Η απομίμηση πορσελάνης είναι φθηνή.

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

It matches απομίμηση, which is a feminine singular noun. So:

• η = the for feminine singular nouns
• απομίμηση = a feminine singular noun

Together, Η απομίμηση means the imitation.

Also note that η without an accent is the article the, while ή with an accent means or.

Greek often uses the definite article more freely than English.

So even when English sounds natural without the, Greek may still prefer the article, especially when talking about a thing or category in a general way.

That means Η απομίμηση πορσελάνης είναι φθηνή can sound perfectly natural in Greek, even if English might translate it more smoothly without the.

Because it is in the genitive singular.

The basic noun is πορσελάνη = porcelain.
Here it becomes πορσελάνης to show a relationship like of porcelain.

So the structure is:

• απομίμηση = imitation
• πορσελάνης = of porcelain

Together, απομίμηση πορσελάνης means imitation of porcelain.

Because Greek often expresses of by using the genitive case instead of a separate word.

English says:

• imitation of porcelain

Greek says:

• απομίμηση πορσελάνης

So the meaning of of is built into the ending -ης on πορσελάνης.

This is very common in Greek.

Because adjectives in Greek must agree with the noun they describe in gender, number, and case.

The main noun here is απομίμηση, which is:

• feminine
• singular
• nominative

So the adjective must match it:

• φθηνή = feminine singular nominative form of cheap

If the noun were masculine or neuter, the adjective would change form too.

The subject is the whole noun phrase Η απομίμηση πορσελάνης.

The head noun is απομίμηση.
The word πορσελάνης adds extra information and depends on απομίμηση.

So the sentence structure is:

• Η απομίμηση πορσελάνης = subject
• είναι = verb
• φθηνή = predicate adjective

είναι means is here.

Yes, in a normal sentence like this, you do include it. Greek does not normally leave out is in the way some other languages do.

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

• he/she/it is
• they are

So the same form works for both third-person singular and third-person plural.

Yes, Greek word order is more flexible than English, although this sentence uses the most neutral order.

The standard order here is:

• Η απομίμηση πορσελάνης είναι φθηνή.

You could also move things around for emphasis, for example:

• Φθηνή είναι η απομίμηση πορσελάνης.

That would put more emphasis on cheap.

But for a learner, the original order is the safest and most natural pattern to remember.

Not exactly. In Greek, πορσελάνης is still a noun, not an adjective.

English often uses noun + noun patterns, like:

• porcelain imitation
• gold ring
• stone wall

Greek often prefers a different structure, using a noun plus the genitive:

• απομίμηση πορσελάνης = imitation of porcelain

So instead of turning porcelain into an adjective-like modifier, Greek keeps it as a noun in the genitive.

A rough pronunciation is:

ee a-po-MEE-mi-see por-se-LA-nees EE-ne fthee-NEE

A few useful notes:

• Η sounds like ee
• θ sounds like th in think
• φ sounds like f
• αι in είναι sounds like eh in modern Greek pronunciation

So φθηνή begins with a consonant cluster that sounds roughly like fth. That cluster can feel unusual for English speakers at first.