Η μεταχειρισμένη αντίκα είναι παλιά.

to be

Breakdown of Η μεταχειρισμένη αντίκα είναι παλιά.

• παλιός: old
• μεταχειρισμένος: second-hand; used
• η αντίκα: the antique

Questions & Answers about Η μεταχειρισμένη αντίκα είναι παλιά.

Why are there two different words here, μεταχειρισμένη and παλιά, if they both seem related to old?

They do not mean the same thing.

• μεταχειρισμένη means used, second-hand, or pre-owned
• παλιά means old

So the sentence is describing the antique in two different ways:

• it is used / second-hand
• it is old

This can sound a bit redundant in English, because an antique is normally old already, but grammatically the Greek sentence is fine.

Why does the sentence start with Η?

Η is the feminine singular definite article, meaning the.

Greek articles change for gender, number, and case. Here:

• η = the for a feminine singular noun in the nominative case

It matches αντίκα, which is treated as a feminine singular noun here.

Why is μεταχειρισμένη in that form?

Because it has to agree with αντίκα.

In Greek, adjectives agree with the noun they describe in:

• gender
• number
• case

Since αντίκα is feminine singular nominative, μεταχειρισμένη must also be feminine singular nominative.

That is why you see the feminine form μεταχειρισμένη rather than a masculine or neuter form.