Το γουρούνι είναι στην αυλή.

Το is the definite article for a neuter singular noun, so it means the.

• το γουρούνι = the pig

Greek uses articles very regularly, often more often than English does. In this sentence, γουρούνι is not just pig, but specifically the pig.

In this sentence, you can tell it is neuter because it takes the article το, which is the neuter singular form of the.

Also, many Greek nouns ending in -ι are neuter, though this is a pattern, not an absolute rule.

So here:

• το γουρούνι = neuter singular

Είναι means is here. It is the 3rd person singular form of to be.

So:

• το γουρούνι είναι... = the pig is...

A useful thing for learners is that είναι is also used for:

• he is
• she is
• it is

So Greek does not have separate present-tense forms like English is for different genders. The same form works for all third-person singular subjects.

Στην is a very common contraction of:

• σε = in / at / to
• την = the (feminine accusative singular)

So:

• σε την → στην

This contraction is standard and extremely common in Modern Greek.

In this sentence:

• στην αυλή = in the yard / courtyard

Because αυλή is a feminine singular noun, and after σε Greek normally uses the accusative case.

The feminine accusative singular article is την, which contracts with σε to form στην.

So the structure is:

• σε + την αυλή → στην αυλή

In Modern Greek, the preposition σε usually takes the accusative case, even when English would use in, at, or to.

So although English says:

• in the yard

Greek uses:

• σε / στην + accusative

This is just how the grammar works in Modern Greek. It does not mean motion only; it can also describe location.

It can mean all of those, depending on context.

• σε is a flexible preposition in Modern Greek.
• στην αυλή could mean in the yard, at the yard, or sometimes to the yard, depending on the sentence.

In Το γουρούνι είναι στην αυλή, the verb είναι shows that this is a location, so the natural meaning is:

• The pig is in the yard
• or The pig is in the courtyard

Γουρούνι is pronounced approximately ghoo-ROO-nee.

A few helpful details:

• γου sounds like goo
• the stress is on ρού
• Greek γ here is not like a hard English g in go; it is a softer sound, often approximated for learners as gh

So a learner-friendly approximation is:

• ghoo-ROO-nee

Αυλή is pronounced approximately av-LEE.

Two useful points:

• αυ is pronounced av before a voiced sound
• the stress is on the last syllable: -λή

So:

• αυλή → av-LEE

Greek uses an accent mark to show which syllable is stressed in a word.

• γουρούνι → stress on ρού
• αυλή → stress on λή

Short function words like το and στην normally do not need a written accent here.

For learners, the accent mark is very important because stress is part of correct pronunciation.

Yes. Greek word order is more flexible than English word order.

The neutral order here is:

• Το γουρούνι είναι στην αυλή.

But Greek can move parts around for emphasis, for example:

• Στην αυλή είναι το γουρούνι.
• Το γουρούνι στην αυλή είναι. (less neutral, more marked)

The original sentence is the most straightforward, neutral way to say it.

Only if the subject is already clear from context.

Greek often drops subject pronouns, but nouns are dropped only when the meaning is obvious from the situation. On its own, είναι στην αυλή means:

• he/she/it is in the yard

So if you specifically want to say the pig is in the yard, keeping το γουρούνι makes it clear.

Because both are definite:

• the pig
• the yard

Greek commonly uses definite articles where English also uses the, and sometimes even where English would omit it in other contexts. In this sentence, both articles are completely natural and expected.

So the structure is:

• Το γουρούνι = the pig
• στην αυλή = in the yard