending in –ση (like ανάλυση), have the accent on the syllable before their ending –εων (genitive plural: αναλύσεων).

About isosyllabic nouns, there is this question: is the –ων ending stressed or it is the syllable before it the one which is stressed? The third syllable before the end, in genitive plural, is not stressed in isosyllabic nouns. The main exception is the one of some neuter nouns. These nouns are stressed on that syllable in the nominative singular and maintain it also in plural genitive – [look at the end of these notes]. (There are also some other very rare exceptions, which are not mentioned here).

First of all, if an isosyllabic noun (in nominative singular) has an accent on the last syllable, it maintains it in all cases. It doesn’t matter the gender of the noun. This is a universal rule. So, this is easy:

ουρανός – ουρανών
νικητής – νικητών
καρδιά – καρδιών
ψυχή – ψυχών
παιδί – παιδιών

About the other nouns, we must unfortunately, make distinctions. First of all by gender:

In masculine nouns:

• end in –ος = the –ων is not stressed (δρόμος – δρόμων, άνθρωπος – ανθρώπων)
• end in –ας = if the word is of more than two syllables, the –ων is not stressed, if it is of only two syllables, it is stressed. (πατέρας – πατέρων, but άνδρας – ανδρών.)
• end in –ης = the –ών is stressed (ναύτης – ναυτών, λογοτέχνης – λογοτεχνών)
• end in –ίας = the –ών is stressed (επαγγελματίας – επαγγελματιών)

In feminine nouns:

• end in –ος = the –ων is not stressed (είσοδος – εισόδων)
• end in –η = the –ών is stressed (νίκη – νικών)
• end in –α = the –ών is stressed (ώρα – ωρών, γειτόνισσα – γειτονισσών, θάλασσα – θαλασσών, φοιτήτρια – φοιτητριών, σπίθα – σπιθών, μύγα – μυγών, σφίγγα – σφιγγών, ίνα - ινών)

Major exceptions:

• end in –άδα = the –ων is not stressed (λαμπάδα – λαμπάδων)
• end in –ίδα = the –ων is not stressed (ελπίδα – ελπίδων)
• end in –ίνα = the –ων is not stressed (γκιλοτίνα - γκιλοτίνων)
• end in –ίλα = the –ων is not stressed (μαυρίλα - μαυρίλων)
• end in –ούδα = the –ων is not stressed (πεταλούδα – πεταλούδων)
• end in –ούγα = the –ων is not stressed (φτερούγα – φτερούγων)
• end in –ούλα = the –ων is not stressed (αρχοντοπούλα – αρχοντοπούλων)
• end in –ούρα = the –ων is not stressed (θολούρα – θολούρων)
• end in –έρα = the –ων is not stressed (μητέρα – μητέρων)

Also:

• end in –ιγγα [not stressed ι] = the –ων is not stressed (σάλπιγγα – σαλπίγγων)
• end in –αγγα [not stressed α] = the –ων is not stressed (σήραγγα - σηράγγων)
• end in –υγα [not stressed υ] = the –ων is not stressed (διώρυγα – διωρύγων)
• end in –ιθα [not stressed ι] = the –ων is not stressed (όρνιθα - ορνίθων)

Also:

• end in –ότητα = the –ων is not stressed (αδελφότητα - αδελφοτήτων)
• end in –ύτητα = the –ων is not stressed (ταχύτητα - ταχυτήτων)

In neuter nouns:

• end in –ι = the ών is stressed (αγκάθι – αγκαθιών)
• end in –ος= the ών is stressed (μέρος – μερών, έδαφος – εδαφών)
• end in –o = the ων is not stressed (δικαστήριο – δικαστηρίων)

There are many neuter nouns in -ο (demotic ones, mostly compound words), which are stressed on the third syllable before the end, and maintain this accent in all cases, including the second person plural. (αγριολούλουδο – αγριολούλουδων, σιδεράδικο – σιδεράδικων).

Stresses in other cases

[Note: in the following examples, when the names of the cases are not mentioned, first it is the nominative singular which is meant, then the genitive singular and finally the nominative plural.]

Non isosyllabic nouns maintain the stressed syllable of nominative singular in all cases.

ψαράς, ψαρά, ψαράδες
νοικοκύρης, νοικοκύρη, νοικοκύρηδες

The obvious exception is the ones, which already in the nominative singular are stressed on the third syllable before the end. They cannot maintain the same syllable stressed, after they have another syllable added, so the stress moves in order to be again on the third syllable before the end.

