27.193 The Relative Pronoun

The relative pronoun is something that you need to study very carefully. Croy provides a paradigm in section 193 along with detailed notes about the use of the relative pronoun.

As you can see, the relative pronoun is very similar to the αὐτός pronoun that you are already familiar with and to the definite article. The feminine forms take first declension endings, and the masculine and neuter forms take second declension endings.

Notice the rough breathings in ALL the forms of the relative pronoun!

A relative pronoun, like any other pronoun, is used to refer to another noun, which is called the antecedent of the pronoun. Because Greek word is so free, the antecedent does not always come before the pronoun! Also, a pronoun is sometimes used when the noun itself is only implied or is supplied by the context of the sentence.

A relative pronoun agrees with its antecedent in gender and number, just as you would expect - but it takes its case from the relative clause that it appears in. Study Croy's examples of this to make sure you understand.

Then study Croy's examples of the relative pronoun which is attracted into the case of its antecedent. Although this is technically a grammatical "error," it is quite common in Biblical Greek.