What is a purpose clause and how do you construct one in Greek?

A purpose clause is a sentence that expresses purpose - doing something in order that something else might happen. For example, 'he shouted so that the girl would help him', 'I went towards Athens to see the king', 'they came inside in order not to be caught in the rain'. There are two main ways of forming these in Greek. One is ἱνα + subjunctive (e.g. ἐβοησεν ἱνα ἡ κορη βοηθῃ = he shouted so that the girl would help him), and the other is ὡς + future participle (προσηλθον Ἀθηναζε ὡς ὀψομενος τον βασιλεα = I went towards Athens to see the king). Unfortunately for you, both of these could come up in the GCSE Greek exam, but fortunately they're both quite straightforward.

JG
Answered by Jennifer G. Classical Greek tutor

5332 Views

See similar Classical Greek GCSE tutors

Related Classical Greek GCSE answers

All answers ▸

'What's the difference between an aorist infinitive and a present one?'


What is the difference between the subjunctive and the optative moods in classical greek verbs?


How are you qualified to teach Classical Greek at GCSE Level?


How do I know which cases follow which prepositions of motion?


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2026 by IXL Learning