φούρναρης, φούρναρη, φουρνάρηδες [note also: genitive plural = φουρνάρηδων]

πράγμα, πράγματος, πράγματα
κήρυγμα, κηρύγματος, κηρύγματα
γράψιμο, γραψίματος, γραψίματα

Feminine nouns in –ση (and -ξη, -ψη), are stressed like this:

ανάλυση, ανάλυσης [or αναλύσεως], αναλύσεις.
πράξη, πράξης (or πράξεως), πράξεις

About isosyllabic nouns:.

The ones stressed on the last syllable, as it is mentioned before, maintain that in all cases.

ουρανός, ουρανού, ουρανοί
νικητής, νικητή, νικητές
καρδιά, καρδιάς, καρδιές
ψυχή, ψυχής, ψυχές
οδός, οδού?, οδοί
παιδί, παιδιού?, παιδιά

Nouns, which are stressed on the second syllable before the end, maintain that also in all cases:

πατέρας, πατέρα, πατέρες
επαγγελματίας, επαγγελματία, επαγγελματίες
δρόμος, δρόμου, δρόμοι
ώρα, ώρας, ώρες
ελπίδα, ελπίδας, ελπίδες
πεταλούδα, πεταλούδας, πεταλούδες
τέχνη, τέχνης, τέχνες
δέντρο, δέντρου, δέντρα
μήκος, μήκους, μήκη

The only exception to that rule is the neuter nouns ending in non stressed –ι. These, in singular genitive, are stressed on the last syllable:

τραγούδι, τραγουδιού, but τραγούδια
χέρι, χεριού, but χέρια
μάτι, ματιού, but μάτια
μεσημέρι, μεσημεριού, but μεσημέρια

[Remember that they have the genitive plural also stressed on the last syllable: τραγουδιών, χεριών, ματιών]

Nouns, which are stressed on the third syllable before the end tend also to maintain their stress on the same syllable:

φύλακας, φύλακα, φύλακες
πίνακας, πίνακα, πίνακες
θάλασσα, θάλασσας, θάλασσες
σάλπιγγα, σάλπιγγας, σάλπιγγες
ιδιότητα, ιδιότητας, ιδιότητες
ταχύτητα, ταχύτητας, ταχύτητες
βασίλισσα, βασίλισσας, βασίλισσες

Also many "demotic" neuters in –ο like:

σίδερο, σίδερου, σίδερα
μάγουλο, μάγουλου, μάγουλα
πούπουλο, πούπουλου, πούπουλα
κάρβουνο, κάρβουνου, κάρβουνα

And especially some "demotic" compound words in -ο like:

βατόμουρο, βατόμουρου, βατόμουρα
κουκλόσπιτο, κουκλόσπιτου, κουκλόσπιτα
τραπεζομάντηλο, τραπεζομάντηλου, τραπεζομάντηλα
δισκοπότηρο, δισκοπότηρου, δισκοπότηρα
αγριολούλουδο, αγριολούλουδου, αγριολούλουδα

[Note: these "demotic" neuter nouns are the ones, which maintain the stress on that syllable also in genitive plural, as it was mentioned before].

But the "rule" in neuter nouns of that type (stressed on the third syllable before the end) ending in –ο is that the accent in the genitive singular (also in genitive plural) moves on the second syllable before the end.

πρόσωπο, προσώπου, but πρόσωπα
μέτωπο, μετώπου, but μέτωπα
άτομο, ατόμου, but άτομα
έξοδο, εξόδου, but έξοδα
θέατρο, θεάτρου, but θέατρα
όνειρο, ονείρου, but όνειρα

[Note: there are many neuter nouns of that kind that can be stressed in both ways in genitive singular]

The neuters of this kind ending in –ος also have their accent moved from the third syllable before the end to the second, in both genitive singular and nominative plural:

έδαφος, εδάφους, εδάφη
μέγεθος, μεγέθους, μεγέθη
πέλαγος, πελάγους, πελάγη

The masculine and feminine of this kind in –ος, have their accent moved in genitive singular and in accusative plural (as they do also in genitive plural, as mentioned before).

Masculine nouns in -ος
άνθρωπος, ανθρώπου, but άνθρωποι - ανθρώπους (accusative plural)
έλεγχος, ελέγχου, but έλεγχοι - ελέγχους (accusative plural)

Feminine nouns in –ος
διάμετρος, διαμέτρου, but διάμετροι – διαμέτρους (accusative plural)
εγκύκλιος, εγκυκλίου, but εγκύκλιοι – εγκυκλίους (accusative plural)

Masculine names in –έας are stressed like these

βασιλέας, βασιλέα, βασιλείς
ιερέας, ιερέα, ιερείς

[General note: the vocative case in all nouns is stressed on the same syllable with nominative – in both singular and plural]

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