Το παπούτσι είναι μεταχειρισμένο.

Το is the definite article here, meaning the.

So:

• το παπούτσι = the shoe

Greek articles change according to gender, number, and case.
Here, παπούτσι is neuter singular, so the article is το.

It is neuter.

You can tell from the combination:

• το παπούτσι = neuter singular

This matters because adjectives and articles in Greek must agree with the noun. That is why the adjective later is also in a neuter singular form: μεταχειρισμένο.

Because it has to agree with παπούτσι.

Greek adjectives change form depending on the noun they describe. Since παπούτσι is:

• neuter
• singular
• here in the nominative

the adjective also appears as neuter singular nominative:

• μεταχειρισμένο

Compare:

• το παπούτσι είναι μεταχειρισμένο = the shoe is used
• η τσάντα είναι μεταχειρισμένη = the bag is used
• ο υπολογιστής είναι μεταχειρισμένος = the computer is used

Same idea, different endings.

Είναι is the verb is / are, from είμαι = to be.

In this sentence:

• το παπούτσι είναι μεταχειρισμένο
• literally: the shoe is used

A useful thing to know is that είναι is used for both:

• he/she/it is
• they are

So Greek does not change this form the way English does.

It is in the nominative case, because it is the subject of the sentence.

The structure is:

• το παπούτσι = subject
• είναι = verb
• μεταχειρισμένο = predicate adjective

So this is a very standard Greek sentence pattern:
subject + to be + adjective

Yes, that is the most natural meaning here.

Μεταχειρισμένος / μεταχειρισμένη / μεταχειρισμένο often means:

• used
• second-hand
• not new

So for objects, it commonly describes something pre-owned.

It does not mean used to in the English grammar sense, and it is not usually the word you would pick for worn out. For example, something can be used but still in good condition.

Because in this sentence the adjective is not directly attached to the noun; it comes after the verb to be.

This is the difference between:

• το παπούτσι είναι μεταχειρισμένο = the shoe is used
• το μεταχειρισμένο παπούτσι = the used shoe

So:

• after είναι, the adjective works like a predicate adjective
• before the noun, it works like an attributive adjective

Both are normal, but they mean slightly different things structurally.

Yes.

That would mean:

• a used shoe

Greek does not have a completely separate indefinite article like English a/an, but it uses ένας / μία / ένα in that role.

So:

• το παπούτσι = the shoe
• ένα παπούτσι = a shoe
• ένα μεταχειρισμένο παπούτσι = a used shoe

A simple pronunciation guide is:

• Το παπούτσι είναι μεταχειρισμένο
• to pa-POO-tsi EE-ne me-ta-khi-ri-sme-NO

A few helpful points:

• πού in παπούτσι has the stress: pa-POU-tsi
• εί in είναι is stressed: EE-ne
• νό in μεταχειρισμένο has the stress at the end: me-ta-khi-ri-sme-NO

Also, χ in μεταχειρισμένο is not like English ch in chair. It is a rougher sound, similar to the h/ch sound in German Bach or Scottish loch.

Normally, in a sentence like this, no.

Greek usually keeps the verb είναι when you say:

• the shoe is used
• the house is big
• the car is expensive

So you would normally say:

• Το παπούτσι είναι μεταχειρισμένο.

Leaving out είναι would sound incomplete in standard Greek.

Here it is singular because the sentence talks about one shoe:

• το παπούτσι = the shoe

The plural is:

• τα παπούτσια = the shoes

Then the adjective must also become plural:

• Τα παπούτσια είναι μεταχειρισμένα. = The shoes are used.

Notice the agreement again:

• το παπούτσι → μεταχειρισμένο
• τα παπούτσια → μεταχειρισμένα

Yes, very common.

Παπούτσι is the normal everyday word for shoe.
Its plural, as mentioned above, is παπούτσια.

So this sentence uses completely normal, useful vocabulary.

The pattern is:

• Article + noun + form of “to be” + adjective

So:

• Το = the
• παπούτσι = shoe
• είναι = is
• μεταχειρισμένο = used

This is one of the most basic and important sentence patterns in Greek, and it works with many other adjectives too:

• Το σπίτι είναι μεγάλο. = The house is big.
• Το βιβλίο είναι καινούριο. = The book is new.
• Το αυτοκίνητο είναι ακριβό. = The car is expensive.

So this sentence is a very good model to learn from.