Greek pronoun and determiner
οὗτος
οὗτος, αὕτη, τοῦτο
οὗτος is a Greek pronoun and determiner. In the 7 analysed lines it was read in, it means “this” (5 times), “these” (2 times), “after this/afterwards” (once) and “him/it” (once).
In the texts
Each line as the reader shows it: every word in its case colour with its meaning underneath, and arcs from οὗτος to the words it goes with.
Οὗτος ἦν ἐν ἀρχῇ πρὸς τὸν θεόν.
This one was in the beginning with God.
Οὗτος: subject of ἦν.
κίνησις γὰρ αὕτη μεγίστη δὴ τοῖς Ἕλλησιν ἐγένετο καὶ μέρει τινὶ τῶν βαρβάρων, ὡς δὲ εἰπεῖν καὶ ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ἀνθρώπων.
For this was indeed the greatest movement for the Greeks and a certain part of the barbarians, and, one might say, over most of mankind.
αὕτη: points out κίνησις.
ἐπειδὴ δέ μοι παιδίον γίγνεται, ἐπίστευον ἤδη καὶ πάντα τὰ ἐμαυτοῦ ἐκείνῃ παρέδωκα, ἡγούμενος ταύτην οἰκειότητα μεγίστην εἶναι·
But since a child was born to me, I now trusted her and handed over all my belongings to her, believing this to be the greatest bond of kinship.
ταύτην: subject of εἶναι.
Ὁ δὲ, ὑπὸ τοῦ ψύχους καταπονούμενος ἔτι μᾶλλον, καὶ περιττοτέραν ἐσθῆτα προσελάμβανεν, ἕως ἀποκαμὼν ὁ Βορέας τῷ Ἡλίῳ μετὰ τοῦτο παρέδωκε.
He, more and more exhausted by the cold, even more, took on an extra cloak, until, having grown tired, Boreas handed him over to Helios afterwards.
Ἡλίῳ: indirect object of παρέδωκε, to or for whom it is done.
μάλιστα δὲ αὐτῶν ἓν ἐθαύμασα τῶν πολλῶν ὧν ἐψεύσαντο, τοῦτο ἐν ᾧ ἔλεγον ὡς χρῆν ὑμᾶς εὐλαβεῖσθαι μὴ ὑπ’…
But most of all I marveled at one of their many lies, this one in which they said that it was necessary for you to be wary lest you be deceived by me, as though I were skilled in speaking.
τοῦτο: renames ἐθαύμασα.
…ἐμοῦ ἐξελεγχθήσονται ἔργῳ, ἐπειδὰν μηδ’ ὁπωστιοῦν φαίνωμαι δεινὸς λέγειν, τοῦτό μοι ἔδοξεν αὐτῶν ἀναισχυντότατον εἶναι, εἰ μὴ ἄρα δεινὸν…
For that they were not ashamed that they would immediately be refuted by me in deed, when I did not appear to be clever at speaking in any way at all, this seemed to me the most shameless thing of theirs, unless perhaps these people call 'clever at speaking' the one who speaks the truth.
τοῦτό: subject of ἔδοξεν.
εἰ μὲν γὰρ τοῦτο λέγουσιν, ὁμολογοίην ἂν ἔγωγε οὐ κατὰ τούτους εἶναι ῥήτωρ.
For if that is what they mean, I would agree that I am an orator – though not after their fashion.
τοῦτο: object of λέγουσιν.
Forms
Every form of the word in these texts, with what it is.
| Form | Grammar | Read |
|---|---|---|
| τοῦτο | Accusative · Singular · Neuter | 2 |
| αὕτη | Nominative · Singular · Feminine | 1 |
| ἡλίῳ | Accusative · Singular · Neuter | 1 |
| οὗτοι | Nominative · Plural · Masculine | 1 |
| οὗτος | Nominative · Singular · Masculine | 1 |
| ταύτην | Accusative · Singular · Feminine | 1 |
| τοῦτο | Nominative · Singular · Neuter | 1 |
| τοῦτό | Nominative · Singular · Neuter | 1 |
| τούτους | Accusative · Plural · Masculine | 1 |
Words it goes with
Joined to οὗτος by an arc in these lines, most often first.
Grammar
- About the accusativeThe Greek accusative marks the direct object, motion towards after εἰς and πρός, and the subject of an infinitive. Real lines from Homer, Aesop and John.
- About the nominativeThe Greek nominative names the subject and the word that renames it after εἰμί. How to spot it, and how the article helps, with lines from John and Aesop.
- About agreementHow Greek articles, adjectives and participles agree with their nouns in case, number and gender, and how the article frames a phrase, shown in real lines.
- About word orderWhy a Greek adjective can stand far from its noun, as in the Odyssey’s first line: the endings carry the grammar, so order is free for emphasis.