Η αντίκα είναι αυθεντική.

to be

Breakdown of Η αντίκα είναι αυθεντική.

• η αντίκα: the antique
• αυθεντικός: authentic

Questions & Answers about Η αντίκα είναι αυθεντική.

What does η mean, and why is it used here?

Η is the feminine singular definite article, so it means the.

In Η αντίκα είναι αυθεντική, the noun αντίκα is treated as a feminine singular noun, so it takes η. Greek articles change for gender, number, and case, so the article gives you useful grammatical information that English the does not.

So:

η αντίκα = the antique

Is αντίκα a noun or an adjective here?

Here, αντίκα is a noun. It means an antique item or antique object.

That can be confusing for English speakers, because in English antique can be either:

• a noun: This antique is expensive
• an adjective: an antique chair

In this Greek sentence, αντίκα is the subject of the sentence, so it is clearly being used as a noun: The antique is authentic.

Why is αντίκα feminine?