Conjunction

A conjunction is a part of speech that connects two words, phrases, or clauses. In English, there are three kinds of conjunctions:

  1. coordinating conjunctions (FANBOYS),

  2. correlative conjunctions video,

  3. subordinating conjunctions; video


Greek Conjunctions

See GGBB p. 761 for the Greek conjunctions.

Coordinating conjunctions:

καί the most common conjunction usually translated "and."

δέ usually this conjunction has a contrastive nuance and is translated "but." Just how strong this contrastive idea is depends on the context. Many times, it is translated "and" or "now."

μέν… δέ is a combination that is used to mark a contrast between a word (or clause), one of which is marked by μέν, anis the other by δέ. They are translated “on the one hand μέν… on the other hand δέ. In other contexts, the μέν is best left untranslated, and the δέ translated with “and” or “but.”

οὔτε or μήτε are conjunctions (οὔτε with indicative; μήτε with infinitive) and mean “and… not.” Note that they are simply combinations of οὐ and μή with τε.

ἀλλά is a conjunction like δε but is a stronger contrastive. It is almost always translated "but."

ἤ is a disjunctive and is translated "or." It has a breathing mark and accent which distinguishes it from the feminine article ἡ.


Correlative conjunctions:

  • εἴτε… εἴτε is translated either… or

  • μήτε… μήτε: neither…nor (with infinitives)

  • οὔτε… οὔτε: neither…nor (with indicative verbs)

Subordinating conjunctions:

Causal: γάρ, ὅτι

Therefore: ἄρα, διό, οὖν

Conditional: εἰ, εἴπερ

Purpose: ἵνα

Temporal: ὅτε, ἕως, μέχρι, πρίν, ἐπεί

Comparison: ὡς

Spatial: ὅθεν

Hebrew Conjunctions:

Hebrew has a simple vav conjunction. video It also has a vav-conversive and vav-reversive.

Vav-conversive:

A vav-conversive is sometimes called a “vav-consecutive” or "waw-consecutive"). more The key point to remember is that a vav-conversive converts a YQTL from future tense to past tense (these forms are often called “preterites”). The following rules are also helpful:

  1. It is only ever added to the YQTL form of the verb.

  2. The dagesh from the vav-conversive will never appear in the first letter of the verb.

  3. A vav-conversive will shorten a verb every chance it gets (KHW 32.3a). See the third-ה paradigm for an example (KHW p. 448).

Vav-reversive:

A vav-reversive is much like a vav-conversive, and some grammars call both of these vav or waw-consecutives (see chp 17g here). In this situation, what looks like a simple vav conjunction on a QTL form of the verb is actually a vav-reversive. It reverses the QTL from past tense, to future tense (the opposite of a vav-conversive). cf. KHW 8.1d or this video.