Autos | Greek Mnemonics

Bill Mounce’s Basics of Biblical Greek Vocabulary Cards (2nd Edition):

28.) autos (αὐτός, -ή, -ό): he, she, it; him, her; they, them; same

Note that the different endings in parenthesis are different forms of the word, depending on the gender. The masculine is autos, the feminine is autē, the neuter is auto.

Mnemonics / Memory Aids:

A.) "They hire all sorts of people to work at the auto factory: he, she, it, him, her, they, and them. The boss told me himself! There are three buildings, but they all manufacture the same thing." 

B.) "An automobile is a vehicle that runs under the power of the 'same' vehicle. It isn't pulled by a horse. An autobiography is a biography written by that 'same' man, not another. An autotransformer transforms voltage using the 'same' winding, not two separate primary and secondary windings. And so on. In Greek, it refers to the 'same' person or entity just mentioned." (GarthDWiebe)

C.) Picture an AUTOmobile picking up everyone: Imagine a car (an "automobile") picking up a group of people: "he," "she," "it," "him," "her," "them." And they're all going to the same place. αὐτός is the vehicle for all these meanings. (Google Gemini)

D.) "Observe the autos. Art Icicle is close by in the rumble seat since the endings of αὐτός parallel closely the endings of the article." (Cullen & J. Lyle Story, Greek To Me, p. 61.)

E.) "Auto-matic transmission is what 'he' prefers." (Danny Zacharias, FlashGreek Lite) 

F.) The mechanic ordered the same auto parts for him, her, and it. (ChatGPT, adapted)

G.) They all drive the same autos to church. (ChatGPT, adapted)

H.) He fixed the automobile himself. (ChatGPT, adapted)

I.) They came to see it at the auto show. (ChatGPT)

J.) The auto club has the same members each year. (ChatGPT)

K.) An autodidact is self-taught. (Tanner Huss)

L.) "Ow, Taws! Mom, he hit himself with the same brick again!" (AWOL)