Weeks 17–18: Sentence Structure & Word Order in Greek

Introduction

You’ve learned how nouns decline, verbs conjugate, adjectives agree, and pronouns and prepositions shape meaning. Now it’s time to step back and look at the big picture—how Greek sentences are actually put together.

One of the first things you’ll notice is that Greek does not rely on word order the way English does. Because endings on nouns and verbs show their roles in the sentence, Greek has more flexibility. But that flexibility follows patterns, and learning them will help you read more confidently.

Step 1: Word Order in English vs. Greek

• In English, word order is strict: Subject – Verb – Object (SVO).

  • Example: “The man (subject) sees (verb) the boy (object).”

  • If you change word order, the meaning changes.

• In Greek, endings tell you who is subject and object, so word order is more flexible.

  • Example: ὁ ἀνθρωπος βλέπει τὸν παῖδα = “The man sees the boy.”

  • βλέπει ὁ ἀνθρωπος τὸν παῖδα → same meaning.

  • τὸν παῖδα βλέπει ὁ ἀνθρωπος → same meaning.

👉 The endings, not the word order, carry the main meaning.

Step 2: Typical Greek Word Order

Even though Greek is flexible, it still has tendencies:

1. Verb often comes first

   • βλέπει ὁ μαθητής τὸν κύριον.

   • “The disciple sees the Lord.”

2. Subject + Verb + Object is also common

   • ὁ μαθητής βλέπει τὸν κύριον.

3. Emphasis is shown by placement

   • Words moved to the beginning of the sentence are often emphasized.

   • τὸν κύριον βλέπει ὁ μαθητής = “It is the Lord the disciple sees.”

Step 3: Clauses and Connectors

Greek sentences often string together ideas with conjunctions (and, but, for, because):

• καί = and

• δέ = but / and

• γάρ = for / because

• ἵνα = in order that / so that

Example:

• ὁ μαθητὴς βλέπει τὸν κύριον καὶ πιστεύει.

• “The disciple sees the Lord and believes.”

Step 4: Word Groups

Think of sentences in clusters of meaning, not just isolated words:

• Article + Noun → ὁ λόγος (the word).

• Article + Adjective + Noun → ὁ ἀγαθὸς λόγος (the good word).

• Verb + Object → βλέπει τὸν κύριον (sees the Lord).

When you read, group words into these clusters, then combine clusters into sentences.

Step 5: Biblical Examples

1. John 1:1

• Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ λόγος → “In the beginning was the Word.”

• Prepositional phrase (Ἐν ἀρχῇ) + verb (ἦν) + subject (ὁ λόγος).

2. John 3:16

• οὕτως γὰρ ἠγάπησεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν κόσμον → “For God so loved the world.”

• Emphasis: “so” (οὕτως) placed first.

3. Matthew 5:3

• μακάριοι οἱ πτωχοὶ τῷ πνεύματι → “Blessed are the poor in spirit.”

• Adjective (μακάριοι) begins the sentence, emphasizing “Blessed.”

Practice Assignments

1. Word Order Drill
Translate each sentence, then rearrange the words into two new orders that keep the same meaning:

1. ὁ μαθητὴς βλέπει τὸν κύριον.

2. τὸν νόμον δίδωσιν ὁ θεός.

2. Emphasis Recognition
Translate and identify what is emphasized:

1. τὸν κύριον ἀγαπᾷ ὁ μαθητής.

2. ὁ θεὸς γάρ ἐστιν πνεῦμα.

3. Clause Connection
Translate into English:

1. ὁ ἄνθρωπος βλέπει τὸν υἱὸν καὶ πιστεύει.

2. γράφω τὴν γραφὴν ἵνα γνῶτε τὴν ἀλήθειαν.

4. Composition Practice
Write 3 Greek sentences using different word orders but the same meaning. Provide English translations.

Encouragement

At first, Greek word order may feel confusing compared to English. But remember: the endings tell you the meaning—word order is about emphasis and flow.

As you practice, try not to translate word-for-word. Instead, look for the clusters of meaning: the subject, the verb, the object, and any modifiers. Then put them together smoothly in English.

This skill takes time, but once it clicks, you’ll begin to read Greek rather than simply decode it.

Keep going—you are now learning to follow the thought patterns of the New Testament authors themselves!